Last winter, the leadership at our agency gathered for a long working lunch of introspection. For 15 years, we’ve been helping our clients build out their brands, teasing out and articulating the mission, vision, and values that differentiate them in their market. However, we were chagrined to realize… we had never taken the time to define those foundational pillars at our own company.
That working lunch was just the beginning of a journey to tell our own story — a story we all sort of understood but had never formalized — that would carry over many months, with every team member at every level making deeply felt contributions in capturing the core of what makes us, us. However, a central tenet of our brand did emerge in that initial discussion. An ambition that came out organically, conversationally, and with pure earnestness:
Be the advertising agency you love to work with.
As soon as it was spoken, we all knew we had our Vision. This simple statement encapsulates the essence of why we have so many long-term clients, why staff turnover here is atypically rare for the industry, and why we all have so much fun. It’s short and sweet but has layered meanings and offers versatility as a brand element — customizable for clients, capabilities, and case studies.
From there, we explored what exactly we love about working with Agency 15 and the results of this reflection are summed up in our company Values:
While these Values are internal, they foster a culture, an aura, that our clients can feel, and feel good about. The positive vibes are grounded by our Mission statement, which underlines the ROI that comes with the pleasure of our partnership:
Put together, our Vision, Values, and Mission characterize Agency 15. But what does that character look like? How do they speak? What do they doodle in the margins? It became clear that our brand no longer aligned with our truth, and it was time to evolve. We’d done it before, when 15 Fingers the shop matured into FIFTEEN the agency. Now, that agency has self-actualized. We know who we are, we know who we are not, and we know where we’re going. Reinventing our brand was the natural next step.
Fun, right? It nails our energy, our creative perspective, our blend of informality and expertise that makes us so enjoyably effective for our clients. The new headshots and illustrations capture the personalities of our distinctive weirdos who happen to be really good at what they do. It’s been a blast to develop and roll out, and we’re all feeling more comfortable draped in a style authentic to who we are.
Oh, and the orange couch remains front and center. We started as two guys and an orange couch, and we’ll always honor our hard-earned roots. We’re more appreciative than ever of our old girl, and all of the memories, people, and ideas who have impressed upon her cushions to shape who we are today.
So why now? This is not an ‘It’s about time,’ situation. It’s that ‘Now is the right time.’ 2024 marks the 15th anniversary of Agency 15, though the symmetry there is more coincidence than impetus. We’ve simply grown up. We’ve been through our (admittedly, often awkward) adolescence to achieve a harmonious balance of self-awareness, humility, and poise. This harmony could only bloom from experience, from finding the right recipe of people, and from the earned trust of our clients. Now, we step into our prime.
Enjoy our new website, and get in touch if you’re inspired to discuss how we can amplify authenticity and actualization in your own business.
