By Denise Ortuno Neil
Marketing and public relations in business is essential to insure success. To get your name out there through unique and creative ways can make the difference between getting the most out of your venture or not. Andrea Carter & Associates Strategic Marketing leads the way in assisting businesses to get their message across with innovation and creativity.
Andrea Carter has carved out a successful career for herself through the art of using effective marketing tools to propel businesses into the spotlight. She started in marketing and public relations twenty years ago and has worked for companies including AAA, The International Registry of Bone Marrow Donors National Bone Marrow Program, and General Mills. Her versatile marketing skills allowed her to benefit from the industry giving her vast opportunities to travel around the country taking part in the glamorous side of the business doing high end public relations, media interviews and event services.
Carter came to the Coachella Valley fourteen years ago from Minneapolis. While on business in Palm Springs, she visited a childhood friend during the winter, she took one look at the snowcapped mountains while enjoying warm valley temps poolside and decided that this was the kind of place she belonged in. Tired of the Minneapolis cold, she along with her husband picked up their roots and re-planted them in the desert. “We traded in the cold winters for the paradise that it is out here,” said Carter.
After moving to the Coachella Valley, Carter went to work for Kiner Communications. She worked her way up from account executive to V.P. of Client Services. In 2008, she decided to move on with her career and started her own marketing and public relations company Andrea Carter & Associates Strategic Marketing. Her company offers many services enabling her to customize the perfect marketing plan to suit her client’s needs.
Carter just recently launched her website for her company and has incorporated her love of cooking into its theme. When visiting her website, you will find her in a cozy kitchen setting, inviting clients to have her “Cook Up Great Marketing and Public Relations Ideas” for them. Her Marketing Menu includes Public Relations, Copywriting, Strategic Marketing, Social Media, Event Management, Spokesperson, Radio Production, Crisis Communication and Media Buying. “It was a lot of fun just to do something a little different and outside the box,” said Carter.
Besides her marketing company, Carter indulges other interests. She has worked as stage manager for The Palm Springs International Film Fest Festival Gala for the past eight years, assisting celebrities on and off the stage. She is also the PR Director (pro-bono) for the Patrick Warburton Golf Tournament, which benefits St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The tournament takes place at the Classic Club in Palm Desert February 27th through March 2nd. Carter also serves on the board of the charity as well, “I’m very passionate about St. Jude’s,” said Carter.
Carter is the mother of two daughters, ages 11 and 12. She finds balancing her career and family challenging at times, requiring a certain amount of multi-tasking, but explains that having her own business allows her the flexibility she needs to do it all. On her downtime she enjoys spending time with her family, taking trips to Lake Havasu during the summer months. Trained in vocals, she also enjoys singing, leading worship at Southwest Church once a month, and also gets invited to sing along with musicians at local venues once in a while, “It’s something I do for fun,” she says.
Carter’s goals for the future are to expand her company after her daughters have grown, adding employees and more in-depth services. “It’s been a really fun mix in my career of being able to do a variety of different marketing services,” Carter said. It is Carter’s ability to offer so many different services to her clients that makes her company so unique, making her business a flavorful recipe for success.
For more information visit www.andreacarterassociates.com
For information about the Patrick Warburton Golf Tournament visit www.patrickwarburtongolf.com
