Braden Social

Social marketing built from fieldwork

Welcome to the Fieldhouse

I’m Eric Zimmett. I run Braden Social out of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

My work doesn’t start behind a computer — it begins on the ground. I walk your floor, sit in your space, and get to know how things actually work.

Every engagement begins with this diagnostic to understand your world before anything gets built. It’s what I do before we create a single post.

I call it fieldwork — a way of working shaped by years in journalism, photography, advertising, and behavioral science.

I keep a Field Notes notebook in my back pocket — edges worn, often coffee-stained, bent pages. It catches the human details, small data, that make your brand sound like itself.

Those field notes eventually become the stories you see on social media and in the local press. Real moments from real time spent on-site.

This is where it all comes together. Welcome to the Fieldhouse.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭-𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭.” — Gautam Kulkarni, Meta Marketing Pro

Some brands I’ve rolled up my sleeves with:

The Field Burger & Tap • Grace at Carnegie House • Toftrees Golf Resort • Shaner Hotels • Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park • The ACRES Project • Marriott • The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) • Centre County United Way • Taste of the Town • Dominos

What Fieldwork Unlocks

I practice fieldwork and turn it into strategy. I spend time on-site — watching closely, taking notes, noticing what most people miss. From there, I put it all together in a visual brand bulletin, looking for patterns and stories. This leads to a brand identity that grows out of what I’ve seen:
✔️Strategy grounded in what’s actually happening
✔️Reportage-style photography and reels pulled from real moments
✔️Event coverage shot documentary-style
✔️Copy that sounds like the place it came from
✔️PR support through local media relationships
✔️Direct engagement with your audience

Fieldwork means being there

I’m on site, in the middle of it, catching details you only see when you’re there. All of this small data is compiled at the Fieldhouse and taped to my wall, where I go through a verbal and visual decoding session. During this session, I review what I saw, what it means, and how we’ll use it to tell your story.

Why Fieldwork Matters

“If you want to understand how animals live, you don’t go to the zoo, you go to the jungle.”
— Martin Lindstrom, author, Small Data

Real breakthroughs happen in the field — when you’re close enough to notice the details.

That means real footage, real photos, real posts — made where things are actually happening.

I use fieldwork the same way I did as a journalist: on-site, in the thick of it, paying close attention. Observe first, find patterns, then write the story.

Fieldwork isn’t part of the work. Fieldwork is the work.

Let’s talk about what fieldwork could unlock for your brand. Call or text Eric at 814-441-7717 or email eric@bradensocial.com to get started.

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Let’s Get Started

814-441-7717 | eric@bradensocial.com

About Eric & Braden Social

“Hi, I’m Eric Braden Zimmett — founder of Braden Social. I launched Central Pa’s first fieldwork-based social shop in 2014, and I still run it solo today.

“Braden Social isn’t an agency. It’s a one-person shop built on fieldwork. No interns, no handoffs, no stock content. Just me — observing, filming, and shaping strategy from the field and behind the screen.

“I bring a journalist’s eye and a behavioral strategist’s mind to every project. You get real content — captured where things are actually happening, backed by insight into how people think and behave.

About “Braden”

Braden is my middle name — but it also carries a deeper meaning. Braden [Bradán] is derived from an Irish Gaelic word meaning “salmon.” In Irish folklore, Bradán feasa — the ‘Salmon of Knowledge’ — was said to grant the world’s wisdom to whoever caught it.

Bradán feasa, the Salmon of Knowledge

According to Celtic legend, an ordinary salmon ate nine hazelnuts that fell into the well of wisdom. By this act, the salmon gained the world’s knowledge. The first person to eat of its flesh would, in turn, gain this knowledge.

The poet Finegas spent seven years searching for the salmon unsuccessfully. Until he brought his student Fionn mac Cumhail — or Finn MacCool — with him on his journey.

After catching the salmon, Finegas handed it to Finn to prepare. Finn cooked the salmon, turning it over and over, but when he touched the fish to see if it was cooked, he burnt his finger on a drop of hot cooking fish fat. Finn sucked on his burned finger to ease the pain.

When Finn brought the cooked meal to Finegas, his master saw that the boy’s eyes shone with a previously unseen wisdom. Finegas asked Finn if he had eaten any of the salmon. Answering no, the boy explained what had happened. Finegas realized that Finn had received the wisdom of the salmon, so he gave him the rest of the fish to eat.

Finn ate the salmon and, in so doing, gained all the knowledge of the world. The deep knowledge and wisdom gained from the Salmon of Knowledge allowed Finn to become the leader of the Fianna, the famed hero of Irish myth. ∎

Training & Certifications

Eric is certified by Cannes Lions in Behavioral Science for Brands, as well as in the Cannes Lions Course on Storytelling, Cannes Lions and WARC on Marketing Strategy, and Cannes Lions on Copywriting.

Eric is certified by Ogilvy in Applied Behavioural Science, Behavioural Economics, and Social Media.

As a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Eric follows the highest standards of photographic ethics and business practices.

Eric is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Course by Dale Carnegie Training, the Dale Carnegie People Skills Seminar, the Dale Carnegie Business Seminar, and has served as a Dale Carnegie Graduate Assistant.

Eric graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a minor in English.

Feedback & Testimonials

The best way to understand how I work is to hear from the people I’ve worked with. Here’s what clients and collaborators have said—across industries, projects, and years of hands-on work together.

Client Insights

Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park

Our social marketing plan for Penn’s Cave combines captivating employee and guest photos with user-generated content, showcasing America’s only all-water cavern in a visually engaging way.

When crafting our strategy, we ask: Why do people visit attractions or engage with experiences? By exploring the motivations behind these choices, we create social content that speaks to those desires, making the experience even more inviting and memorable for potential visitors.

Penn’s Cave Instagram

The Field Burger & Tap at Toftrees Golf Resort

Our social marketing plan for The Field at Toftrees featured its employees front and center, along with a heavy dose of food, drinks, and desserts from customers themselves. This highly engaging combination created a mouth-watering Instagram feed, with first-person photos of staff that made viewers feel like they were really there.

In shaping our strategy, we ask: Why do people go out to eat? By understanding the motivations behind dining out, we create content that connects with those desires—whether it’s for great food, a sense of community, or a memorable experience.