How Dionisios Favatas leads the Truth® tobacco prevention campaign for marketing success

In this episode of Tales from the PROS, I chat with Dionisios "Dio" Favatas, who currently leads digital marketing for the award-winning truth® youth tobacco prevention campaign helping to extend the reach of the brand and its advertising. As an industry-recognized leader and digital marketing innovator, Favatas, in 2017, received the prestigious American Marketing Association’s 4 under 40 Emerging Leaders Award. In 2016, he earned a spot in the Direct Marketing News “40 under 40” list and was ranked 13th in Onalytica’s Top 100 Digital Content Marketers. Dio is also an official member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council.

We talk about how Dio and his team led an award winning Truth anti-tobacco prevention campaign, some of the steps and approaches taken for marketing campaign greatness, how Dio used data and metrics to drive audience targeting and engagement, leadership, and much more.

Questions Asked: 

Dio, what really caught my attention was the marketing and tech content you consistently put out on Twitter regarding non-profits, and as we all know and love the well recognized Truth Initiative commercials and social media in which you manage and direct. What lead you to managing Digital for the Truth tobacco prevention campaign, and what essentially inspired you to pursue digital marketing growing up?

1. Did you ever think you would be where you are today leading Digital for an award-winning campaign?
2. What does it take for a marketing leader and a team to be nationally or even globally recognized to impact positive change?
3. In your experience, what would you consider the differences are between marketing for a non-profit than a corporation like T-Mobile for example?
4. What are some of the most effective marketing channels or strategies that you implemented and had amazing success?
5. Where do you feel social media and content marketing are headed in today's digital age? Specifically in the non-profit space.
6. Are there any specific touch points that you've experienced in which targeted your audience most effectively?
7. Do you feel that patience plays a vital role in marketing success? People are always looking for the "quick result"
8. To get to this point of success in your career and in the Truth campaign, what were some of the toughest challenges you had and how were you able to overcome them?
9. Do you have a certain approach or step by step process of what aspiring marketing leaders need to take for campaign success?
10. What tips would you give to current and future leaders and what they need to avoid or be aware of?
11. In your mind, what does it take to be a leader?

I always ask the THREE HOW'S:

• How do you define failure?
• How do you define entrepreneurship?
• How do you define success?