Jason Steed

Our Vagus Nerve is Fresh Air for Meaningful Marketing

by Jason Steed | Nov 19, 2024 | Marketing

Owner & CEO

Our Vagus Nerve is Fresh Air for Meaningful Marketing

Last month I renewed my certificate as a Certified Primal Health Coach. Though my roles at Targa keep my coaching business on the sidelines, I find myself putting many wellness principles into practice. In this blog, I’ll share a bit about the biology of our shared humanity, and how we’re all wired to strengthen connections with our teams, our customers, and our inner circles with family and friends. I think your “vagus nerve” is going to love this! Featured image: My wife, Heather and I are with our Labradoodle Pepper in the northern Utah mountains.

Meet your Vagus Nerve

To start, what if a key to stronger connections—and better business outcomes—lies in something as basic as our physiology? Our vagus nerve is responsible for many human qualities, including those essential for genuine connections: Authenticity, mutual trust, and empathy. We marketers and creatives rely on these qualities to learn and understand audience behaviors (empathy), craft a meaningful story (authenticity), and grow and retain our audience (mutual trust). These qualities and other positive human qualities are hardwired from our vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve, extending from brainstem to chest and abdomen.

Inspiration for our Everyday Work

Our leadership roles make us stewards of people and purpose. Our biggest advantage in this space is that we’re all human—biologically wired to seek connection, understanding, and trust. For instance, the vagus nerve, a key component of your nervous system, plays a critical role in regulating emotions, stress, and even social bonding. When you’re calm and present (i.e. parasympathetic), your body is more attuned to others. You’ll listen better, react less impulsively, and build trust faster. Sounds like solid qualities when collaborating on a creative brief, making product marketing decisions, and beyond.

“Customer connections don’t require abundant experience, but rather a desire to be authentic and gutsy.”

How to Call Upon your Vagus Nerve

Here’s the thing: cultivating habits that promote vagal tone can enhance its activity and influence. Our ability to connect, listen, and lead isn’t just a mindset—it’s also influenced by our body’s state. For example, activating your vagus nerve through small, intentional habits can help you stay calm under pressure and present in conversations. Here are a few practices to consider:

Compassion: Approach interactions with genuine care. Compassion not only builds trust but also reduces stress for everyone involved.
Authentic “Me” Time: Prioritize moments that recharge you, whether that’s a walk, meditation, or time with family.
Face-to-face Conversations: Whenever possible, meet customers and colleagues in person. There’s no substitute for the connection of real-world interactions.

No doubt, there are other ways we support the vagus nerve, such as breathwork, mindfulness, and even cold exposure, but I’ll save these topics for a later post. 😉 Suffice it to say, these small and simple shifts make a big difference in how you show up for your team, your customers, and most importantly, for yourself.

Build a Culture of Authenticity

In my 25+ years in marketing and creative storytelling, I’ve learned that we find common ground before we sell products. As marketers and communicators, we treat every campaign, every sales pitch, and every customer interaction as an opportunity to connect on a deeper level. This approach doesn’t require abundant experience or anything near perfection. It simply requires authenticity—and being authentic means being gutsy. When you take the time to understand your audience’s needs and objections, you’re not just marketing—you’re building lasting relationships. We’ve talked honing our hardwiring for empathy, mutual trust, social engagement, and authenticity. When we approach our work with this mindset, we gravitate to a culture that shares in the important work of storytelling on behalf of our clients.

Bringing it All Together

Human connection is the thread that ties everything together in business. Whether you’re designing a marketing campaign, closing a sale, or leading a team, your success depends on how well you understand and respond to the people you’re working with. And while techniques and strategies are important, never forget that connection starts with something simpler: our shared humanity. The more we embrace what makes us human—compassion, curiosity, and a willingness to listen—the more meaningful our work becomes. I believe that, when we trust ourselves and open up for potential vulnerability, we do our best work: from planning to brainstorming, to writing and crafting creative campaigns.

A Season for Gratitude

Above all, the vagus nerve is a monumental driver of gratitude. On that note, may this season bring you better in touch with colleagues and friends, fulfilling work, good health, and ample unplugging for the moments that truly matter.

