Nepotism can never substitute creative vision and there is no symbiotic relationship between spell – binding beauty and efficiency. Lyndsey McDonnough and her Market Me team are deserving of all their success and it isn’t for any superficial reasons. An endearing quality tied to Lyndsey’s professional ethics, is her ability to communicate in a transparent and concise manner. I was made privy to this pretty early in our zoom call, on a rainy Wednesday afternoon in Kingston.
As the droplets of rainfall caressed the windows of my humble abode, I stared piercingly into my laptop camera because I didn’t want to miss a word McDonnough had to say. The transcendence of her bronze skin, radiated even through the laptop screen and the effulgence of her smile, paired effortlessly with her profound wit. Before I could get my first question in, she started asking me about my life and journey as a journalist, with such effortless charm. Suffice to say, McDonnough’s personality merges an intriguing blend of charisma and enigma. Many people have cultivated these erroneous theories about why she is successful but the reality is that she is exceedingly passionate.
“Marketing is all about how you position yourself and connect people through meaningful stories. Market Me has always been very genuine. We are not into frill or fluff so what we do is not ‘cookie cutter.’ We treat everybody with respect and we treat everybody like family. Even with brands that we are not being paid to work with, we use our good social outreach and still give them ideas that would help them grow”.
McDonnough has a unique ability to focus on that which is pertinent; learning to ignore the cacophony of distractions, which come with being one of Jamaica’s most influential marketing directors. Pulchritudinous, poised and passionate- Lyndsey McDonnough embodies an honest representation of what is needed to survive in this paradigm of marketing. “We are not driven by money, we are driven by passion. It’s really about adapting and maintaining the bonds and relationships you have with people. That’s how we’ve survived in Covid.”
Her educational background in Mass Communications, enables her to insightfully guide clients, as to what marketing tools and strategies they need to employ. She attributes a lot of her success, to her business partner Kristina Kerr and their partnership at Market Me is emblematic of what women can achieve if they stick together.
“What has helped me is the fact that I have an amazing partner- Kristina Kerr. I’m not a business-minded person at all. I’m very passionate about what I do so I’m not focused on money, but obviously, you need that in you because we all have bills to pay plus I have a team that has to earn an income. What has helped me, is knowing that I can’t do it alone! Sometimes with creatives, we feel like we can do everything on our own. I believe in partnership and I know what my strengths and weaknesses are. I know where my shortcomings are but with Market Me, it’s powerful because Kristina and I are two different women, who bring value in two different ways. She is more on the business side and I’m more on the mad side lol”
Despite having a dream partner in Kristina Kerr, it’s no secret that Lyndsey hasn’t always been portrayed in a positive light by other women. As a journalist, you always wonder if the ‘elephant in the room’ will ever be addressed but I was in awe of Lyndsey’s transparency, valiance and honesty as we got deeper in conversation.
“I’m a woman who has been broken down by other women. I’ve been broken down by women who don’t know me and I’ve been broken down by women who have heard things about me and believed them to be true. I know what it feels like to wake up one day and go viral online, while I literally had to keep my mouth shut. It didn’t make sense for me at the time to try and tell people the truth. What I did, was use it as motivation to ensure that other women don’t have to go through things like this .That situation made me realize, that I need to work harder to let women know that we can’t fight against each other. We are all individuals with ideas that differ and though we all need to focus on our own situations, we have to uplift each other.”
Her ability to keep up with the pressuring demands of being a marketing director is grounded by the profound love she has for niece (Stella Grace) and nephew (Elliot), Stich (her dog), fitness, and wellness. As an adventurous soul who reveres the time she spends in nature, Lyndsey is addicted to endorphin releases with equal vehemence as her love for coffee and wine. Lyndsey McDonough, has so many layers to her intriguing personality and we were grateful to peel a few away, in our riveting conversation.
