In case PB& slipped under your radar—as it did mine—here’s a little update.
The Seattle shop pulled off the amazing feat of being named Ad Age’s Small Agency of the Year in the Northwest after only a year in business! Here’s what the industry mag had to say about its selection:
“After 20 years in the traditional agency world, Britt Peterson Fero founded PB& in 2016 with the goal of speeding up how ideas are turned into reality. The shop, for example, uses nimble, flexible work models that include ‘permalancers’ hired based on their expertise in certain areas. Clients get out-of-the-box thinking, too.
“For Visit Seattle, the agency created a documentary series in partnership with Sundance TV, ‘Project Five by Five,’ for which five filmmakers created videos based on one of the five senses. The campaign, the agency says, drove a 26 percent increase in Google searches for Seattle.” (See cover frame from video series).
The website describes the shop as “a strategically driven S.W.A.T. team that uses creativity to solve business problems, unlock business potential and add value to people’s lives.” As for the novel name, Britt offers this explanation: “No, it’s not Peanut Butter & Jelly—it’s my first two initials backwards. But, really, the name underscores our core philosophy that when you bring the right ingredients (people) together for the right challenges at the right times—magic happens. That approach can deliver more breakthrough, meaningful and valuable solutions for clients today. The best ideas come from pairing unexpected, yet complementary, ingredients and letting them shine (ever tried peanut butter and bacon? You should).”
She credits Visit Seattle with being the “anchor client” that helped launch the agency. She since has added the likes of Budweiser and Bud Light and Providence St. Joseph Health to the client list.
About the Ad Age honor: “I was beyond thrilled. Being in business for only a year and having Ad Age recognize our efforts and model is amazing. It’s humbling and exciting all at once. I’m so proud of the core team we’ve built and the extended network of teammates who helped us get here. And I’m so thankful for the great clients who had a belief in a new approach and in us. People are everything. We can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Britt has a core team of six, including herself, and head of content Pete Anderson, with whom she worked at both Publicis and Cole & Weber. And two days before Britt learned of the Ad Age honor, she added to her family team with the birth of a second child, a son named Nash. Double congratulations!
Pub. Note: Just one more solid indication that the agency model is, indeed, changing.
—LC