🔒Donovan’s media savvy helps grow Mintz + Hoke’s, clients’ reach

When Sara-Beth Donovan joined advertising agency Mintz + Hoke between two big financial bubbles — dot-com and the Great Recession — she knew she faced a big challenge. It was 2007 and many clients were confused about digital media and panicked about their marketing and advertising budgets. She was undeterred.

Digital media was just surfacing as an advertising tool and she made it her mission to attract clients who were willing to take the risk to reach new and broader audiences.

“Our team was established and experienced. We knew good advertising worked and we were confident to set off on new paths such as in-person dynamic trade show activations and pioneering new technology,” she said.

As principal of media at Mintz + Hoke, Donovan oversees the firm's Media Only unit, which partners with other advertising agencies around the country serving clients that only need media services, including planning and placing ads in TV, radio, print, digital and outdoor platforms.

But the job entails much more, including research, analytics and tracking results.

When Donovan joined Media Only it had only one client. Today she's helped grow the business unit to 13 employees and it continues to expand both in size and scale — as well as location, with an employee in Oregon.

“It was something that hadn't been actively pursued to grow, it just existed,” she said. “I was excited about the prospect of being able to grow it.”

Overall, Mintz + Hoke is the fifth largest ad and public relations agency in Greater Hartford, recording $37.3 million in gross billings in 2016, according to Hartford Business Journal's Book of Lists. The firm's media clients include Deloitte, Hartford HealthCare, Mohegan Sun and Quinnipiac University.

Donovan said she and her team must carefully balance the art and science of media, making sure advertising strategy isn't skewed too heavily in one direction, which can throw off its effectiveness.

She said her favorite thing to do is create media, sitting side-by-side with clients and media partners to develop something specifically built to meet their needs.

“If you can brainstorm collectively with a client with a business challenge, the person who is the liaison to getting that message out there, and the person who ultimately delivers that message, the media partner, you can build something really cool,” she said.

Mintz + Hoke President and CEO Ron Perine said Donovan and her team have helped some of Hartford's most historic and innovative companies in health care, sports, nonprofits and transportation maintain a top-of-mind presence in this market and beyond.

With her help and media savvy, Mintz + Hoke has secured new clients within the entertainment industry throughout the country, from Louisiana and Pennsylvania all the way to Oregon, Perine said.

“Not only is that impressive for a local advertising agency, but it's creating employment opportunities in the Greater Hartford region,” he said, adding that a key strength for Donovan and her team is that they try to create opportunities for clients that never before existed and challenge media partners to create something new that a brand can own.

Donovan says her team is particularly proud of winning the media work for an international client from a major media agency out of Los Angeles. She declined to disclose the company.

“It was a defining time for our team to be selected by an international brand headquartered in Brazil,” she says. “It was the first client who took Media Only well beyond our regional heritage.”

Now they have clients in major metros including New York, Boston, Chicago and just this past year, hit the West Coast with an office in Portland, Oregon.

'Can-do attitude'

A graduate of New Britain High School and the University of Connecticut, Donovan's talent is respected beyond the region.

Around the office, she is not only known as a principal and head of Media Only, but also as a new business developer, brand advocate and mentor.

“Sara-Beth thinks quickly on her feet and has a lot of self-assurance,” Perine said. “Usually, you find someone who is very good with analytics but needs some help with relationship building. She is incredibly dynamic and able to do both, which is why she's able to give our clients the best media for their money.She can really stretch a dollar.”

He admires her “can-do attitude.”

“Just because the climb may look ridiculously steep doesn't mean that you don't do it,” he said. “Because of Sara-Beth's attitude and ability to deliver, we've felt confident to go after some pretty big pieces of business. As a result, we've been invited into final discussions and won accounts because of her tenacity and skill.”

Shy to take the credit, Donovan reinforces a team approach, within the firm and with clients.

“We view ourselves as an extension of our clients' teams. There's a real pride in not ever letting a client down when you feel like you're an extension of their team,” she said.

Q&A

What legacy do you want to leave after your career is over?

I feel like I am just coming into my stride now and would hope to really solidify what my legacy should be in the next decade or so. As long as I help people to do their very best work, my contribution will have mattered. My compass is to empower those on the team to rise to their greatest abilities and build a team that plays off each other's strengths.

What are your keys to maintaining business success?

I am very fortunate to work with really smart people who work very hard. Yet we play hard, too. We learn and laugh every day. That is key when working in the ever-changing media world. We never settle and always push the work to continually improve. Strong mentors showed me this path over many years and it works.

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