In our modern information economy, influence is everything.
If you trace the word back to its Latin roots, influence means “inflow”—an input that powerfully shapes the way see ourselves and our world. That’s why parents strive to control every influence over their children’s lives, politicians wield it to win voters, and professionals do their best to cultivate it so they can further their careers.
In the age of social media, we are all surrounded by cheap influence. Viral videos and sensational tweet storms are the stock-in-trade of faux expertise. They flow through our screens and into our eyes but flow out of our consciousness just as quickly as they came.
Real influence isn’t like that. It doesn’t live in the viral short-term; it sets its sights on legacy. It doesn’t settle for the sensational. Instead, it aspires to excellence. Real influence is the power and the presence of those who’ve learned to transcend the power of the present. It’s the hard-won prize of those who establish themselves as true sources of expertise long after the social media pundits have faded into the digital ether.
In 2015, award-winning global entrepreneur and leadership advisor, Rahfeal Gordon, founded Madison + Park as more than a simple branding agency. Having developed his own international brand, Rahfeal recognized that entrepreneurs across the world were hungry for real influence and that he was uniquely equipped to help them cultivate it. Four short years later, M+P has established itself as a trusted advisor to individuals and organizations from Santiago, Chile to Monterrey, Mexico, Oslo, Norway to New York Ciy, and everywhere in between.
At the individual level, M + P has helped notable influencers like Judge Victoria Pratt and Siobhan St. John publish their expertise, develop their online and offline presence, and establish an international brand in their respective spheres. M+P’s clients have published books, lined up speaking engagements around the world, garnered new attention for strategic partnerships, and won opportunities to appear on television.
Thanks to a few key distribution arrangements, M + P can place its authors’ books on the shelves of nearly 40,000 retailers across 220 countries and territories. More than a glorified publicist, however, M + P helps each of its clients to think holistically about publishing. Branding is about more than selling books; it’s about cultivating real, lasting influence through strategic publication and promotion across multiple channels.
World-changing brands point beyond themselves. The allure of Louis Vuitton doesn’t come from its chic accessories but the luxe story its products invite people to indwell. Apple isn’t one of the world’s most ubiquitous brands because it says, “look at me,” but because they use technology to inspire their loyal fans’ sense of wonder.
Brands like these influence because they connect; they go outside themselves to bless the world through their unique creativity. Through partnerships with United Nation, Cold Stone Creamery, Kate Spade, White House | Black Market, and others, M + P creatively facilitates that connection between brands and the communities they serve. Their "sip & shop" events, for example, bring in woman entrepreneurs from all over the world to connect, share expertise, build networks, and cultivate influence.
At the global level, M + P is regularly tapped to enter emerging markets and help startups engage their communities. In a deft act of strategic integrity, M + P hires local talent to help these clients build their brand presence and lay deep roots of lasting influence. Whenever they wrap up a partnership, M + P leaves clients with a comprehensive plan but stays connected with the community, setting up an enduring local presence and launching pad for future global work. Their current engagement with the Norwegian International Entrepreneur Conference is just one example of how M + P is actively working to connect local entrepreneurs with worldwide influence.
Real influence takes time and strategic intention. When an entrepreneur's head is down, and she's buried in her work, it takes the insight of a strategic partner to help her see the bigger picture. It takes a team dedicated to legacy and impact to help her step back and develop an intentional plan to maximize her and her company’s enduring presence in the marketplace. Timeless marketing firms like Ogilvy & Mather or Leo Burnett understand this intuitively, which is precisely what makes their own brands so strong.
When Rahfeal started M+P, it was with that vision in mind—the creation of a firm that would endure alongside its clients for generations. That’s why M+P refuses to trade in cheap influence. Instead, they’re committed to helping brands cultivate real influence that transcends time and space—a powerful outflow that demands attention, dominates markets, and drives global engagement. As their current roster of clients will gladly attest, that’s precisely what M + P has helped them to build for themselves. And, in the process, it's exactly the brand M + P has cultivated for itself.