Our Vagus Nerve is Fresh Air for Meaningful Marketing

by Jason Steed | November 19, 2024 | Marketing | 0 Comments

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What Focus Helps us See, and Makes us Miss

by Jason Steed | Aug 22, 2024 | Content Advice

Jason Steed

Owner & CEO

What Focus Helps us See, and Makes us Miss

The Best Ideas are Often Outside our Focus…

Strange how the best ideas live where you’re not looking. So how do we creatives and marketers benefit from focus and structure? I’ve found that focus is step 1 to great creative, and step 2 is looking outside of those crosshairs. Here are ideas for spotting where the great ideas like to linger.

Balance the Macro With the Micro

I spent an evening with great marketing minds at the Utah Olympic Oval, sponsored by Silicon Slopes. I had never picked up a curling rock before (you don’t actually ever pick them up), and I gained a big respect for the game. While trying to keep my balance in launching “the rock,” I understand now why curling requires conditioning, stamina, and lots of focus. While focusing on the pinpoint instructions from my teammates, it got me thinking about the balance between focus and making room for the bright ideas lurking in our periphera.

For me, focus is critical for setting the guide rails to a project. Focus creates the fenceline perimeter where great ideas hang out.

You’d be amazed how both the micro (focus) and the macro (wide-angle view) bring variety and creativity to an anything-goes brainstorming session. The big picture ideas appear at the borders of your idea cloud—alongside the bizarre, goofy, cliché, and downright dorky ideas. Focus defines those borders, and, de facto, the sweet spots along the borders. At the same time, too much time ruminating on the big picture creates fun yet mostly irrelevant ideas.

This balance is crucial in our line of work. We need focus to keep us off thin ice and to push through the challenges and see a project to completion. But without leaving space for creativity, we risk missing out on those unexpected game-changing ideas. Here are some tools to help you spot those great ideas lurking in the wings:

Strategic Balance

1. Time Blocking: Yes, you can actually schedule creative time. I dedicate specific “focus time” in my day. For me it’s During these blocks, shut out distractions and focus entirely on the task at hand. This helps build the momentum needed for high-quality work.

2. Pomodoro Technique: Work in short, focused bursts (like 25 minutes), followed by a 5-minute break. I’m THE WORST at this! Truly, my OCD nature gets me stuck in ruts all of the time, though I know this method keeps creative minds sharp and ready to catch those peripheral creative ideas.

3. Scheduled Brainstorming Sessions: Set aside regular time for brainstorming. Whether it’s a solo session or with a team, these unstructured moments can lead to the breakthroughs you’re seeking.

4. Environment Switching (my favorite): If you’re feeling stuck, change your environment. Whether it’s moving to a different room, taking a walk, or even working from a café, a change in scenery can spark fresh ideas. Truthfully, my best ideas come to me when I’m miles away from my laptop with my labradoodle Pepper. Usually a lunch break does the trick.

“Alongside focus, step back to find those great ideas that hang out in the fringes.“

5. Journaling: Keep a journal (a.k.a. Notes app) to jot down any ideas, no matter how small or seemingly unrelated. Revisiting these notes later can often lead to surprising insights and new connections.

My Example Story on Focus

Moodboarding is a visual storyboarding tool to Targa uses early on in our team’s creative process. We have the chance to pull our clients away from sharp focus to discover some fringe ideas for their projects. Targa helped one of our technology clients brand a hosted on-site event. Ryan on our creative team led out with our creative team on some moodboard exploration, helping to mature a concept that melded crystal with organic design elements. From this exercise, our client supported our out-of-the-box theming for a variety of event materials, from invitations to floor displays, to a selfie station.

Tie it All Together

By balancing structured focus with intentional space for creativity, you’ll be better equipped to produce work that not only meets expectations but exceeds them. I’m curious what your go-to creative strategy looks like.

