Michael Tritt
Union Station KC
Unlocking the power of brand heritage
There are a lot of challenges one faces when marketing a virtual or technological product, but what about when it’s a train station? Union Station KC (short for Kansas City) is a 100-year-old railroad station that has been converted to a destination site.
What’s the key to marketing a building? “It goes back to telling a great story” according to Michael Tritt, the CMO of UnionStation, “and telling a story that has some life over time.” It doesn’t hurt that Michael comes from classic agency stock.
To protect the heritage of the brand, Michael decided to utilize the agency model to service the marketing needs of the businesses inhabiting of Union Station. He also adopted a philosophy that has served him well in the past. “Keep the guest in the center of everything, listen to them early, learn from the often, move fast to leverage what we capture into action.” He sums it up best when he said, “Listen for the whispers and listen for the screams.” Wise advice from a seasoned marketer.
Episode Highlights:
History of the brand (4:00)
Building brand claims (6:10)
Building out an agency model (10:30)
Protecting the brand asset (15:10)
Social listening posts are key (17:00)
Owning the brand – for better or worse (19:30)
Other tricks of the trade (21:30)