If you run marketing, communications, or events for a membership organization, this will sound familiar: there is always more happening than any internal team can realistically produce alone. Awards galas, networking nights, member spotlights, sponsor content… the calendar doesn’t slow down just because the team is small.

That’s the exact position the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is in every year, and it’s the starting point for one of our longest-running partnerships. We recently sat down with Corrina Massicotte, the GNCC’s Director of Operations & Communications, to talk about what that partnership actually looks like from the inside.

A Relationship Measured in Decades, Not Deliverables

Corrina’s history with Giant Shoe Creative goes back further than most client relationships in our industry ever get the chance to. She first worked with our team 18 years ago, when she was just starting out at the Chamber, and the relationship has grown alongside both organizations ever since.

Over the years, that’s included covering the GNCC’s signature events, from the Women in Business Awards to the Niagara Business Achievement Awards, capturing the moments that celebrate Niagara’s business community at its best. Last year, we also partnered with the GNCC and Big Brothers Big Sisters Niagara on a Business After 5 event, bringing two organizations’ networks together for an evening that supported both.

“It says something that I first worked with them when I first started at the Greater Niagara Chamber 18 years ago, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down, only pushing forward and helping as many businesses in Niagara as possible.” – Corrina Massicotte, GNCC

“Big City Production, But the Small Town Feel”

Corinna describes working with our team like working with a much larger production studio, while still getting the attention of a boutique agency.

“What comes to mind when I think of Giant Shoe is the big city production, but the small town feel.” – Corrina Massicotte, GNCC

That balance is exactly what we aim for with every client, but it’s especially important for an organization like the GNCC, whose credibility depends on looking as polished and professional as the businesses it represents. And of course, we still maintain a genuine, local relationship rather than a transaction with an outside vendor.

What “Extension of Your Team” Actually Means

The phrase gets used a lot in this industry, often without much behind it. For the GNCC, it’s specific: not having to explain the Chamber’s story more than once, not having to manage every detail, and knowing that whoever picks up the request understands the assignment.

“What I really love about working with Giant Shoe is that we can give them direction once, and we don’t have to hold their hand all day. They really feel part of our team. They understand what story we’re trying to tell and are able to capture it.” – Corrina Massicotte, GNCC

That’s a useful bar for any organization evaluating a marketing partner, whether it’s an agency, a freelancer, or an in-house hire: can you hand off a project with context once, and trust that context carries all the way through to the final result? If the answer is no, you’re not looking at an efficient partnership. Our goal is to speed up workflows, not add additional steps.

For the GNCC specifically, that trust means not having to micromanage the work at all. When our team is involved, we can cover everything from live posting, event coverage, photos, website hosting, and much much more. And every one of those tasks is managed without needing to check constantly.

Showing Up for the Community, Not Just the Camera

One thing Corrina pointed to that goes beyond any single project: our team’s involvement in the Niagara business community itself, outside of client work.

“You can really tell that the team at Giant Shoe is really committed to Niagara. They’re participating in the business community. They’re volunteering. They’re giving back. They’re really here for the sustainability of our region.” – Corrina Massicotte, GNCC

We’ve built our nonprofit and community marketing work around the same principle: showing up consistently, not just when there’s a camera involved. If community-focused marketing is part of your organization’s world, our recent piece on Walking the Walk for SickKids covers what that kind of ongoing, on-the-ground involvement looks like in practice, and our community and nonprofit marketing work goes deeper on how we partner with mission-driven organizations across Niagara.

What to Look for in a Marketing Partner

Corrina’s experience points to a useful checklist for any organization (nonprofit, membership-based, or otherwise) evaluating whether a marketing relationship is actually working:

• Do you have to re-explain your story every time, or does the partner already know it?
• Can you hand off a project once and trust the result, or does it need constant oversight?
• Does the team you’re working with have real depth across specialties, or are you the only thing holding the plan together?
• Is the relationship still there when the cameras aren’t rolling? Is your team showing up in the community, and not just billing for it?

That last point is easy to overlook when comparing quotes and proposals, but it’s often the clearest signal of whether a partnership will actually last. Coordination matters here too: we’ve written before about why marketing works better when every piece is planned together rather than handled by disconnected vendors, which is a big part of why long-term partnerships like this one tend to outperform one-off projects.

Still Pushing Forward

Eighteen years in, the GNCC partnership is still going strong. This is because the same things that made it work at the start are still core to the way we do business: clear communication, genuine investment in the outcome, and a team that treats the Chamber’s priorities as its own.

Looking for a marketing team that can act as a real extension of yours; big city production, small town feel included? Let’s talk.