"So many businesses start with their branding and marketing as an afterthought," according to Mary Claire Boucher at a recent Minden Rotary Club meeting. Her business, MCBCreative, Inc., was started three years ago to assist businesses with their Visual Brand Identity. Her primary aim is to give businesses the brand they deserve—one that outshines their competition and accelerates their growth.

Mary Claire, a fourth-generation Nevada native from Carson City, left the state to explore various fields, including hospitality, non-profit work, startups, and serving as a Brand Portfolio Manager for a commercial real estate company in D.C. She eventually returned to Nevada because "ultimately the Sierras always call us back."

During the presentation, Mary Claire provided an overview of “Marketing” in three phases:

1. Branding: Focusing your identity and laying the foundation.

2. Creative: Developing strong visuals that tell a brand story in a captivating way.

3. Marketing: Putting brand and creative to use in an effective promotional strategy.

MCBCreative focuses primarily on branding and creative areas and has partners to help clients with strategic marketing execution. Mary Claire shared a quote from Steve Forbes: “Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business.” She added, “Your brand is not your logo. It is the world’s perception of who your company is and what you do.”

She encouraged the group to understand their competitors, seek collaborators, and consider the effect of branding both internally and externally—on customers and employees alike.

Mary Claire challenged the group to think of marketing in unexpected areas:

- Visual: In signage, uniforms, vehicle wraps, and subtle imagery.

- Behavioral: Identifying the voice and personality of your brand and pillars of content valuable to your audience.

- Environmental: Executing your brand through channels like corporate responsibility and alignment with like-minded partners.

Mary Claire concluded by emphasizing that a company’s brand affects all aspects of business, including sales, customer service, human resources, and potential for investment.