A History of Launch Marketing: A 15-Year Story

On September 10, 2001, the CS Company (later renamed Launch Marketing) was born.  It started somewhat informally at a big tech event in Austin hosted by Red Herring — a then popular and widely read magazine.

Launch Marketing began as a one-woman marketing firm serving tech-oriented small businesses and startups in the Austin area and now, just over 15 years later, the company is proud to have celebrated its 15-year anniversary – having served over 150 clients along the way. To commemorate this significant event, we’re looking back at some of the major milestones in Launch history.

The Early Years

Christa spent the first year of business based from a home office, working with clients and growing her client base independently. The second year of business brought two major changes—Launch’s new office space and first hired employee.

In her recent interview for the podcast Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do, Christa spoke about hiring her first employee. Up until that point, she experienced a classic case of entrepreneurial doubt; there were many days when she wondered what she’d gotten herself into and questioned if she was doing the right thing. However, from the moment of that initial hire, she knew that she had chosen the right path.

Continued Growth

Launch Marketing continued to mature and expand during the next five years, adding new employees and moving to larger office spaces. The clientele grew accordingly, and the company took on new business and product launches in the local B2B technology industry. One project stood out in particular, both to the team and Launch as well as to the global marketing community.

In 2008, Launch Marketing was awarded the Silver Award at Event Marketer Magazine’s 2008 Ex Awards for Best Integrated B2B Trade Show Campaign. The “Get a Taste of High Definition” campaign for LifeSize stood out among over 700 entries from 17 different countries, with Launch successfully competing against massive marketing agencies representing major corporations. The honor gave Launch global recognition and fueled the following years of ambition and development.

Launch Marketing rounded out the ten-year mark by celebrating its 100^th client, a momentous milestone for the small business. The Launch team looked toward the future with hopes for another 100 successful customers in the years to come.

Recent Developments

The past five years of business have held exciting internal developments as the company continues to expand. In the twelfth year of business, Launch Marketing brought Troy Kennedy to the team as the first dedicated business development manager, and year fourteen brought on Melinda Armstrong as the VP of client services. These higher-level executive roles are indicative of the continuously expanding scope of the business, and the team is excited to work with these leaders.

The strength of the team is exactly what led to the company being named one of Austin Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2015 and 2016. Launch Marketing won the award for combination of professional and personal fulfillment for each employee at work, thanks to opportunities for continued learning, team building and flexible work-life balance.

Launch Marketing differs from other marketing firms in a lot of ways, but the hallmark of our services is our dedication to providing turn-key marketing services to the highly competitive B2B tech industry. As a predominately female agency in the male-dominated tech space, Launch Marketing has celebrated successes with nearly 150 clients, jumping in at any point where companies need assistance – from launching new products to refining their integrated marketing plan, and all of the bits in between.

Efforts don’t stop at marketing, however – Launch Marketing’s team members are involved in a number of volunteer endeavors, including contributing to non-profits we believe in. The company strives to benefit its employees, its clients and its community at large in whatever way possible.

Looking Forward

Though the company has expanded and the client base has grown, Launch Marketing has stayed true to its core values over the past fifteen years. We continue to endeavor to be accountable, responsive, results-oriented and passionate about everything we do. When asked about the next five years, Christa Tuttle said,

“Moving forward, our goal is always to embody our company vision: to be the go-to marketing firm for B2B technology oriented company and product launches in the Austin area and we move closer and closer every year to achieving that. I’m excited to see where we are at the 20^th Anniversary!”