“Mike is an impactful strategic lead and a fantastic team leader. I had the pleasure of reporting to him at Phear Creative and would definitely recommend him as a Strategy Director for both brand and content strategy.
Mike has deep experience in all facets of brand, content and activation strategies and really understands how to get to the heart and mind of the consumer. He is a confident, resourceful and pragmatic manager, one whose excitement for cracking problems is relentless. His energy and charm created a fun, open and collaborative environment where our team could put forth new conceptual thinking to solve problems. All the while, Mike was there to challenge and inspire us to go one step further.
As a highly valued leader, Mike was intricately involved in building the agency and its strategic vision. He built a great brand framework for Jameson’s integrated content, social, experiential and influencer campaigns. Additionally he leveraged his acquired knowledge of the spirits industry, competitive brands, the Jameson influencer, bartenders and core consumer to develop a vast resource of insights that extended to many other categories and key consumers.
He also shook up the expected strategic cliches and tropes with divergently new insights, trends and practices from other industries to enrich the conversation. As much as Mike is passionate about producing great work at every phase, he is also passionate about his team. He is thoughtful and understanding and wants to make sure that everyone succeeds together. ”
“Mike McNamara is one of the most passionate, thoughtful individuals it has been my pleasure to work with. His dedication to his clients and his business is unmatched. “Whatever it takes” is Mike’s approach to things. With Mike in charge, I was entirely confident of work getting done beautifully, on-time and on budget. His clients adored him and his peers were happy and fully appreciative to be working with him. Perhaps Mike’s most striking feature is his thoughtfulness. He thinks deeply about challenges and opportunties and is relentless in bringing these thoughst to life with action and ultimately, effective marketing communication programs. Mike also has a great sense of humor that he uses with impeccable timing. Beyond his impressive intellect and dedication, Mike is a warm and caring human being who understands how to get the most out of the people he manages and works with. The only questionable aspect of Mike behavior is his fanatical support of the New York Jets. Beyond that, he is a winner in every possible way. ”
“Mike is a brilliant strategist and the strongest cultivator of “all for one, one for all” company culture I’ve ever worked with. His impressive ability to thoughtfully uncover insights and then bring those ideas to life through spot-on storytelling would make him an asset to any agency. Mike is not only an incredible mentor to his direct reports (I’ve had the pleasure of reporting to him for 2+ years at Phear Creative) but he is also willing to lend a hand (and an 11 x 17 piece of paper, pencils and his valuable time) to anyone that needs it. Social scientists and workplace experts say there are three types of people in work and in life; the givers, the matchers, and the takers. Mike is a giver, championing even the smallest of contributions to company wins all while cultivating an inclusive and supportive environment that encourages everyone to speak up and try whatever is needed to get the job done.”
“McNamara’s disarming charm and diplomatic skills thaw off stalemates of any magnitude. From there his resourcefulness and sharp wit make the best plan clear, so everyone can easily rally behind it. You rarely find people of Mike’s caliber to remain grounded at all times while describing ambitious creative and strategic goals and relentlessly devising plans to get you there. His creative writing skills seal the deal. If I could work with just one strat guy again, it’d be McNamara.”
“Michael smells nice. He reads a lot. He gets into fights about arcane trivia with friends. He plays a horrible round of golf. Of course, these are all hallmarks of any decent strat guy. Quick, hire him before somebody else does!”
“I gauge the usefulness of strat guys by how much yelling at they need. In my five+ years working with Mac he needed yelling at a grand total of three times. And one of those times was because he took my parking spot. That puts him squarely in the top 3% of his ilk. If I knew Mac was in charge of a project I also knew I’d have less to do. I’m lazy so I like that. He’s good. Hire him.”
“I worked with Michael McNamara for five years when he was a key part of the team on the Quaker State & Pennzoil accounts. Always on top of every detail, Mike was very adept at creative/management strategy. He knew good advertising, and fought to get what he wanted. Mike did his job with tact, confidence, and good humor. It was truly a pleasure to work with him.”