Blurring the Lines with Damaryan Benton at Edelman

This week I spoke with Damaryan Benton at 爱德曼 . His work at the agency spans earned media, influencer relations and event planning across multiple consumer brands.

Tell me about your career journey up until this point. What was the pivot like from B2B at Highwire to B2C at 爱德曼 ?

I graduated last May (2023) and started working at Highwire a week after I graduated. At Highwire, it was really interesting being on the B2B side of the communications industry because you really have to switch your mindset when you think of what’s storytelling and trends. It’s really impact-focused. Really thinking about what the product is doing for the consumers it serves, and then wrapping our heads around what the story to tell is. And oftentimes, it involved telling real people’s stories. And using those experiences to show impact. Coming to the B2C side at Edelman has made me realize this is the space for me. It’s interesting to be a consumer and find ways to position your clients in a way that will reach people like you.

What are the biggest challenges facing your clients right now? What are they looking for guidance and support on?

At Edelman I am part of two consulting groups within the agency — the Gen Z Lab, a team of real Gen Z’ers across Edelman’s network, and Out Front, which consults clients on LGBTQ+ issues. I think a lot of clients are scared to take risks.?

Next week begins Pride Month and we’ve been hearing a lot of clients asking about the LGTBQ+ community. They are wondering how they should support these social causes, and if they should even talk about it. And I always ask, well, do you want to? So it’s been interesting to see how companies are thinking about these issues, and trying to figure out the role these causes and movements play in their brand’s mission and values.?

There’s also a hesitancy. But we don’t want our clients to miss out on opportunities — either because of legal, or marketing, etc. — so we’ve been working on having better processes in place to quickly activate around a trend.

What do you think is driving consumer behavior right now for Gen Z?

I think a lot of brands have many misconceptions about Gen Z. They think Gen Z wants it all. That we’re all about excessiveness. But I feel like companies mistake excessiveness with transparency. What we really want is for a brand’s identity to reflect authenticity, realness. To make sure that what they’re doing or saying isn’t disingenuous.

Axios recently reported that "multiple polls have found TikTok to be the top source of news for Gen Z" consumers. How does that impact how you pitch stories, and what challenges or opportunities does this trend bring?

I’m one of those Gen Z’ers, I can’t lie. I look up a lot of food. And if a new beverage or food product just dropped, I’m looking for it on TikTok. I want to see if someone’s actually eaten it. Or if I see a new outfit on the market, I am wondering how it actually looks on somebody. Visuals are really important to me, more than seeing a review of the item in an article. There’s so much opportunity for brands and storytelling with TikTok, even with a potential ban. The impact of TikTok has been incredible, and transformative. We now need to understand how to communicate who our brand is and what we offer in 30 to 60 seconds, and having that skill is so crucial. It’s allowing us to lean on these organic social campaigns more often. This always makes me think about paid social, which I don’t find as impactful anymore. Besides creators and influencers, paid social isn’t resonating as much with Gen Z. But going back to the question, I think the power of social as a search engine, as a storytelling tool, is amazing. It’s exciting to find ways to reimagine how a brand can be communicated in a short amount of time.?

What tips would you share with someone who is beginning to think about building their own personal brand?

For me it all started with wanting to track my career progression, and actually using LinkedIn as a way to reflect on my professional journey. Then I started to see people gravitate towards the content I was putting out there, and it became this bigger thing. My advice in terms of how to start would be to think about the audience you want to reach, and what you want to communicate to them. For me, I really wanted to reach professionals that showcase different career paths I could follow. Beginning at an agency was not part of my plan, I always wanted to work in-house. But now I’m seeing a lot of what I wanted to do in-house can be done at an agency, even if brand-side is ultimately where I want to end up. So what I am doing now is really helping get my voice out there, letting people know what I am interested in, showing up consistently and building community. Not being afraid to talk about what I want to achieve, and doing that more often.?

What advice would you give to someone about to graduate college that wants to work in communications or marketing?

My main piece of advice is prioritizing personal branding. I took time to identify who I wanted to be, and how I would showcase my skills. A lot of students get into this headspace where they think they can’t say “I am a public relations professional” until they have a job and are more seasoned. I don’t subscribe to that. I am a public relations professional, and I was one before I worked at Edelman or Highwire. I figured out that’s what I wanted to be, and I started taking the right steps. I set up coffee chats with people in the industry, learned what they were doing and how they were doing it. Then I thought about how I can translate my previous experiences in a way that aligned with what they would be looking for. I connected with people on LinkedIn who were what I aspired to be.?

Rapid Fire Questions:?

What’s your favorite song right now? YA YA by Beyoncé

What’s the last book you read, or the last podcast you listened to? The Light Podcast by Michelle Obama

Who’s one person in this industry that inspires you, that everyone should go follow? Fatou B. Barry from The PR Girl Manifesto and Hold The PRess

What brand do you love following on Instagram or TikTok? Duolingo

What is one word you would use to describe 2024? Collaboration