Bravery starts small

The Marketing Society’s first New York Brave Conference at Samsung’s 837 Experience, its “un-retail” space, took it to the next level in terms of what it means to be brave in marketing and, in fact, life.

An impressive set of speakers included Andrew Clarke from Mars; Michelle Froah from Samsung; Will Dean, founder of Tough Mudder; Elissa Montanti, who People magazine dubbed “saint of Staten Island” and founder of Global Medical Relief Fund; and Madonna Badger, founder of #WomenNotObjects. I walked away inspired and brainstorming how I could be brave in my own life.

They suggested 3 ways to make it happen:

Undertake small acts of bravery

Being brave starts small. Will Dean talked about ignoring his Harvard Business School professors to test his first Tough Mudder event.

Setting a goal of 500 entrants, he managed to get 5,000 people at a muddy ski hill in Allentown, PA. Madonna Badger talked about her desire to screen her #womennotobjects films at Cannes by faking a trip to London to gain a meeting with the Cannes team.

Elissa Montanti suffered from severe anxiety and could barely leave her house after the deaths of her mother, grandmother, and childhood sweetheart. Traveling from Staten Island to NYC for a meeting with the Bosnian ambassador seems like a small act, but for her, it took great courage. She learned about a boy, Kenan Malkic, who had lost both arms and a leg in a land mine accident.

On the spot, she decided to help bring Kenan to the US for surgery and prosthetics.

GMRF has helped over 100 children since 1997.

Bravery is very personal

Madonna Badger’s personal tragedy of losing her 3 young girls and parents in a house fire in 2011 led her to re-evaluate.

Steeped in fashion advertising that objectified women, she believed she could make a stand and leave a legacy.  Similarly, helping crippled Bosnian children allowed Elissa to transcend her own losses. Even in big business, bravery is possible.

For Mars, producing a Pedigree dog food ad in 3 days, that aimed to heal political divides during the US election was brave.

Bravery seeks truth and requires honesty

Will Dean pointed out that Tough Mudder races are not for everyone. For some, running many miles across obstacles in the mud is just not for them.

In the ad world, sex sells and objectifying women is a mainstay. Madonna Badger shed light on these unsavory practices that existing for years.

Madonna Badger summed it up by stating “We can all change tomorrow if that’s what we choose to do.”

What small act can you take today to be brave?

By Brooke Molinaroli, brand & marketing consultant, LesserEvil Healthy Brands