The founder of Crate & Barrel Gordon Segal said when starting a business, ask yourself “can you love it while doing it 12 hours a day?”
At 5 years and 22,000 hours later…I’m still loving it everyday.
You’ve seen lots of evolutions of our agency through 5 years. Starting our agency working almost primarily on environmentally friendly advertising. This was a very trendy medium in 2012. I remember selling the campaign and then going out to spray the chalk myself.
At our first office, I worked at a ping pong table in a room with no air conditioning on the hottest days. The office was down a long hallway on the 9th floor — the elevator broke for an entire summer.
I don’t have an agency background. I really don’t have an advertising background either. But I do have a background in relationships… I remember my father getting me out of school to go to work with him at his home painting company when I was in grade school. I spent my days visiting job sites and meeting with employees, homeowners and vendors. I was amazed by how MANY people knew my father. I asked him once — “How did you meet all of these people?” He replied “I met one, did the job right, then I met another. I’ve built my business through connections”.
I’d like to use this post to write about where we are now, where the agency is going and who we are.
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Experiential marketing has seen many forms. We can track experiential marketing by brands all the way back to the beginning of the Macy’s Day Parade in 1924. All of Manhattan came out to watch employees march to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes.
Nowadays, the key to experiential marketing is still the same — emotional connections. Some companies are even just a big experiential marketing campaign disguised as a brand. Take Red Bull for example; there is nothing traditional about them. They even jumped out of a spaceship to further their purpose..
At Civitas, our purpose is clear: we build and activate communities. For Major League Soccer that means finder deeper and unique meaning to what it means to be a fan. Whatever the platform — we do this by connecting meaningful brands with consumers who share values, believe in a common purpose and want to be part of a story.
I am often reminding myself that I’m selling real people — not a product. Real, genuine and talented people work at Civitas. These people are my community.
Graham Fisher, our marketing director, has been around since the beginning. Starting as an intern and our very first employee. He’s grown to become a partner…and my best friend.
Our partnership and dedication to our company’s purpose is what has elevated us to where we are today- Healthy, focused and growing at a rapid pace. We’ve doubled our staff size since last year and will do it again before the end of 2017.
So, with all of this, what does it mean for the agency? It means you shouldn’t doubt what two guys and a hot pot of coffee can do.
See you on this side or the other.
BTW, I’m hiring: www.civitasmarketing.com/careers