Our Vagus Nerve is Fresh Air for Meaningful Marketing

by Jason Steed | November 19, 2024 | Marketing | 0 Comments

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Shared Ownership, Opening New Doors for Targa

by Jason Steed | Mar 20, 2024 | Targa Team, Workplace Wellness

Jason Steed

Owner & CEO

Shared Ownership, Opening New Doors for Targa

This epic signing moment says it all: Strategy Supercharged! After several years of inspiring leadership she has brought to Targa, it was an easy decision for me to offer Taleen the opportunity to become a business partner. I’m honored that she accepted her new role to help enrich Targa’s value. I’ll share a few milestones that this joint venture brings to our team and our clients.

Partnering Up to Tackle Growing Pains

Targa is growing up, and it’s exciting to trust the process. Bringing on a business partner was a critical step for me in meeting client expectations and growing our business. Though I consider myself conservatively minded, there’s something exhilarating about the unpredictable process of business growth. My wife Heather and I had worked hard to make ends meet for several years. Previous business startups left us licking wounds and digging deep for solutions to a sustainable career. Our ups and downs built the foundation for slow and steady growth. Our relationships with community and friends built the engine for our brand and partnerships ahead.

Since I founded Targa in 2002, I’ve made it a point to surround myself with positive, abundance-minded people. I’ve always believed that you don’t have to look far for people with enormous potential and talent. Taleen joined Targa in 2016, and from day one, her abundance-minded people-first approach has helped to propel the brand that builds long-term client relationships and draws great creative talent to our firm. We coincidentally forged friendships much earlier than 2016 in our community theater world, but that’s a fun blog for another day ;-]

Signing of Targa partnership agreement at Bees Stadium Ballpark

“From day one, Taleen’s abundance-minded people-first approach has helped to propel the brand that builds long-term client relationships and draws great creative talent to our firm”

Common Goals and Unique Strengths

I often make the claim that I’m not the one to write a book on successful entrepreneurship. The steps that brought me to where I am today feel very much out of the norm. But maybe the exceptions to the norm are exactly what defines an entrepreneur. Taleen and I have very different skill sets, but we share the same vision for what success looks like in every creative project. Each marketing task requires human connection. We share the weight of digging deep when crafting a creative brief and asking meaningful questions. Multiplied by several tasks in a day, this is often a heavy burden to bear. Taleen’s willingness to help lift that load has brought an unmatched depth of value to our business, helping me to shoulder a deeper level of core responsibilities. Moreover, Taleen’s help with core business processes has helped me to restore valuable time to Heather and our children, community and church, health, and other balanced pursuits.

What Shared Ownership Means to Our Clients

New Ideas: Investing in our business foundations brings new ideas and leadership to our clients.
Broader Skillset: Tackling problems from different life experiences means more tools and tactics for our clients
New Client Bonds: Our shared baseline for putting people first makes for longer-lasting client connections.
More Life Balance: Our ability to divvy out weighty responsibilities makes for better life balance and rich collective energies.
Growing Together: We discover and broaden new marketing ideas alongside our clients.

What Shared Ownership Means to our Team

Leadership Diversity: Each of us benefits from diverse leadership styles, offering more ways to grow and learn.
Skill Enhancement: Taleen knows the predictable input/output of systems — a vital balance to my right-brained less analytic wiring — in turn, broadening the team’s expertise.
Increased Support: Taleen leads out in the essentials of day-to-day efficiencies.
Professional Growth: We invest in each other, keeping personal and professional development in the top position.
Strengthened Team Bonds: Taleen’s people-first approach enhances team cohesion and morale.

Targa team at Bees Ballpark in Salt Lake City July 21 2023

What’s Your Partnership Story?

Have you brought on 1 or more business partners in your space? I’d love to hear what factors felt right in your business for adding a partner or expanding your company structure. I’m very much of the mind that it’s better to own some of something than all of nothing. ;-] May you embrace the changes and find rewards in taking on the required risks!

