In today’s economy, branding is everything. One way companies get their brand in front of you is by putting their name and logo on everything from golf shirts to water bottles.

Baton Rouge entrepreneur Carey Guglielmo is carving a niche for himself in the field of promotional marketing by NOT putting logos on everything. Carey’s company AST Marketing Group, only places branding on name-brand merchandise, like Nike and Under Armour.

Once you’ve got your name on a product, how do you get the product into somebody’s hand? Or, better, millions of somebodies. That’s marketing. There’s a new, indirect method of of marketing that to some extent is the opposite of branding. It’s about getting your message out via carefully constructed online content that can reach a targeted audience often without them even realizing it.

Baton Rouge resident Mary Ellen Slayter is a pioneer and expert in the field. Mary Ellen knows a thing or two about words. She was until coming home to Baton Rouge a columnist for the Washington Post. Today, Mary Ellen’s firm Reputation Capital Media Services is based in Bato Rouge but its clients are spread around the country and the globe. 

Stephanie’s Entrepreneur du Jour is Trey Bacon – his real name – from startup Baconation Foods. Baconation’s first product is an original Bar B Q sauce unlike any on your supermarket shelf, though its rapidly finding its way onto local shelves around town. Keep an eye out for Mr. Bacon’s food truck, Red White and Que, coming soon to a Baton Rouge sidewalk near you.

Photos by Ken Stewart at Mansur’s on the Boulevard.