One Question Interview: Russ Stoddard
A semi-regular series, One Question Interview examines the nature of "good" things in fields as disparate as art, advertising, business, film, food, music, and prose, via one question answered by someone in the know.
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One Question Interview: Russ Stoddard
This week's One Question Interview, a succinct entry, features Russ Stoddard, a Boise-based entrepreneur, brand builder, and social good guru. Back in 1991, Stoddard started Oliver Russell, a marketing and advertising shop that's now a certified B Corp. He’s committed his career (nearly 30 years) to social responsibility, first inside the corporate world and then as an entrepreneur who’s started four companies and five nonprofit causes. His creative work has been honored with local, regional, and national creative awards. These days, Russ focuses on brand strategy for clients, spreading the Certified B Corp love, and connecting kindred spirits to multiply social impact.
Stoddard is also a published writer and a playwright. He has published poetry and short fiction in a number of literary journals, and his non-fiction writing has appeared in publications ranging from the Philadelphia Inquirer to Outside magazine.
Joel Wayne: What's good marketing?
Russ Stoddard: The marriage of truth and emotion. The trick, and it’s not easy, is to make this relationship work in harmony despite its inherent potential for conflict.