Adventures in Advertising: I'm Going Back to Agency Side!
If you've ever had a conversation with me over coffee or at a conference or networking event, you know that my next big adventure is exactly what I've been seeking: working on integrated marketing campaigns with a national consumer brand. The needle in the haystack part has been finding that opportunity while staying in Nashville.
I've worked for ad agencies for the bulk of the beginning of my career and have been client side marketing for the past four years. While I was not sure whether my next adventure would take me to client side (in-house marketing department) or consultant side (advertising agency), my goal is to make an impact with a national consumer brand in contributing my knowledge and expertise in traditional, digital and social media marketing.
I'm joining the Nashville office of Catapult Marketing- ranked Hub Magazine's #1 shopper marketing agency, where I'll be working on integrated marketing campaigns for the Mars Petcare account, which is known for its many consumer pet food brands, including Pedigree (woof!), Cesar, and Whiskas (meow!).
So, in a nod to one of the advertising greats, David Ogilvy, I'm celebrating the vast opportunities ad agencies have as consumer behavior changes along with technology. This is an exciting time to be working in advertising, especially with a firm like Catapult Marketing, which is rich in consumer and shopper data and analytics.
If you aren't familiar with the 1950's iconic “The Man in the Hathaway Shirt” ad, here's a little background:
David Oglivy, one of the original Mad Men of Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency, was the creative marketing genius behind this Hathaway shirt ad featuring a man wearing an eye patch. The eye-patch and the accompanying text give the reader a "choose your own adventure" experience as they imagine the mysterious man in the ad as edgy and adventurous.
Why is he wearing the eye patch? Is he a spy? Is he an eccentric billionaire? The ad tapped into something that would be replicated for years to come, this concept of selling through the story. This ad made Hathaway the #1 seller of shirts at this time.
Years later, digital and social media have become a part of the marketer's toolbox, but Ogilvy's “The Man in the Hathaway Shirt” approach never goes out of style:
Connect with the audience in an interesting way.
Tell a story that represents the brand personality
Make a difference in showing bottom line results.
Cheers!