In this episode of Failing Success, Chad Kaleky interviews Rick Wells, the owner of Smyth Grey, a full-service advertising agency. Rick began his career as a musician and later transitioned to a creative field as a writer and session player on corporate and broadcast projects. He was contacted by a video editing and production company as they believed musicians make good editors. However, due to the paradigm shift of the industry with everything moving to desktop, Rick had to recreate himself and worked in publishing to learn more about print and media. Later, he was asked to join a firm but decided to start his own advertising agency, Smyth Grey, which he has owned for over 20 years.

Rick explains that they create for media channels and have specific media buys in mind. They work to create a campaign that works best in that format and also if it is multi-platform. Rick and his team continually seek out new ways to connect with their audience and strategically manage brands to reach customers where and how they want to be connected. For example, something as simple as trade shows and expos could be used to target audiences that are not digital.

One of the major changes that Rick has experienced is due to the Covid economy and how traditional media, other than major brands, has been relatively abandoned. The dynamic of lower CPMs and media buys, as well as the affordability and accessibility of digital channels, has shifted everything within the industry. Rick and his team have had to work with clients within this new digital mindset and continually seek out new ways to connect with their audience.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:43 Shifting with the Times

00:04:41 Interesting Marketing Practices

00:09:57 Pivotal Moment

00:12:45 Contact Rick