Ownership group grows with addition of husband-wife team

Bozell, a full-service marketing and communications agency founded in 1921, announced today that it has added two new owner-operators to its ownership group. Longtime Bozell employees Laura and Andy Spaulding have joined Kim Mickelsen, Robin Donovan and Jackie Miller as owners, effective immediately.

Art direction can be a powerful thing when done well, proven true in this episode of Marketing Then and Now. Senior art director Heather McCain talks to us about her overarching creative philosophy, how the world of art direction has evolved over the years, and what her experience has been as a marketing expert on the board of the Refugee Empowerment Center – including her efforts in rebranding the nonprofit and then spearheaded a candle-selling campaign that brought in a regular monthly income for the nonprofit and offered a way for female refugees to make an income, gain on-the-job experience and learn English. 

We see you. Tired. Having trouble concentrating. Uninspired. But we’re not here to call you out for being lazy and procrastinating. We’re here to tell you you’re just burnt out.

The World Health Organization defines burnout as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Although first defined in 2019, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has not only brought more attention to burnout and its long-term effects but has also shed light on just how rampant burnout is among working individuals.

It’s not often that an agency’s operations manager feels compelled to write a blog post. After all, we work “on the business,” not “in the business.” I’m admittedly no expert in the field. But, as those who know me can attest, it’s probably most fitting that this news comes from me:

The world of advertising lost a grossly under-appreciated icon with the passing of John Cherry III on Sunday, May 8, 2022.

You’ll definitely believe in the power of the written word after listening to this month’s episode of Marketing Then & Now. Inspired by the advertising bible, Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This, associate creative director (and previous senior copywriter) John Vogel shares his philosophy and personal approach to copywriting. He discusses how it has changed over the years, including his take on the wonderful world of AI – like Jasper.ai, an AI copywriting tool. Packed full of dad jokes and clever puns (ones that won’t make your eyes roll), you won’t want to miss this insightful and delightful episode. 

Bozell took home 12 awards, including a Judge’s Citation, at Nebraska’s 2022 American Advertising Federation’s American Advertising Awards on Friday evening. In addition to the Judge’s Citation, the marketing agency earned six gold and five silver awards in multiple categories.

I recently read a Fast Company article entitled, “Three Essentials to Strong Agency-Client Relationship.” Its tips include:

1. Remember why they hired you.
2. Overcommunicate and anticipate needs.
3. Don’t neglect the relationship.

As I was reading the explanations for each, I realized that they all rolled up to one mantra that Bozell has been emphasizing for 100 years: Close to the Customer.

Do you hear that?

The year is coming to an end. And what better way to celebrate the holiday than to reflect on all the craziness we’ve endured? So scroll down, hit play and sing along to these traditional holiday tunes with a not-so-traditional 2021 twist.

Nebraska PRSA bestowed Bozell with the Special Achievement in PR Award during the virtual Paper Anvil ceremony on Thursday afternoon. The award was given to Bozell on the year of its 100^th anniversary to commemorate a centennial of public relations work that started with the agency’s founders Morris Jacobs and Leo Bozell.

By almost all accounts, 2020 was a devastating year for the ad industry. According to Forrester, ad agencies lost nearly 50,000 jobs globally – that’s more than double what was lost in the 2008 recession. (Source) And while the industry is still working to come out the other side and find “the new normal,” one thing is certain – we must adapt or we die.