Another year has past, and here at Wilde Agency, 2015 was filled with many memorable events. We hosted a delegation of 14 marketers from Japan, doubled our followers on Twitter, and attended a Behavioral Cafe. We survived the snow, cheered on the New England Patriots, and dressed up in silly costumes together. There are far too many memories to list in one blog post!
Alas, we have a long-standing tradition (starting this year) of recounting some of our major highlights, to remind of us of how fortunate we’ve been as a team. We’ve helped our clients, worked hard, and tried to give back – all the while having fun doing it.
We hope 2016 is even better. We hope you, too, have many great memories from 2015 and have a fabulous 2016. Happy New Year!!
Now, please join us as we begin our countdown! Also, please join us as we acknowledge that these items probably shouldn’t be designated as a “countdown”, given the fact that they’re not listed in reverse chronological order… Oh well. Perhaps we’ll get that right in 2016.
1. WE WON BIG FOR OUR CLIENTS:
“Nothing makes me happier or prouder of us as an organization than our part in the success of our clients,” wrote President John Sisson. According to Chief Creative Officer Nancy Harhut, we welcomed 7 new clients this year, and through our work with them, we took home a total of 5 International Awards, 7 National Awards, and 17 Regional Awards – every one of them for direct and digital marketing effectiveness.
That, of course, isn’t including Nancy’s own victory earlier this month, when she was selected by BostInno as a 2015 “50 on Fire” winner for the Marketing & Advertising category. “I was honored to represent us,” she wrote in an email after the ceremony. “And thrilled that an organization looking to recognize ‘inventors, disruptors, luminaries, newsmakers and gamechangers who drive innovation in Boston and beyond’ views us this way. This is a collective win that labels us all as on fire.”
2. WE VOLUNTEERED TOGETHER:
Several team members ranked volunteering at the Waltham Boys & Girls Club as one of their top highlights in 2015. “It was a beautiful day and felt like we really helped out a great organization,” said Studio Manager Susan Sargent. This sentiment was echoed by Account Supervisor Megan Allinson: “Everyone loved volunteering and was energetic about it… even weeding. We learned a lot about the Waltham community and everything the Boys & Girls Club does for it, and in sharing this opportunity as an agency, we learned that we’re an AWESOME team!”
In fact, we were so moved by the organization’s mission that we offered pro bono assistance for their 2015 fundraising efforts. The campaign, entitled “Favorite Things“, featured four original pieces of artwork by members and focused on what they enjoy most about the club.
3. WE CELEBRATED TOGETHER:
From chili cook-offs to surprise birthday parties, we made sure to live up to the standard “work hard, play hard” cliché, largely thanks to our official fun committee – Sharon Martin and Rachel O’Neill. We even took time to (gasp) spend time with one another outside of the office! Senior Copywriter Burr Johnson counts “drinks with the team at the Bonefish Grill patio on a beautiful summer evening” among his top memories for the year.
President John Sisson built upon this theme, adding that, “The company that drinks together stays together. I’m sure that’s a quote from someone. We all know one another better, or at least know that Nancy drinks Rum and Diet Coke with a Lime – both of which are part of our goals as a company.”
4. WE CREATED, WE INNOVATED:
“We did terrific work across a range of media, including email, video, social media dimensional mail, and trade show/experiential,” chimed in Chief Creative Officer Nancy Harhut. “Plus, we fielded a proprietary behavioral economics study that yielded new insights, giving our clients an advantage they won’t find anywhere else.”
This work included the interactive decision science game MindCamp, as well as another interactive game that centered around tasting jellybeans (which acted as the inspiration for Senior Art Director Sharon Martin‘s incredible Halloween costume).
At the same time, we experimented with new and emerging technology. Senior Copywriter Burr Johnson listed “watching Colin Heward and Mike Atwood try the Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer” as another one of his top memories for the year. Surely, as we move into 2016, we will continue to explore the future of marketing.
