Rising Stars of the Profession 2021: Carter Bates

Carter Bates brings a unique blend of vision, pragmatism, and experience to his work as a leader in Atlas Research's Strategic Marketing and Communications practice. He has been a key player in growing the practice, enhancing capabilities in this exciting and fast-growing space, and supporting successful efforts to win work with new clients. In 2020, Carter contributed to the capture of more than $2M in new or additional business while managing approximately $1.2M in annual revenue as Project Manager or Communications Lead on projects with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Carter's expertise lies at the intersection of traditional communications, information technology, and digital marketing, uniquely positioning him to generate innovative results for Atlas clients. He led marketing and programming for the biennial 2021 DOD/VA Suicide Prevention Conference, increasing attendance from roughly 1,500 in 2018 to 3,500 in 2021 and, for the first time, the agenda included remarks from both department Secretaries as well as the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Before joining Atlas, Carter produced a Webby-award-winning mobile game (Hair Trigger), coordinated web development and marketing for the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification, and led outreach to community organizations in Atlanta to enable homeless Veterans greater access to VA benefits.

In response to the question of the biggest factor in his success so far, Carter comments, "Marcom has been rapidly converging with information technology for the better part of the last 40 years, and that trend is only accelerating. I would say the biggest factor in my success has been my combined understanding of the front-end design and delivery of key messages and digital marketing strategies along with the backend components and emerging technologies in this space, and how these two interconnected pieces work—or don't work—together."

He continues, "All too often, marketing consultants talk about emerging technologies like machine learning, neuro-linguistic programming, and artificial intelligence, but they don't always know how those technologies work. When we adopt new technology, I always do a deep dive into how it works. That is not to say I will become an expert—I will never be able to build and establish a Salesforce Einstein AI system on my own—but I owe my developer and designer colleagues the respect of being able to speak cogently in their lexicon and provide them useful feedback and guidance. I owe our client the assurance that when I say a product using machine learning to retarget customers will work, my confidence in its success is built on technical understanding and thorough research. Most importantly, I owe our clients and customers the positive experience we promised. At the end of the day, it's all about delivering what we say we can deliver and making sure that solution is the one that works best for the client and achieves maximum results for Veterans, military personnel, or other end users."

Carter notes his proudest achievement to date as, "The opportunity and support from Atlas Research to build the strategic marketing and communications practice with my colleagues. When I landed at Atlas, this work was handled on a per-contract basis. Together with my colleagues, we successfully made the case for a standalone business line focused on strategic marketing and communication. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we have already seen real growth both in business and staff."

"The trust that the firm has placed in us, whether quantified in the investment of time, effort, technology, or staff, is something that I am incredibly aware and proud of. And I'm excited to continue to build this work into a pillar of our firm."

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

"The best advice I received comes from a conversation in the late-1940's. George Marshall had been Chief of Staff of the US Army, and for all intents and purposes, the organizer and grand strategist of Allied victory in World War II. In the post-war era, Europe was left in a horrific state. Its economies, infrastructure, and way of life had been destroyed by the war."

"Marshall set out a vision to rebuild the continent, brick by brick. And to do so, he asked George Kennan to prepare what would become the first versions of the Marshall Plan, an effort that would result in $13 billion ($ 114 billion in 2020 dollars) to feed, cloth, provide jobs, build bridges, factories, and farms in Europe. Before starting, George Kennan asked Marshall for any advice. Marshall's reply was simple."

"Avoid trivia."

"Ever since I read that story, it has stuck with me as some of the best advice I have ever received. I like that it is not about seeking something out, or building something new, or thinking outside of the box—but avoiding the things that are not going to contribute to the end goal."