Lindsay O'Donnell
Digital Marketing Expert / Founder of Piquant Marketing
Vancouver, BC
www.piquantmarketing.com
instagram @piquantmarketing
tiktok @piquantmarketing
Q What do you do?
“I build the world’s brights, boldest, most innovative food brands find their audience and communities through marketing!”
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Surprisingly, it started with environmental activism, marching with Greenpeace in protests and applying to be on the Sea Shepherd boats before finding my people at Whole Foods Market. People, brands, and non-profits were working together to change the world through food. I had found my people. I created events, storytelling experiences, and connections through food products and never looked back.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
Food brands GET each other. Let me tell you, that foodpreneurs generally aren't in it for the riches. They are deeply passionate, gritty, and idealistic. I get that. I've been in the food industry for more than 10 years and know the unique support and connections that food businesses need to succeed.
Q What are you working on right now?
We're working on breaking the funnel along with Gen Z, which means integrating social media, email marketing, traditional and digital advertising, SMS campaigns, branding, and design into one holistic experience for our clients.
I help food brands write marketing plans and offer 1:1 support or we have an entire team of connected expert to uplift and scale new and existing brands.
Q What’s your style?
One of our favourite projects is Planted Expo, Canada's largest vegan and plant-based event. We've helped launch the show into two new cities (including Seattle!) using a dozen touch points including community outreach, influencer marketing, email marketing, paid online campaigns, outdoor campaigns, and social media.
I love their social, it's fun, we experiment, and the community gives constant feedback on what they think of our messaging. You can see our case study here!
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I'm currently working on my SALES skills. I'm not a fan of traditional sales, the cold-calling, and pitching. What I'm working on is genuine connections, introductions, and relationships and if it turns into sales great but if not it's still a win.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
We have so many resources from trainings to templates to checklists that are valuable to new and big brands. I know I'm not making the most of our entire library!
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Compile a sales-lead deck for me! I'm so passionate about brands and food that I take a ton of time to search, get to know a brand, and access them before I even send a DM or anything.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I know at the beginning I really felt inadequate to bigger agencies. But we have a lot of flexibility and support that we can offer being a dynamic remote team. I wish I had had more confidence.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I see some really big brands that have a ton of opportunity when it comes to their digital marketing but know the decisions makers are busy and would love some insights on connecting with them in a way that isn't annoying.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
We're looking for more big campaigns and brands with many touch points like Planted Expo. These are long-term projects have many aspects that all need to work together. We were driving vendor sales, sponsorships, and attendees and needed everything to work together to add value to each stakeholder but also work within the great campaign.
Food brands can be products, events, or even non-profits but we're looking for brands that are really ready to level up and take a bit of risk. We also work with brand new brands that need packaging design and branding books. If you're a food brand then we can support you!
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I love working with brand new products to develop brand voice, positioning, and having our design team come up with new branding. It's THRILLING. I feel myself sweating a bit just thinking about it.
For established brands, the ones that have some distribution, an online store, and are looking for multiple touch points: online ads, traditional media, influencer marketing, and social media.
Q: What is your rate?
Coaching starts at $5,000 (for 6 month support), we can use this to support you with anything but generally it starts with a new marketing plan and then ongoing support to execute it. That can include helping you hire and train new team members, creating new assets, and getting the ball rolling on a new social media plan.
Agency work from online ad campaigns to social media usually starts at around $1,500. Our Online Ads Strategist is a total genius. We have packages that include a set up fee and then a % of what your online ad budget is.
We also offer email marketing plans, event marketing support, and influencer marketing.
We have a team of brilliant designers for new branding, packaging, or website design. We create a custom quote for you but generally new branding starts at $5,000.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Book a call with my team here: www.piquantmarketing.com/book-a-call or you can book at time with me here. And you can just send me a DM on IG @piquantmarketing!
I always love to connect with new people too so definitely find me on Instagram or TikTok!
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Ryan Mitson is our designer and he's quirky and BRILLIANT.
Sarah Feinstein is amazing at positioning and brand story.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Getting my butt kicked while surfing
This member profile was originally published in July 2024.