Let’s face it, with the advent of social media vehicles like Twitter and Facebook, just about everywhere you turn, “celebrities” are popping up — celebrity celebrities, celebrity publicists, celebrity stylists, celebrity makeup artists, celebrity bloggers and even celebrity event planners. The hype can be so huge around these “celebrities” that they aren’t even required to have any real knowledge of their subject. Appearances in photographs, mentions on blogs, or having a significant number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans are today’s qualifiers.
So what makes ones light shine brighter (and longer) than others?
Keshia Walker will show you. Tried and true, she’s the president of a premier marketing firm, Insights Marketing and Promotions. Walker boasts a 19-year marketing career that has consistently targeted African American and Hispanic consumer segments.
When it comes to marketing to the ethnic demographic, Walker knows the industry inside out. From working with athletes like Magic Johnson and Allen Iverson to Fortune 500 brands, Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company and Anheuser Busch, she’s destined to be around for a while and won’t vanish like um, err two-way paging and MySpace.
Here, Walker shares how to apply the five P’s to your goals (it’s not what you learned in business school), how Johnson and Rohena Miller have influenced her success and why it’s necessary to act like a lady while having the confidence of a man. –yvette caslin
What excites you?
It’s seeing women branch out and start their own businesses.
Who is your mentor?
I have several mentors, including my mother and grandmother, of course, and Magic Johnson. He’s been one my longest running sports clients. We exchange ideas and he pushes me. Rohena Miller, of Niche Marketing, has probably been the most impactful. She’s a dynamic African American female who produces one of the best signature events I have been to in years. It’s during the Kentucky Derby weekend — a weekend that wasn’t always known for having an urban and/or African American experience. She’s brought celebrities, excitement and energy to the Derby. She’s been a godsend.
What are five keys to make it in this industry and break the glass ceiling?
It’s the five P’s and not the ones that you learned in undergrad or your MBA program. Pray, first and foremost. Be persistent because no matter what opportunity presents itself, there are going to be two or three that you still don’t have so you have to stay relevant in clients’ minds so you don’t get lost in the shuffle. Have patience; one day you will have three or four contracts and a couple of months will go by and you will have none. Preparation is important; you must totally understand the opportunity, the client and the business you are going after. Make sure you are at the right place at the right time. Men seem to get more opportunities than women, so try to find the right balance and keep your femininity as you push to present your projects, proposals and presentations to secure the contracts.
