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# Marketing leaders discuss how their organizations stand out in crowded markets at Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/marketing-leaders-discuss-how-their-organizations-stand-out-in-crowded-markets-at-mid-atlantic-marcom-summit/
- Published: 2026-10-17T16:43:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-18T14:36:46.000Z
- Description: Marketing leaders are expected to drive revenue and improve the customer experience, yet many CEOs still don’t see marketing as a primary growth lever. That tension, states a Chief Marketer
- Author: Capitol Communicator
- Tags: Marketing, #wp-bottom-left-sponsored, Insights, #wp-sync

**Marketing leaders are expected to drive revenue and improve the customer experience,** yet many CEOs still don’t see marketing as a primary growth lever. That tension, states a [Chief Marketer](https://www.chiefmarketer.com/how-three-cmos-are-making-the-case-for-brand-as-a-business-driver/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) post, “framed a panel at the Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, where executives from consumer goods, professional sports and government contracting discussed how they measure brand and stand out in crowded markets.

“Their examples showed how brand can support loyalty, ticket sales, partnerships and recruitment. But[ connecting marketing activity to measurable business outcomes remains a challenge.”](https://www.chiefmarketer.com/boathouse-survey-ceos-opinions-of-cmo-marketing-team-performance-down-from-last-year/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)

“The ‘business’ part of our business wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have a strong Big B,” said **Kim Bolt**, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for the Washington Spirit, the D.C. women’s soccer team. In this instance, the big B stands for branding.

According to the post: “For Just Ice Tea, brand is tied to repeat purchases and customer recognition. The four-year-old beverage company, which **Allison Moss,** Head of Marketing at Just Ice Tea, described as mission-driven, has made brand an objective in its annual OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Its measures include household penetration to track trial, repeat purchases and awareness. Just Ice Tea is now in more than 20,000 retail locations, Moss said.”

“[Brand is about loyalty.](https://www.chiefmarketer.com/open-farm-cmo-says-brand-awareness-campaigns-need-to-drive-sales/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) It’s about retention,” Moss said, describing the connection between consumers’ sense of the brand and their decision to choose it again. The company tracks multiple measures because, she said, “It’s the combination of those things that tells the whole picture.”

The Washington Spirit takes a different approach, states the Chief Marketer post. “Marketing cannot control whether the team wins, Bolt said, but it can shape the story around its players, its connection to the community and the experience fans have at matches. The team tracks its average Net Promoter Score as an indicator of brand health. Bolt put that figure at 82, compared with roughly 50 to 60 for other live sporting events.

“In government contracting, **Sheila Blackwell,** Chief Marketing Officer at defense contracting firm ManTech, said companies in the space often make similar claims about cybersecurity, data, and artificial intelligence. That meant that ManTech needed to differentiate itself in the market. With about 60 years in business, it used brand sentiment research to examine how it was perceived internally and externally. After an initial survey raised questions, it conducted two more. The company decided it didn’t need a full rebrand, but it did pursue a visual refresh and a clearer account of what sets it apart.”

“We are the best kept secret in the secret keeping business,” Blackwell said, describing the challenge of raising ManTech’s profile while serving the intelligence community. One point the company emphasized through brand work was that almost 40% of its employees are veterans. Blackwell linked that experience to the company’s initiatives supporting defense agencies.

**Photo: (left to right): Allison Moss, Kim Bolt, Sheila Blackwell. Photo by James Minichello Photography.**