It’s important to cultivate an environment that values and respects peoples’ differences and sees them for what they are-critical to the success of the organization!
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Diversity In Your Ranks

  • September 1, 2020
To ensure you maintain diversity in your ranks, you must be intentional and make it a priority.  It needs to start at the top and permeate every level of the organization.  Companies have to seriously evaluate recruiting, mentoring, partnership, communication, and leadership strategies and ensure that diversity is a focus. Look around.  What does your board of directors look like?    What does your leadership team look like?  What do your departments look like?  Representation matters. Leadership has to create a…...
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Brand storytelling is a vital part of consumer engagement and can be used to help define your brand narrative as well as impact consumer perception.
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Brand Storytelling

  • August 21, 2020
Today’s consumers are sophisticated and knowledgeable. Information is readily available and accessible. Social media doesn’t just help promote a brand -- it can be used to help define your brand narrative and impact consumer perception.  Brand storytelling is becoming a vital part of consumer engagement. Being transparent, establishing an emotional connection and making stories resonate are all important considerations as your company looks to connect with target audiences. As your content strategy develops, consider including storytelling in order to increase…...
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Workforce development not only improves a person’s prospects in life, but also leads to future benefits for the businesses that hire them.
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How Workforce Development Can Work For You

  • July 22, 2020
Workforce development is an important initiative for local governments and businesses that want to cultivate a robust, interconnected and community-based workforce and employer network. The goal of workforce development is to create a career path for individuals, while enhancing economic opportunities for businesses and communities. Workforce development benefits individuals by investing in personal and professional growth leading to a successful career, advancement and job satisfaction. Benefits for employers include: • Consistent pipeline of talent • Lower turnover rate • Improved…...
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Consumer behavior is changing. Keep these three things in mind as you evaluate your strategy and evolve your marketing plan.
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The Direct Approach

  • July 2, 2020
Now more than ever, it’s important to evaluate your marketing strategy. Consumer behavior is constantly changing, making it more important than ever to have a strategic marketing mix to reach consumers. Keep your ear to the ground, listen to your customers and keep these three things in mind as your marketing plan evolves. Evaluate your plan. Is it multi-channel? For example, direct mail can be highly effective if it’s tied to other triggers, such as email and social, all with…...
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Experiential Marketing: The goal isn't changing - the way we get there is.
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The Evolution of Experiential

  • June 23, 2020
Unprecedented times. Uncharted waters. Exceptional circumstances. There’s no question—Creativity is being challenged across all areas of our lives. The marketing industry, experiential marketing in particular, is demanding creativity in order to navigate forward into our new “normal”. Large scale events and carefully designed experiences to allow consumers to interact with brands on a personal level have been impacted by our current environment. Here are three things to consider as we push ahead: A is for Agility: Now more than ever,…...
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Meaningful Dialogue
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Meaningful Dialogue is More Than Active Listening

  • June 16, 2020
In his bestselling book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey encourages us to “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” To understand what is really going on today requires active listening and a willingness to embrace the uncomfortable. There has never been a more important time for your organization to participate in meaningful dialogue than today. Not many of us alive today can remember the civil rights movement. There are certainly not many in the workforce that participated in this…...
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I am just not ok. Are you?

I AM NOT OKAY.

  • June 9, 2020
  • By: Brian Butler
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    Brian Butler
    President & CEO
    Brian Butler

    Brian Butler is President and CEO of Vistra.

    A retired and decorated career military officer, Brian has provided public relations, strategic communications, marketing, and management consulting services to senior leaders and their organizations for more than three decades. Prior to founding Vistra, Brian provided strategic communications counsel to senior leaders at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Fla. He also served in a director-level policy position on the Homeland Security Council (HSC) in the White House.

    As an experienced leader and communications professional, Brian worked in the Washington, D.C. office of Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, a niche market Washington, D.C.-based strategic communications firm. While in uniform, he served as Spokesperson and Chief of Communications for an Army Secretary and on the personal staff and communications team for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    Brian founded Vistra in 2007 and has grown the company to nearly 100 team members with a growing client portfolio which includes clients in healthcare, information technology, transportation and airports, sports and entertainment, local state and federal government and nonprofit industries.

    Brian holds an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College, an M.S. in Administration from Central Michigan University and a B.S. in Marketing from Hampton University. He also holds certifications from colleges and universities across the United States.

A few weeks ago, I shared thoughts and reflections in a Tampa Bay Times Op-ed on being a Black Man in America. I have received hundreds if not thousands of unsolicited responses, with many apologizing and many asking if I am ok. Well, I am not ok. Allow me to explain. I appreciate those reaching out to ask what they can do; I am not ok with people reaching out just to say I am sorry. I know many feel…...
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What's the one thing you need to produce your best work while working from home?
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Maintaining Your Routine During COVID-19

  • June 3, 2020
For some time now, the transition to teleworking seemed like a no-brainer for so many occupations.  Then, a global pandemic struck that changed everything and forced us to work remotely.  None of us has any personal point of reference on how to run a business or perform our jobs in a pandemic world. Seemingly overnight, an immediate paradigm shift in how we work and what we need to do to sustain our businesses was upon us. Here's what we’ve learned:…...
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Advances in technology have made it possible for more and more companies to transition to teleworking during the outbreak of a global pandemic.
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Old School Ways in a Telework World

  • May 29, 2020
With the outbreak of a global pandemic, now more than ever, companies are transitioning to teleworking. And advances in technology have made it possible. The undeniable reality though is that our younger generation and the generations to follow will continue to progress toward a more remote, offsite, telework world. Those of us who have been in the workforce for decades have had to evolve and adapt to these inevitable advances in the ways in which we perform our jobs. Blending the…...
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3 Valuable Insights Your Brand Likely Needs Right Now
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3 Valuable Insights Your Brand Likely Needs Right Now

  • April 30, 2020
Around the world, all of us are settling into this idea of a new normal. This new consumer and business lifestyle is demanding a new playbook for brand marketing. The messaging, tone, and communication channels are fluid. Here are 3 insights that all brands should be considering: Acknowledge the situation. As the world looks for a new way forward through this challenging time, brands need to remain relevant and show their human side. A compassionate approach will result in long-term…...
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