I’m Andy Brown.
Sway Engine is the home of my marketing portfolio and blog.
Why I Have a Blog
I was going to start a business.
I’ve been a writer, salesperson, manager, publisher, marketer, freelancer and a bunch of other roles. I thought my experiences and skills would be useful enough to companies that I could make a good living.
The date was set. I told my employer I was leaving in six months. Before then, I would put the formal structures in place and ramp up my marketing. It was going to be a smooth transition. A lot of work, but a smooth transition.
Except for one thing—I had applied for a job at George Mason U, my alma mater. After the interview, it dawned on me that I was not going to start a business. I was going to be the School of Public Policy’s director of marketing and communications.
I love my job. Every day, I get to interact with smart, accomplished people in a collaborative, entrepreneurial environment.*
But what about my website? Sway Engine was to be my corporate identity. I’ve been posting to this site off and on for awhile, but it finally was going to have a specific purpose.
What is it now?
I don’t know how Sway Engine will evolve, but I’m going to keep blogging for a simple reason: I want to contribute to the communities that are having discussions about marketing. I want to learn from others and give back some of the thoughts and experiences I have.
I’m particularly interested in three things:
1) The history and evolution of marketing as a discipline;
2) The skills, techniques and practices that make marketing effective;
3) The interaction among theories and practice in marketing.
Most of what I know about marketing are timeless, proven principles. Most of what I see touted a ‘new’ in marketing really isn’t new. So I also hope for this blog to bridge the old and the new and reflect my thoughts about the subject.
That said, I’m going to write about whatever happens to interest me on any given day.
Pro Bono Consulting
Maybe it’s because my parents were both teachers, but I have an urge to educate others about what I know. It’s accompanied by an urge to learn from them as well.
I offer pro bono consulting to small–to-medium-sized businesses and nonprofits. It’s entirely free and might consist of getting lunch and talking out ideas to a marketing and communications audit, if that’s what you need.
If you’re interested but not sure what you want, contact me. We’ll figure out if and how I can help, then go from there.
*(This is a personal website and blog. All of the opinions expressed on this website are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.)
