More Eclectic Stuff That Didn't Fit On The Resume

1. RICK RADERMACHER
ADDENDUM TO RESUME 06.09
THE BIGELOW YEARS – JANUARY 2007 TO JUNE 2009
I was recruited to Bigelow - an agency I had actually hired to do some work for me when I managed US
advertising at UPS - by Tom Bigelow, owner and president. Tom asked me to handle two primary roles:
1) improving, growing and managing a young account service team, and 2) improving strategic planning
for the agency’s clients, including the preparation of better creative briefs and the development of more
effective work.
The job turned out to be far, far more than that…
The highlights…
• Completely re-wrote the agency’s creative brief, which had been three pages long and was only
used occasionally. The new brief starts as one page and, when finished, can be no longer than
two. Brevity and clarity became the marching orders. Gained consensus from the account team
and the entire creative department before rolling out the new form with clients.
Result - Clients were urged to think more strategically about the creative they were asking us to
do, input to creative improved significantly, and the creative improved dramatically. Much of the
opinionated subjectivity was removed from the creative approval process, as client, account
management and creative all had to approve the brief before concepting began. And a very short
form of the brief is creatively presented to the client prior to presentation of any new work.
• Developed a standard hourly rate chart for all agency services. (The agency didn’t have one and
had been working with the same blended hourly rate for many years.) Researched large,
medium, and similar-sized agencies to ours to determine the going “market rates.” Increased
ours an average of 14% and required account people to thoroughly estimate (on paper) the
amount of hours it would take to finish any given job. Prior to that, estimating was somewhat of a
guesstimate, (i.e. “I think the client will agree to pay this much.”)
Result – Account people became astutely aware of the profitability of a project and honed their
estimating skills with each new project. It also eliminated much of the “haggling” that had gone
on with clients over price. We took the subjectivity out of the process by showing them what our
time was worth and how they were being billed. It also made it easier for clients to justify agency
costs with management.
• Developed a formal and thorough Agency Compensation Agreement, and moved two of our
clients from project-only work to a combination retainer/project agreement.
Result – Revenue forecasting became easier, plus clients saw us as more of a partner than just
a vendor.
• Realized early on that no one in account management had ever been given a formal performance
review. Developed a Performance Evaluation Form that measured input from the employee, the
employee’s manager, the employee’s peers, and the client, for a complete 360º evaluation.
Mandated annual performance reviews with 6-month progress meetings.
Result - My account group, which was initially nervous about being evaluated, embraced the
process and was grateful to finally have in writing their strengths and areas for improvement, as
well as a “next steps” process for growth.

2. • Dramatically improved relationships with several clients, one of which had actually fired us, and
we didn’t even know it. Became a strategic partner with them and offered brand insight that
significantly transcended the “project” mentality they were used to, not only from Bigelow, but
from many of the agencies they’d worked with before. My background as both a client (like them)
and an agency person provided a perfect balance that helped me understand what they were
going through and what they needed. It also helped me train the account people to become more
sensitive brand thinkers and leaders, not just executors. And to have them understand that we
worked for the client, and not the other way around.
Result – The client who’d “fired” us - and was telling everyone at his company how bad we were -
became a raving fan, recommending us to others in his office. He personally introduced me to a
new business prospect, one of his best customers. Another client personally took us to Charlotte
to introduce us to the marketing folks at a new brand they’d just acquired. That brand, which was
quite disillusioned with their current agency, had asked to meet us after hearing our client boast
about us. We were given an assignment at the first meeting and continued to grow with them.
That client later introduced us to the marketing team at a second new brand they acquired.
• Realized early on that our freelance media “department” was sub-standard. Realized also that I
was the only one in the agency with any credible media experience. Conducted an extensive
interviewing process with media planning and buying agencies, similar in size to Bigelow. They
ranged from Atlanta to Orlando to Chicago to Danbury, CT. Put in place an “alliance” partnership
with the agency in Danbury to serve as our media department, as well as help us in new business
pitches.
Result – Our media clients were effusive in their praise. One of them sheepishly admitted that
they had been uncomfortable all along with our former media performance, but didn’t know how
to articulate it. Later added Search Engine Marketing capabilities through the same alliance
partner.
• Similarly realized that our Public Relations freelancer was inadequate. Conducted an extensive
search for a new PR “alliance” partner, interviewing 10 candidates. Settled on two great
candidates and was able to quickly react when the first candidate took a new job out-of-state.
Result – Our one PR client has been tickled with the service they’ve received and have
increased their PR budget. PR is now integrated with the Brand Communications strategy, and is
far more than just press releases. With both the media and PR alliances, we’ve been able to
assemble a big agency team, without the big agency overhead. Later, added a back-end Digital
development alliance partner as well, confidently providing a high-quality, efficient and
economical resource that significantly improved our digital and web capability for clients.
• In addition to organic new business opportunities from existing clients, I leveraged work we’d
done in one category to talk my way into a similar (but non-competitive) category. Quickly gained
trust and was given an assignment following the first lunch.
Result – Within a month, was named agency-of-record for a three-brand division of this Fortune
500 company and the client formally dissolved their agreement with their previous agency. In
addition, our new client eagerly introduced us to some of his marketing counterparts.
• Improved morale on my account team, not just with the Performance Review program, but with
simple things like taking them to lunch to say thank you, Blue Moon (beer) Fridays (on my dime,
not the agency’s), and empowering them to take ownership of their accounts (and even make the
occasional non-critical mistake without feeling they’ll be taken to the wood shed). This
improvement in morale has also spread to several of the young creative people, who sometimes
weren’t shown the same level of appreciation by their managers.

3. Result – Become somewhat of a “confidant” for people who wanted to ask an opinion without
being made to feel inferior. (I have both a walk-about managerial style and a door’s-always-open
policy. After being in this business for a while, I feel it’s our duty to help train and encourage the
young people.)
• Working as a behind-the-scenes Creative Director, pushed our creative concepting and execution
to unprecedented heights. And convinced clients to trust us and buy smart, but out-of-the-box
concepts that worked beyond anything they’d ever tried.
Result – Drove almost 13,000 people to a construction client’s trade show booth when they were
hoping for 3,500. Managed a relationship marketing and digital campaign to promote free
machine demos for a construction equipment manufacturer; led to a 46% demo-to-purchase ratio
and accounted for 10% of 2008 unit sales. Raised the same client‘s unaided awareness scores
20% in two years with a clever, irreverent, integrated, brand-focused offline and online campaign.
Also, won nine creative effectiveness awards in 13 months for the same client. In the agricultural
category, in which we were working for the first time, we developed an integrated print and online
campaign to promote large agricultural equipment to a brand new customer market. Also
managed direct marketing and collateral efforts for the same client. The work was honored with
four creative awards at the April 2009 National Agri-Marketing Association Best of NAMA National
Conference. Included in the four was a Best of Show Award for Advertising.
• Also, served as the Agency’s recycling director when the building refused to institute a recycling
program. Collected and recycled a large bin of paper each week
Result – Saved a few trees, at least…