It’s been a big year for WONGDOODY, highlighted by its acquisition by India-based Infosys and continued growth in both its Seattle and Los Angeles offices. The capper: celebration of its 25th anniversary on Nov. 9.
Co-founder/president (and MARKETING IMMORTAL) Tracy Wong, provided us this recap of the agency’s evolution:
“Pat (Doody) and I had no expectations of taking the agency world by storm or becoming a globally recognized creative force. It was just the two of us hoping to make it week-by-week, month-by-month. We each threw $2,500 into the bank and set a deadline of seven months to begin paying ourselves. On the seventh month, we wrote ourselves the tiniest of checks, and haven’t missed payroll since.
“Our first ‘big’ account was the Seattle SuperSonics. Not only did it give us a retainer to build off of, the work put us on the international creative map. That win was followed shortly by Alaska Airlines, Fox Sports (which allowed us to open an LA office) and then T-Mobile.
“Making payroll, being profitable and remaining somewhat relevant for 25 years straight is no fluke. I get asked what our secret is. One word: culture. People here treat each other like family. Our values, set before we launched in November of 1993, remain intact, even after the acquisition by Infosys.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the people that have made us who we are and accomplished such amazing things in 25 years. All good people who just happen to work in advertising.”
The Seattle headquarters has grown to 80 staffers, with another 40 in L.A. [See four Seattle staff additions in Newsmakers.] A veteran of 14 years in the Seattle office, creative director Jennie Moore, used the occasion of the anniversary to share a story about the “true magic of the place” in this anniversary release.
P.S. Pat Doody retired in 2013.