Tait Staff Spotlight: David Caston

Tait Communications Christchurch New Zealand Head Office

At Tait, we take great pride in serving the organizations that are so integral to our way of life: they keep communities safe, our lights on, transport flowing and provide the raw materials for modern life. To provide them with the great support Tait is renowned for, we have a dedicated team of individuals all over the world that work hard to deliver results. In this blog, we meet David Caston, Marketing Specialist at Tait.

David works for Tait as a Marketing Specialist and is based in Houston, Texas. Joining us with extensive marketing and advertising experience, David will be pivotal in generating demand at Tait North America and beyond. We’re happy to have him on the team!

Want to get to know our team? You can find other Tait Staff Spotlight posts here.

Meet David Caston, Marketing Specialist at Tait

With a passion for art and design, a background in writing, and years of marketing experience, David is a renaissance man, to say the least. He joined the Tait team back in September 2021 and has hit the ground running to support the sales team with engaging marketing campaigns. In addition, David will be spearheading tradeshow efforts. With the IWCE convention just around the corner, he’ll play a vital role in coordinating our booth. We look forward to seeing all of his hard work come to life in the months and years ahead!

Marketing is a collective and cultural experience, and I feel more in tune with this experience when I work with a brand and company that shares my values.

To get to know David a little better, we asked him a few questions:

What did you do before coming to Tait?

Before coming to Tait Communications, I worked for a mid-sized marketing and advertising agency based in Houston, TX for six years. Starting off as a Copywriter, I was able to hone my writing and persuasion skills. As time went on, I became more involved in branding efforts, including the development of company names, taglines, marketing campaigns, and brand positioning. At heart, I’ve always been a storyteller, and marketing and advertising provided an outlet for me to reach audiences through powerful, story-driven content.

I eventually was promoted to Brand Manager, which allowed me to further expand my branding skills. During this time, I helped launch and rebrand companies from a wide array of industries, as well as develop targeted marketing campaigns along with robust audience research. Although, I never lost sight of copywriting. I continued to lead a team of four copywriters, providing guidance and inspiration.

What attracted you to Tait?

Tait has a long storied history, and I was attracted to—not only the Kiwi culture—but something unique that could only come from 50 years of passion and commitment. The people, the industry, the products—everything felt genuine and purposeful, and I’m honored to be a part of a company that’s driven by their culture and values.

I was also drawn to the stories. Critical communications carry a great deal of weight and reverence, and I knew the industry would yield powerful stories for marketing and advertising. I wanted to make meaningful connections, and what better place to do that than with a global company that specializes in it.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

During my free time, I enjoy reading, watching a baseball game or checking out local events or festivals. I’m also as geeky as it gets. Whether I’m playing tabletop games, video games or watching the newest sci-fi blockbuster, I enjoy getting immersed in imaginative worlds or taking part in collective storytelling.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I have dabbled in playing banjo for some time now. Although I’m a bit rusty with the instrument these days, I find it relaxing to kick back and play some old bluegrass tunes. I’m also somewhat of an accomplished draftsman. Sketching, charcoal drawing and printmaking are a few of my passions that go back as long as I can remember.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I truly enjoy giving my all to a wonderful brand like Tait. Marketing is a collective and cultural experience, and I feel more in tune with this experience when I work with a brand and company that shares my values. I feel like this can only be accomplished when working in-house as opposed to being at an agency. While everyone at Tait has a myriad of passions and disciplines, we all share common goals, and I appreciate being supported in an environment where I can make the most of my background.

What are some projects you’ve worked on so far?

I’ve had the pleasure of working on some key marketing efforts since I came on board! While we have several marketing campaigns in the pipeline, my two main priorities have been a Tait P25 Phase 2 campaign and a consultant outreach program, Tait 360.

The P25 Phase 2 campaign, which will be launching in late December 2021, hones in on the benefits of the system while also bringing awareness to the unique value Tait brings to the table. Centered around three main audiences, we were able to develop a campaign that addresses the pain points of our customers while engaging them with eye-catching imagery and clever copy. Keep a lookout for this campaign in the coming weeks!

Consultants are vital to our industry, and Tait is dedicated to engaging these individuals by cultivating a community that provides them with Tait-specific announcements, informative content and industry perspectives. To accomplish this, we introduced Tait 360, a consultant program designed to inform, inspire and empower. We officially kicked off this program in November 2021 with the launch of the Tait 360 newsletter, and we look forward to sharing more content in the coming year, including webinars, case studies, events, and much more!

In addition, I was proud to help coordinate our booth at the IEEE convention, held in Acapulco, Mexico. Featuring vivid designs, the booth focused on celebrating the two wonderful cultures of Mexico and New Zealand, the home of Tait’s main headquarters. It was truly rewarding to see this booth come to life!

Favorite quote/saying or any parting words?

As for parting words, I’ll share an expression that has greatly influenced my marketing efforts and perspective of the world. In 1990, world-renowned astronomer Carl Sagan asked NASA to turn Voyager 1, a space probe launched in 1977, so it faces the earth. What it captured was a truly striking image, a tiny blue dot suspended in a sunbeam. This image inspired Carl Sagan to write the book Pale Blue Dot and produce the following video, which I will leave as parting inspirational words.

In truth, the video has little to do with marketing and a lot to do with storytelling and the human experience, which I often leverage for marketing. The cadence of his words, the power of perspective—it’s a truly beautiful sentiment. I’ve often found myself coming back to this video time and time again for inspiration.

Watch Here:
Pale Blue Dot


Get in touch with Tait

If there’s anything David or the team at any of our regional offices can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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