About Targa

For over 20 years, Targa has been helping B2B customers be relevant and authentic in their marketing messaging. From local businesses to global Fortune 500s, our method centers on human motivation. We work hard to understand each product and the people who need it most, and then we build campaigns that match up with emotional triggers. We keep our clients informed every step of the way—from napkin scratches to final designs—so they never waste time or money on dead-end campaigns. Meet your un-ad agency. We do things a little differently than your average ad agency. More at un-adagency.com

Our Vagus Nerve is Fresh Air for Meaningful Marketing

by Jason Steed | November 19, 2024 | Marketing | 0 Comments

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Marketing From the Heart: Where My Passions Lie

by Jason Steed | Feb 13, 2024 | Relationship Marketing

Jason Steed

Owner & CEO

Marketing From the Heart: Where My Passions Lie

Sitting in a Thai restaurant in 2019, I leaned toward Heather and stated, “Not sure why, but I’m interested in the story of every single person in this room.” It felt odd to hear myself, but I said it with such conviction that I think often about that evening. I wasn’t always like this, being an introvert, and very comfortable in my own little bubble.

I’ve admittedly fallen in love with a few heart-based discoveries. And though it’s easy to slide back into business-as-usual semantics, I’m unmistakably drawn to that core element that makes marketing efforts not just seen but felt: human connection. Deep down inside, we all realize that to truly resonate with our audience, we must lead with something more profound, more innate—our hearts. I’ll share my thoughts on heart-based marketing and why we must all lead out with heart, and anchor our strategies in empathy and authenticity.

The Heart of Marketing: Connecting Beyond the Brand

Marketing with heart is not just a strategy; it’s a philosophy. It’s about transcending the conventional transactional approach and fostering a deeper connection with your audience. By leading with heart, marketers embrace the vulnerability and authenticity that come with genuine human interactions. This approach isn’t about leveraging emotions for manipulation but about understanding and respecting the emotional triggers of your audience. It’s a call to be curious, to listen deeply, and to engage with sincerity.

The People and Places that Have My Heart

Without a doubt, our incredible Targa team has my heart. Among our creatives are Heather, my wife, and Vanna, our oldest daughter. It’s my privilege to spend time with both of these amazing people every day. Without a doubt, we work hard to balance work and family life. The whole team works and plays well together. I feel love for each and every member of our team. I’m truly inspired every day.

Our clients, suppliers, and partners also have my heart. Over time in my 25+ year carrer it’s become more and more important for me to get to know the people around me. For many years, getting under the surface in business relationships felt both foreign and intimidating—far from the top priority that relationships are today. Free from any agenda, I simply want to know what makes people tick. Finding a bit of time for casual conversations is immeasurable in creating understanding, carving out project discoveries, and lead to creative solutions that surpass the best-crafted creative brief.

“Project semantics and timelines often distract us from the core element that makes marketing efforts not just seen but felt: human connection”

Targa team building a heart together teamwork

Trust and Authenticity: The Non-negotiables

Trust and authenticity are not just valuable; they are essential. As consumers we’re bombarded with endless marketing messages, making it increasingly difficult for brands to break through the noise. How can we be more authentic? Authenticity isn’t just a luxury—it’s the only option. It builds trust, and trust lays the foundation for lasting relationships. By marketing from heart to heart, brands begin to build authenticity, allowing for genuine connections that, in turn, create their own longer-lasting campaigns.

Marketing to Human Beings, Not Just Consumers

At its core, marketing is all about communicating with human beings. It’s easy to get lost in demographics and forget that behind every data point is a person with emotions, aspirations, hopes and fears. Heart-based marketing reminds us to see our audience as people first. This perspective shift allows marketers to craft messages that resonate on a human level, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding. It’s about marketing from one heart to another, where empathy and kindness become powerful tools for engagement.

In Conclusion…

Heart-based marketing feels to me like a shift from the traditional to the transformative. It challenges us as creatives and marketers to be “fierce and kind” (a term that I heard just last week from Brené Brown and her book Dare to Lead.) Brené’s perspective on heart-based leadership creates limitless tools for creating marketing momentum in campaigns, both large and small. This approach goes beyond mere transactions, fostering deep connections that enrich both the brand and its audience.

I seek every day to transcend the transactional, craft messages that can resonate.

I know I’m not the smartest marketer in the room, but I remind myself that my job is to bring authenticity to our projects. In the journey of marketing, let’s not forget the ultimate destination: to connect, to resonate, and to engage from one heart to another.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so let’s start a conversation or 2. Please reach out to me with your own views on the human aspects of your marketing roles.

