MJ's Bio
MJ has been operating MJ&Associates company for nearly 10 years. She began her career on the advertising agency side of the business in 1981 at CMF&Z Advertising, Inc., Des Moines after graduating from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in Advertising Design.
MJ began as a graphic designer, then moved to the account services side of the business where she developed expertise in project management and client service, supervising multiple client accounts with multi-million-dollar budgets and managing teams of people. CMF&Z, Inc., was a company owned by Young & Rubicam Worldwide. Starting at entry-level and eventually becoming Vice President/Account Group Director, MJ learned marketing disciplines and strategy from the very best, based right here in Iowa and reaching around the world.
In the 2000’s, MJ spent 10 years building and managing an internal agency-like group, serving business clients of Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing Division. MJ and her team regularly delivered millions of dollars of services, creating brand campaigns, launching clients on social media, developing training programs, ad campaigns, custom publications, and more for clients from the Midwest to the West Coast. In 2006, MJ was instrumental in leading the development of five similar teams across the country, patterned after the one built in Des Moines. As Regional Director of the Gannett Client Solutions Group, MJ gained valuable experience in digital marketing and a media perspective from the inside of one of the nation’s most respected publishing companies, including Iowa’s own The Des Moines Register. She was recognized in 2004 with the Spotlight on Service Award and in 2006 as Employee of the Year.
MJ&Associates started with two very important local clients and the business has grown from there! Since opening in 2013, MJ&Associates has also worked with non-profit clients such as Oakridge Neighborhood, SafeNetRx, and the Iowa Catholic Conference.
Throughout her career, MJ and her teams have been recognized for excellence with many awards, including PRSAs, ADDY’s, INA’s and contributing to client recognition of excellence, such as the #1 Toyota Digital Dealer program in the six-state region for Toyota of Des Moines. As much as we love awards, the most valuable recognition comes from the results-driven campaigns that make the clients’ businesses successful.
MJ spends countless hours on social media, developing brand stories for clients, speaking, and training. You can follow and connect here:
Facebook: @mjandassociatesgroup
Twitter: @mjmeister
Instagram: @mjassociates
LinkedIn: @mjmeister
Pinterest @mjandassociatesllc
TikTok: @mjstudioonmain