5. WE INTRODUCED NEW ROLES, NEW FACES:
Lianne Wade took on a new title as our Vice President, Customer Insight. “Lianne is a talented Account Director,” stated President Jo
More recently, Jeff O’Neill joined our team as the VP/Managing Director, Digital Strategy. “Wilde Agency’s innovative approach to combining digital marketing services with the science of human behavior is an alluring competitive edge,” he said. “I’m thrilled to be joining an organization with a unique value proposition, strong market traction and relationships with leading brands, and I’m excited to help the agency expand its digital practice to serve even more forward-thinking clients in 2016.”
We also witnessed the expansion of our business development, account management, and marketing teams, with additional newcomers David Connor, Piper Annese, and Joseph J. Sanchez joining Wilde Agency toward the end of the year.
6. WE GOT INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT:
For Senior Art Director Colin Heward, this year was all about dressing up for the holidays. He turned up the spookiness (and hilarity) on Halloween as a man being devoured by a shark, and just a few weeks ago, he nearly dominated our 2015 Ugly Sweater contest with a truly awesome Tiny Tim Plaid Suit. However, he was ultimately defeated by Social Media Manager Joseph J. Sanchez, whose ice-skating polar bears stole the show.
While Colin didn’t take home a trophy for Ugly Sweater greatness, he did leave our holiday party with a delightful Beer Horn from our Yankee Swap. It was far from the most coveted gift that evening – with a retro lava lamp and Pie Face in the mix – but it was certainly a step above some of the other offerings that night. Account Director Dan Sirk did, indeed, bring a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano as his gift. It was slightly more popular than the jack o’lantern pie dish contributed by Senior Copywriter Ben Hall.
7. WE WERE INVADED BY INTERNS:
“We had the benefit of having had three great interns this year – Emily, Mikey and Marg,” reflected President John Sisson. “All of them brought youth, of course, but they also brought a different perspective too. They helped us tremendously, all the while maintaining a very positive attitude, even if some of the work was mundane. They also provided energy and a desire to learn. Who could ask for anything more?”
Before she left us for her final semester at Northeastern University, the latter of our three interns, Marguerite, gave a presentation with Lianne at Babson College. She shared what she learned in a blog post entitled “3 Reflections On Behavioral Marketing: A Co-op Student’s Perspective“, then offered up additional wisdom in the sequel “A Guide For Young Millennials Trying To Find The Right Job“.
8. WE GAVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY:
As part of the launch for MindCamp at the DMA’s 2015 &THEN Marketing Conference, we pledged to donate to The Greater Boston Food Bank for every share the game received on social media. The activity surrounding the project resulted in a $1,000 donation to the organization.
With her participation in the 2015 Boston Marathon, Account Supervisor Megan Allinson raised over $6,000 for Back On My Feet – a nonprofit creating independence and self-sufficiency within homeless populations. She noted that the encouragement she received from within the agency was particularly meaningful.
“During what was an awful training season, I had so much support from the agency,” she said. “Not only on the day of the marathon, but during the cold winter months! Lianne, on a rainy day, even drove down to my town to participate in a fun run/breakfast fundraiser that I held. I received many generous donations from everyone else too! Marathon day, I not only had shout outs via tweets, but also many emails.”
9. WE DELIVERED ENGAGING PRESENTATIONS:
Beyond her “50 on Fire” victory, Chief Creative Officer Nancy Harhut ranked “speaking to a packed room at SXSW Interactive” as one of her favorite moments of the year. The audience clearly appreciated what she had to say, judging by the dozens of tweets sent out during her presentation.
By Nancy’s count, the Wilde Agency team spoke at 9 conferences, got snowed out of a 10th, and hosted 2 webinars throughout the year. That said, our actual amount of presentations was much higher, when you take into account President John Sisson appearing at multiple dates for the Gramercy Forum and events where we had more than one speaker present (such as the DMA‘s &THEN and the NEDMA Annual Conference).
Moving into 2016, Nancy has already been announced as a speaker for LeadsCon Las Vegas in March, and that’s only the beginning of what’s sure to be a busy year sharing our thoughts on stage. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to find out where we’ll be next.
The post Looking Back: 9 Wilde Agency Highlights For 2015 appeared first on Wilde Agency.
