Meet Matt Custage | CPG Marketer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Custage and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Every year we aim to create at least one large promotion where the beneficiary is an organization that truly brings light to difficult situations. We have proudly partnered with Toys for Tots for several years and have been able to contribute tens of thousands of dollars to the organization through our partner brands. Our client brands team up and activate the Toys for Tots messaging in stores across the nation and online throughout the holiday promotional window which drives a ton of awareness and visibility to the cause. This is one of those “everyone wins” scenarios and it is special to be a part of it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
When people think of marketing, they often immediately go to advertising. Advertising is certainly and exciting part of marketing, but the part that excites me is the higher level marketing strategy and the plan for how a specific product is going to succeed in the long-run. One of the thing that sets us apart is our focus on driving sales at retail. If a client hires me to help them increase their sales, that is the only metric that really matters. I have had a number of twists and turns in my business career which first began in the corporate world with large companies like Burger King and ADT Security and is now more boutique in nature. There have been many challenges along the way with the greatest being the risks taken to join or start early-stage ventures that had no guarantee of surviving. I have learned that the best way to overcome a challenge is to face it head on with as little hesitation as possible. Challenges and problems are similar in that they don’t typically get easier to tackle as time goes on, so it is best to attack it without fear as quickly as you can before it gets harder.
My message to others, especially younger students or professionals, is that life is very hard to script exactly as you want it to be. It is meant to be a winding road. Don’t be afraid or despair when you are thrown curveballs or things are not working out according to your “plan”. Embrace the changes and find new ways for you to get what you want out of life. After all, we only get one shot at this game.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
What I love about south Florida is that we have so many amazing places to spend our time. I personally love South Beach and Brickell. I would want to take them out to the beach early for a run along the boardwalk area down to the inlet as the sun is on its way up. After a good workout, there’s nothing like a stop at La Sanwicherie for a fresh smoothie and one of their amazing subs. Laying on the beach by the SLS for the afternoon, followed by some sunset drinks maybe at Sugar on Brickell. The duck at Komodo is super delicious for dinner after that or if we stay on south beach, then I am a huge fan of the food and atmosphere at Chotto Matte. If you head north, El Camino Ft. Lauderdale is especially amazing and fun for both happy hour and dinner. You can’t beat that.
Wandering around Wynwood is never boring either!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been blessed with many mentors, supporters, and friends in my professional career. I would like to highlight my family as they have always been firm supporters of any career path I have been on, including the riskier entrepreneurial ventures. I need to also mention every hiring manager that took a chance on me when I asked for an internship even though I was almost always under-qualified for the roles. Those experiences helped shaped my views of the corporate world and what I wanted to do with my own life.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-custage-880b215/