Our Vagus Nerve is Fresh Air for Meaningful Marketing

by Jason Steed | November 19, 2024 | Marketing | 0 Comments

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My Ideas on Making Your Product Sticky

by Jason Steed | Jan 9, 2024 | Content Advice

Jason Steed

President and CEO

My Ideas on Making Your Product Sticky

As a designer and marketer, I love how we creatives get to help ideas to become sticky. Sticky ideas make for meaningful campaigns, conversations, and ultimately, conversions. I’m curious how your 2024 product lineup is poised to solve big problems. I’ll bet if your customers gave you just a little of their time, they’d like what they heard. Being sticky is a great way for your tribe to listen to your story. From my 25+ years of gluing together impactful messaging, here are some marketing insights that have stuck with me, along with some new discoveries.

Start here: List a few campaigns that seemed to stick, even if they lost some momentum over time. From your list you’ll leverage some reliable basics that will help offer best returns. Spotting what’s working is a learned skill. But more importantly, in my experience, your list will help you spot what’s not working. And therein lies real marketing momentum.

Consider your Product’s Potential as your Campaigns Become Sticky

“Sticky” doesn’t mean permanent or “unchanging,” It means sticking to your customers as they shift and adapt. A message’s ability to pivot quickly is one of the best ways to stay ahead of the competition and “lock in” with your customers. Finding the sweet spot will shift. Sweet spots are moving targets, and a big part of our job at Targa as creatives and marketers is to anticipate. What’s working will continually fluctuate. It’s a challenge and opportunity that I enjoy every day! Important note: I’m talking about small pivots that propel your message. Don’t reinvent or dilute your brand. We’re adding glue, not stripping paint off the walls.

Five Strategies to Stick To:

1. List all the ways you track results. Get to know all your sources: surveys, web analytics, social media insights, email campaign metrics, word of mouth, referrals, etc. Then grade them! Keep your metrics simple so that you use them.

2. Ask your customers what’s sticky. Surveys are a start, but there are many other effective tools. Sticky ideas come from knowing what makes them tick, where they spend their time, and what solutions they’re truly looking for.

3. Ask your competition what’s sticky. Analyze their marketing strategies to identify their tactics and their gaps. Side note: There may be good reason for those gaps, if your competitors have made their own smart pivots. You can follow their lead while still differentiating your brand and products.

4. Be quick to market! Here’s where Targa makes a big impact on behalf of our clients: We’re steeped in agility, from our foundational philosophies and design tools to our abilities to watch campaign results in real time.

5. A/B testing, but not A through Z testing. Experiment with different versions of your marketing materials through A/B testing. This involves creating two or sometimes 3 variations, and then analyzing which performs better. As I mentioned above, keep your metrics simple. Avoid testing a pile of variables at once, as this muddies any usable results and delays critical timing (a.k.a. missed opportunities).

“I’m talking about small pivots that propel your message. Don’t reinvent or dilute your brand. We’re adding glue, not stripping paint off the walls.”

Stick to it!

My team and I can help. We love the inherent challenges of following a moving target, and we can help you anticipate where your customers will be next.

BONUS: How to be sticky with event marketing

Do you have some pretty cool events planned in 2024? Good for you! Here’s my checklist on how to get your marketing investments to pay off:

I talk often with our clients about connecting with non-attendees just as much as those in attendance. Regardless how many of your target customers show up and find you, you still have a vital database of non-attendees to connect and resonate with. What are your “We missed you” tactics?

Being sticky with non-attendees: Your event campaign needs a component to let non-attendees know what they’ve missed out on. Offer them a slice of an attendee perk, such as a soon-to-expire video-captured demo. You’ll create high perceived value when you become their “event recon.” And therein lies the power of building relationships.

In summary, plan your event tools with non-attendees in mind. Interactive in-person experiences are the icing on the cake. Think through virtual versions of those in-person activities. They often require minimal resources when they’re part of your initial event planning. Reach out if you’d like ideas on this.