This story originally appeared in the Fall issue of Strategy Magazine
In UM’s offices, on a wall next to the kitchen where employees will sometimes gather for meetings, are two words written in lights: “Yes, and.”
“Yes, and” is a concept that comes from the world of improv. The idea is that, when making up a scene on the spot with someone else, no matter how silly, boring or outrageous their suggestion might be, you not only accept it, you build on it. This philosophy is one that UM has embraced, especially when it comes to technology.
Take client BMO. The bank wanted to reach Gen Z and young millennials – cohorts not typically interested in banking. So, working with FCB on creative, the agency helped develop a first-of-its-kind global campaign, turning a BMO employee (who had a knack for both banking and gaming) into a Twitch streamer. “The entire Gen Z and young millennial audience now have this comfortable space to go and get financial advice,” says Cory Peters, VP, digital at UM.
Streamers on Twitch will occasionally take a break from gaming and pull up a screen that says they’ll be right back. Where some might see an inconvenience, UM saw an opportunity and turned the “break” into a game. Literally. “It became a BMO branded experience that gamers could try while they waited for streamers to come back,” explains Richard Fofana, EVP, strategy, adding that the agency was able to tap into a new media vehicle as a result of UM’s mindset.
Back in the world of improv, they’ll tell you one of the biggest impediments to “Yes, and” is ego, which leads to fear: not wanting to try something different, lest you look foolish if it fails. However, UM’s leaders say they’ve created a culture where that fear isn’t part of the equation.
“If you’re curious, you’re going to look for new opportunities to drive business growth for your clients, but you’re also going to look for new opportunities to learn and grow,” says CEO Ben Seaton. “If you’re courageous, you’re going to have the guts to try something new, to push your clients forward, to do something different for your team… We give people the runway to develop at their own pace.”
Another essential value at UM is recognition. To some degree, that’s true of the industry as a whole. But UM recognizes that not all work gets lauded with industry hardware, so they launched their own internal program called “Guts and Glory.”
This year, the agency received a record number of employee submissions. It rented out a movie theatre and presented winners with trophies. The awards went to campaigns that showed grit and determination, work that made something big happen on a small budget.
Still, as important as internal recognition is, Seaton is clear-eyed about what makes work good. “The cases that matter are the ones that drive products or get people in stores more often or have material impact on brand health,” he says.
As an example, Seaton points to the work UM did with Tylenol, which had signed on to be the official pain, cold and flu symptom relief partner of the NHL. Seaton says that brands with big partnerships will often rely on the assets that come with the partnership. “[However,] the push to get creative and do something more with those, I think, is what separates good from great,” he says.
In addition to in-store displays and dasherboards during games, UM brought more partners into the agreement to extend Tylenol’s reach. Suddenly, Amazon boxes were showing up with a Tylenol branded wrap that featured a QR code, “blowing the doors off of every metric and standard of conversion,” Fofana says.
“The other first was reaching out to newcomers and building a nationwide cinema experience where the Tylenol creative played before Hindi movies,” he adds. “It was another category first. All these things were tough to eke out, but, collectively, they were super powerful.”
Yes, even in a culture that is buoyed by the trifecta of courage, curiosity and community, there’s always more to “Yes, and.”
“We are relentlessly focused on driving growth for our client partners. It’s getting out ahead of some of the macro and micro challenges and bringing solutions that aren’t related to a brief,” Seaton says. “We currently inhabit [and continue to nurture] a very deliberate test-and-learn environment, where we can deploy [a campaign] in market and optimize as we’re seeing the impact of the work.”
New Business
General Mills, Heart & Stroke Foundation, Irving, Kimberly Clark, Longo’s, New Balance, Northeastern University, Upfield
New Hires
Katey Gault, VP, Strategy; Deena Markus, VP Integrated Investments; Alessandra Tinker, VP Client Business Partner; Stefano Norcia, VP Client Business Partner; Nicole Beaulieu, EVP Client Business Partner; Ryan Hunter, EVP Client Business Partner
Offices
Toronto,
Montreal, Calgary
Staff
427
Cases
BMO worked with UM to create the “NXT NXT LVL” campaign, using Twitch, Discord and other platforms to provide anonymous financial advice through gaming influencers. It resulted in a 13% increase in digital account openings and significant engagement, including 15,000 hours of live content viewed.
UM’s “Feeding Frenzy!” campaign for Oh Henry! used innovative media strategies to tackle hunger and boost sales. By leveraging real-time text alerts, social and in-store, the campaign invited Canadians to participate in a scavenger hunt for Oh Henry! Bars in exchange for cash rewards. In the end, it achieved a 52% sales increase at Circle K stores, as well as a 5% market share lift.
The “Score Against Pain” campaign for Tylenol leveraged an NHL partnership to connect with Canadian hockey fans. Through digital ads, social plays, in-store tactics, Amazon wraps and multicultural media, Tylenol managed to achieve a 2.5% boost in market share.
