Today we’d like to introduce you to Madeline Zeringue
Hi Madeline, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m originally a desert person from Tucson, Arizona. I went to college at Trinity University in San Antonio, and decided to get a Masters in Strategic Public Relations from the University of Southern California. It was in beautiful LA that I landed my first job in public relations at a global PR firm. I was surrounded by smart, strong women who let me learn from them. I quickly realized that entertainment publicity wasn’t my calling card, but rather brand building and consumer marketing was where my sweet spot lay. I’ve had the opportunity to lead campaigns in FinTech, B2B media industry and CPG products from dog food to energy drinks. In 2007 I took a full-time role with Red Bull and remained there for 15 years. Most recently, I spread my wings to discover how to help the American West be more accessible to a larger group of consumers, and now I’m helping Dr. Phil McGraw bring Heartland issues to Americans through his new media network, Merit TV.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worth doing is smooth. You’ve got to have a few bruised knees to make it worth climbing the tree. If it was easy everyone would do it! I sometimes put these phrases on repeat in my head when things are not easy. I’m typically an optimist, but even optimists need mantras to keep them on track when things are not going as planned. One of my challenges in the last two years was whether to double down on my own consultancy business or to be a W2 employee. I chose the latter because I love to build things and do big things and we’ve done that at Merit TV.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I like to say that my superpower is as a conductor of marketing orchestras. I’m particularly good at leading working groups to have tremendous impact. I’m a strong believer that marketing is not done well on one tactic alone; rather marketing impact happens when you have every instrument available to you playing in harmony and on the same sheet of music as the rest – all at the same time. That’s the harmony that fuels marketing campaigns that work, and that’s what I love doing – conducting marketing orchestras!
An example of how I did this was on one of many incredible projects at Red Bull. I had the opportunity to lead global Communications to help tell the story of one man’s dream to skydive from the edge of space. I worked with Communications people like me in countries around the world to craft a narrative and farm it out to the world’s largest global media to help achieve other people talking about us positively and for free. The result was one of the largest Internet live streams in history, and massive brand-equity building exposure for Red Bull. It was the accomplishment of my career to date. I talk in more detail about that project on a recent episode on our morning show host, Dominique Sachse’s, podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/over-50-flourishing-with-dominique-sachse/id1684337737?i=1000673058178
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I get the best of both worlds living in North Texas. I actually live a rural part of Grayson County in Denison, Texas. We are blessed with beautiful land and privacy, and I get to do a daily walk and talk to the cows in the pastures and listen to the birds without the sounds of traffic and people – which is great for the brain when you’re in the business of talking. I commute four-days a week into North Fort Worth / Roanoke to Dr. Phil’s Merit TV studios. I get to see everything from the countryside to the cityscape. There is so much development happening in North Texas, and it’s neat to literally watch the transformation happen as I drive in and out each day. The great thing about my commute into the Metroplex is that it’s really a mileage commute – not a traffic commute – and that makes it doable and enjoyable. And I love that I’m at a company who is at the forefront of developing a brand new industry in Texas around media and entertainment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meritstreetmedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zflightcomms/
- Twitter: https://x.com/prmaddy
