Using photos of real users named Richard, a “Gallery of Dick Pics” for dating site Plenty of Fish cleverly reminded all men not to share unsolicited photos of their genitalia.
Scot Keith of One Twenty Three West (123W) believes the “rampant egos” once tolerated in the industry get in the way of putting out great work – and of having fun. So back in 2003, when the CEO opened the doors to 123w along with his partners – creative directors Jeff Harrison, Rob Sweetman and Bryan Collins – they figuratively hung a “no egos welcome” sign in the humble East Vancouver garage that served as their office.
From day one, the founders wanted top talent, low overhead, and to actually enjoy the work. They committed to hiring the “best and nicest people” and maintaining a flat structure by having many creative directors.
As part of the “Small is Mighty” campaign for BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, the agency designed print ads that showcase children’s resiliency.
In recent years, 123w has matured into one of the fastest growing shops on the indie scene. Following consecutive wins as strategy’s Small Agency of the Year, it outgrew the category for the first time in 2022. That’s after having opened a Toronto office in 2020 – under the leadership of partner and CD of design Mooren “Mo” Bofill – and gone on a hiring spree to support new wins with Plenty of Fish, HelloFresh, and Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority, among others.
123w is approaching a 60-person headcount and a team of nearly 25 in Toronto, including recent key hires Allan Topol as CD, Justin Close as CD of digital and Colin Carroll as group strategy director.
For client Real Canadian Superstore, 123w created a spot that reimagined and incorporated visual elements of grocery flyers, giving the tactical format a more human feel.
Across offices, it has also elevated Natalie Wu, Caroline Howson, Jaime Nilsson and Bianca Myers into new VP and managing director roles to lay the groundwork for future growth. Despite hiring rapidly, the bulk of the creative squad continues to be at the CD or ACD level.
Stocking up on talent and maintaining a senior creative team has enabled 123w to consistently deliver high-level work for all of its clients. “We do it efficiently and very well,” says Keith.
Both an advertising and design agency since day one, 123w now excels at brand transformations (think: complete overhauls) and brand accelerations (read: pouring gasoline on brands already on fire).
Breast Cancer Canada (BCC), formerly Breast Cancer Society of Canada, is an example of a brand overhaul, says Bofill. The non-profit had to modernize to stay relevant, so 123w started with the new name and an elegant visual identity that highlights the “beauty” of BCC’s mission. From there, it created a brand platform and launch campaign titled “Know More Breast Cancer,” based on the insight that too many Canadians weren’t aware of the ongoing breakthroughs in breast cancer research – even those to which their past donations had contributed.
For Breast Cancer Canada, 123W designed a new visual identity that highlights the “beauty” of the non-profit’s mission and invites donors to “know more” about recent breakthroughs in cancer research.
On the brand acceleration side, Keith points to recent work for new client GeoComply, a Vancouver based back-end technology provider. The company is already hugely successful, has massive market share globally and doesn’t need an ad campaign. Instead, the assist from 123w came in the form of creative educational materials, as well as a new illustrated visual identity recalling GeoComply’s role in “instilling confidence in every online interaction.”
Then there’s work that’s equal parts fun and attention-grabbing. To support the launch of a brand refresh and updated app for Vancouver-born dating site Plenty of Fish, 123w created a “Gallery of Dick Pics” that cleverly reminded men not to share unsolicited photos of their genitalia on the platform. The digital gallery featured pictures of real Plenty of Fish users named Richard (some “big,” some “hairy”), which the ads described as “nice and wholesome guys” – in other words, the kind of people who would fit in well at 123w.
To help showcase GeoComply’s global reach and role facilitating trusted online interactions, 123w crafted a new illustrated visual identity and educational materials that creatively shared the tech provider’s vision and mission.
“We built the company on doing all the things we loved about the business with the people we loved doing it with,” Keith says. He believes it’s that devotion to people – both the agency’s staff and its clients – that is the secret to 123w’s success.
“We’re not weird. We’re not precious,” Bofill adds. “We just want to have strong relationships, collaborate well, and do great work that actually works.”
CONTACT:
Scot Keith
President and CEO
scot@123w.ca
The 2023 Indie List:
Intro
Zulu Alpha Kilo: Borderless creativity
Agnostic: Meeting brand demand in health and food
Push Media: Focus on audience and research serves changing brand needs
Lg2: Fresh lens; different perspectives
Ray Agency: Leading brands to unexpected places
Rain: Growing to reach new heights
G&G: Celebrating a decade of success
Fuse Create: Creative efficacy for the win
Round: A model for our (budget-conscious) times
Sister Merci: Homegrown cannabis brand building cred
A&C: Connecting for growth and the greater good
