Around the Agency – July Edition

We just launched something we’re calling our Spiky POV (thanks to Wes Kao for the idea). If you’ve seen our homepage or LinkedIn feed lately, you already know what it is. If you haven’t, you can read about it here.

It’s not technically a rebrand (we did that back in 2022), but it’s more than just an opinion piece. And like any other work we do for ourselves, it was more like a root canal than getting a cavity filled. Why is it so hard for agencies to do for themselves what we do for clients every day?

One obvious reason: Client work comes first. Ours come second.

One not-so-obvious reason: Agency folks have strong and diverse opinions about creative. We get to make rad stuff for our clients every day, but final decisions on design and copy are made by them, not us. This time, we were the final approvers and getting there wasn’t easy (because we had lots of good ideas). Now we know how our clients feel.

And this: We are too close to it. Some companies hire agencies to help them get out of their own way. And it works. Because when you’re too close to something, it’s hard to see what others might see. So, we asked a few friendly outsiders for advice, made our final tweaks, and pounded the stake in the ground with a big-ass hammer.

We’ve been throwing around the term “badass” a lot lately, mostly in reference to our female entrepreneurial clients who are out there making a name for themselves by doing great work. Without taking any credit away from them, it’s fair to say that nobody is more badass than our friends at The Reborn Project. Formed by a group of post 9/11 veterans, this non-profit organization creates programs that bring awareness, education, and entertainment to their community. We are immensely proud of the video and pitch brochure we just finished for them. Better yet, the client loves the work and is certain it will help them meet their fundraising goals.

“We’re getting acquired by a startup and we need a new website fast” aren’t words for faint-of-heart agencies. When we heard them from Mount Yale, we said “sure, we can do that”. (We may have said a few other things behind closed doors, but we do love a good challenge). After the site went live at the end of June, there were high-fives and adult beverages all around. Cheers to another fun project in the books!

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