Blast off! Get to know Cliff Skelliter of Launch Pad

Here at Our Crater we absolutely love highlighting the awesome people, and the work they do in Sudbury. Someone you should know is Cliff Skelliter, of Launch Pad Creative. Cliff has a wealth of knowledge about our city and loves to elevate the businesses he works with!  Cliff will be making his debut as a contributor with us, sharing his insights and advice on Marketing/Branding and his experiences in the field. So I sat down with the man himself to get to know him and the work he does a little better.

Where did you start your adventures in marketing? Was it your first career? Tell us about your background?

I began around 7 years ago when I left my job at CTV. I worked there for around 3 years and really needed to get out and stretch my entrepreneurial legs. I was and still am a big fan of that place but there was, at the time, a mentality of defeat. The worst response I would get on a regular basis was “that’s just the way it’s done”. There are few sentences that drive me crazier. It is a big indicator that the person has no idea why they’re doing something and aren’t engaged enough to care. I believe that the number one quality of a marketer is to have a genuine interest in human behaviour. The number one indicator of a successful entrepreneur is creating value and delivering value. Launchpad Creative truly is working its way towards becoming one of the elite.

I remember one of my first campaigns was for Cambrian Ford. We worked close with the late Steve McCulloch (Cambrian Ford President). He gave me amazing guidance and while creating the “My Cambrian Ford” campaign taught me what a real entrepreneur looked like. That campaign was a big success and we followed it up by creating a local TV show “The Episode”. It was a comedic variety show. We shot it live at SRO every Thursday for 32 episodes and it aired on Eastlink. We also engaged on social media with thousands of Youtube followers. This created a new vehicle for advertising myself and my clients.

Currently we are producing the biggest fan convention in Northern Ontario, Graphic-Con, and a free out-door movie event, Movie Night Under the Stars. We are branding the Sudbury Wolves, the New Sudbury Centre, True North Strong Event Centre, the Great Canadian Card and so many other fantastic Sudbury brands.

How do you follow the trends in marketing? What keeps your perspective fresh?

I am constantly reading, watching and inhaling marketing information. I study major campaigns and overlooked ones. We try to figure out what made them work and what could have made them work better. These are the types of things me and my circle talk about. I also look outside of the traditional marketing world a lot. I spend time talking to and reading about social scientists. That’s what this job is… you can use all of the nifty apps, gadgets and systems but if you don’t understand sociological and psychological tendencies you will fail.

My perspective stays fresh because I’m constantly in this. I’m looking around the corners, measuring the angles and stripping the floors. I’m also surrounded by my team, Launchpad Creative. They are young, ambitious and well versed in this world of new technology and social media marketing.”

What are you passionate about, business, branding, what makes you and your business unique and what does your team bring to the table?

We are obsessed with communication and entertainment. The business of branding is built on the shoulders of great and consistent communication. My team spends a lot of time working to predict the reactions to actions. We are constantly testing and implementing while listening and anticipating. We are unique because we are extremely confident in what we do. I just believe we offer a high variety of services at a world-class level.

What are your plans both personally and professionally for 2017 and beyond?

In 2017 we will build the Sudbury Wolves brand to a level it’s never seen, we will market the New Sudbury Centre in a way that the biggest malls in the world will imitate and we will help the True North Strong Event Centre become a reality. Our goal is to help elevate Greater Sudbury into a proud Canadian mecca. By the end of 2017 Launchpad Creative will be one of the most sought after marketing agencies in Canada. Content might be king but confidence is the entire kingdom.

You can follow Cliff on Instagram: @cliffnotes