Steve Tornello on Creative Marketing and Advertising

Author: Shira Abel Category: Enterprise Marketing URL: https://hunterandbard.com/resources/blog/steve-tornello-on-creative-marketing-and-advertising

Summary

What is it that marketers really want? The ultimate goal for a marketer is to make a meaningful impression on their customers that compels the person to buy,...

Full Article

What is it that marketers really want? The ultimate goal for a marketer is to make a meaningful impression on their customers that compels the person to buy, stay, or talk about the product. Compelling messages come from revising and transforming many great ideas into a single, brilliant vision. Creativity and innovation are necessary tools for elevating your ideas and coping with any problems you may face on the road to creative success. This week on SaaS Insider Podcast, host Shira Abel spoke with Steve Tornello, a writer and creative marketing/advertising expert, about harnessing creative energy into exceptional ideas and profound messages.

Steve Tornello is currently the Director of Integrated Marketing at SalesForce in San Francisco. He has spent over 14 years designing and developing all aspects of marketing and advertising: His work includes massive ad campaigns for companies like Nike, EA Sports, Ebay, Xbox, and YouTube. Besides creating glorious advertisement campaigns, Steve's roles over the years have consisted of creative leadership, innovative brand imaging and multidisciplinary writing. Despite the context, Steve's job has always involved creative problem solving, a skill crucial to success in the world of marketing.

This week's discussion explored the process of creating a winning idea using patience and innovation. We can all relate to the frustration involved with ideation, but according to Steve, patience and lack of attachment are crucial during the initial creation process.  A winning idea almost always comes from a multitude of failed ideas and countless revisions based on client feedback.

An equally crucial component to creative success is ensuring that your message is cohesive with your company's brand, and engaging to a dynamic audience. Steve shares a number of valuable tools useful for predicting the behavior of target audiences and emphasizes the importance of equally considering quantitative data, prior experience and personal intuition.

Most conversations surrounding creativity in marketing/advertising revolve around fostering creativity in order to meet goals or achieve results, however neither of these things are possible without the proper maintenance and nurturing of your energy and imagination. Steve discusses time management hacks and creative outlets he utilizes to ensure he has the proper motivation and inspiration to do his best work.

No matter your field, it is hard to not get inspired by this talk. Creativity is and will always be a crucial tool needed for success across contexts. Tune in here to learn more about innovative tools that will boost your creative success: <iframe style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6066605/height/360/width/640/theme/legacy/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/" height="360" width="640" scrolling="no"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

Hunter & Bard

B2B Enterprise Strategy & Positioning Consultants

Hunter & Bard is a San Francisco-based B2B strategy consultancy founded in 2011 by Shira Abel. We help deep-tech and enterprise SaaS companies fix their positioning, sharpen their messaging, and close $100K+ deals.

What We Do

We work with B2B leaders who are tired of being overlooked, underestimated, or mistaken for their competitors. Our specialty is turning complex, technical products into clear, compelling stories that win enterprise deals.

Our Approach

We believe that perception drives revenue. If your buyers can't tell you apart from the next vendor in 30 seconds, you have a positioning problem — not a marketing problem. We fix that.

The Perception Formula

Perception = (Story × Visibility) ÷ Noise

This framework drives everything we do. Your story has to be sharp. Your visibility has to be strategic. And you have to cut through the noise — not add to it.

Services

  • Brand & Messaging Sprint — A 2-week intensive that delivers your positioning, messaging framework, and sales narrative. Starting at $10,000.
  • US Market Intensive — A 90-day program for international B2B startups entering the US market. Includes positioning, ICP development, and go-to-market strategy.
  • US Market Cohort — A 6-month guided program for international founders expanding into the US. Includes group sessions, 1:1 coaching, and a structured roadmap.
  • Enterprise Strategy — Ongoing strategic engagement for enterprise positioning, sales enablement, and market entry. Custom pricing.
  • Design & Brand Strategy — Visual identity, website design, and brand systems for B2B companies. Led by founding designer Daina Reed.
  • Website Design & Messaging — End-to-end website strategy, design, and messaging for B2B companies entering or scaling in the US market.

Leadership

Shira Abel — Founder & CEO. Kellogg MBA. 20+ years in B2B marketing. Former CMO. Keynote speaker. Published in Forbes, HuffPost, and Wired. Specialist in enterprise positioning and perception strategy.

Daina Reed — Founding Designer & Partner. 15+ years in product and brand design. Former Senior Product Designer at Dun & Bradstreet. Specialist in enterprise UX, visual identity, and design systems.

Contact

  • Website: https://hunterandbard.com
  • Email: hello@hunterandbard.com
  • Location: San Francisco, CA