Greater Charlotte Biz 2011.09

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access to big agencies and big resources, but you also have big layers to navigate to get the product into the stores,” notes Jim Parello, marketing manager for the company’s U.S. and Latin American headquarters in Charlotte. “The Birdsong Gregory team brought the same quality of a big agency’s well-educated, well-skilled and well-trained team with added benefits of close proximity, the nimble culture of a small agency and a great sense for our business. With their hands-on corporate culture, we were able to create solutions together which allowed us to achieve our targets and timelines. We got ‘big agency’ results using Birdsong Gregory. It was a win/win strategy and execution,” he says. Car aficionados have had a long, and sometimes expensive, bond with their cars. However, few national car care brands ever embraced the opportunity to appeal to that niche. Take an unmet market segment, mix with research and creative from Birdsong Gregory and some chemicals from a British company, and you have a whole new category.

close-knit group of overachievers. As part of the Croftgate campaign, they literally went shopping themselves for the best and brightest in the Shopper Marketing industry. They landed a pedigreed professional, Jared Meisel, now the agency’s director of Shopper Marketing. With tours at such industry names as Draft FCB and Saatchi & Saatchi X (the latter considered the pioneer and now world leader in Shopper Marketing), Meisel brings a larger view to the collaborative and intimate organization. Birdsong Gregory’s hiring strategy is focused similarly. “We look for people with a passionate curiosity. We pride ourselves on being an agile

manifesto: We have killed the Golden Age of Advertising with our smart phones, TiVo, pop-up blockers, and a hundred other new disintermediary tools.

The company Croftgate, which primarily produces chemicals for the printing industry, had an intriguing past. The Queen of England had granted it the Royal Seal as the official polishing and cleaning product for the Royal Stables. The owner immigrated to the states with an entirely new idea: a revolutionary waterless wash and wax solution that delivers superior performance, saves time, and is eco-friendly. Birdsong Gregory met with car enthusiasts and learned that owners viewed their cars as investments as well as brand extensions of their personality. “Owners of luxury or high-performance vehicles are passionate about preserving these investments,” explains Cusson. “We were able to translate a ‘royal relationship’ into a brand which resonated with their interest in heritage and using only the highest quality of car care products. Now when you go to car shows, you’ll see their pride reflected in the shine of their cars.” Yielding Success Birdsong Gregory prides itself on its

c o n s t r u c t i ve c a t a ly s t fo r c re a t i ve c o n sBiz.indd c i o u s1 n e s s

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