97/All Terrain

When Brook Jay and Sarah Eck-Thompson met, they were both producing music events at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. And they weren’t impressed with what they were encountering.

“We saw a lot of brands that were trying to connect to the attendees — but were unsuccessful,” says Jay. “Nothing resonated. We came out of that negative experience knowing that there was a better way to get the brand message out.”

In 1998 they founded All Terrain Marketing. The name came from an early branding project that had never left the garage: “All Terrain Johnny,” a TV promotion that involved an SUV traveling the country exposing brands to targeted audiences at live events.

“Remember, this is before reality TV got so big,” says Eck-Thompson.

The series was never made, but the name lived on. So did the determination to market clients in ways that went beyond the one-off live event.

All Terrain started out promoting Chicago nightclubs, where Jay and Eck-Thompson learned firsthand how anxious brands in the tobacco, beer and spirits industries were to reach influencers. They quickly decided they could migrate that approach to other marketers that wanted to reach impassioned, influential consumers: bartenders, hairstylists, personal trainers or the influencers in local high schools.

Jay sums up the lesson learned: “Just put the product into the right hands, in the right environment where it feels relevant, and brands will see the benefit.”

The brands that have seen the benefits of All Terrain’s management include some that suit those early nightclub-event days, such as Anheuser-Busch and Stolichnaya. Others are less about partying and more about passionate advocates, including General Motors, Red Bull and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team.

As the client list has grown, so has revenue. Between 2005 and 2007, the agency saw revenue growth of about 800%, mostly from new clients.

All Terrain has been busy adding competence in other areas of promotion. Last August they launched a PR division, and they’ve been busily adding graphic and interactive talent.

“We found we could develop the platform, have all these branding ideas, and do amazing things — and then have to wait for an outside PR firm to communicate them to the world,” says Jay. “After a few years we said, forget that. It’s the influencer strategy again, getting one-person removed from the passion. In this case, we’re the passionate ones.”

TOP EXECUTIVES: Brook Jay, president and CMO Sarah Eck-Thompson, president and COO Kevin Boyer, director of public relations and marketing

2007 U.S. NET REVENUE: $2 million

KEY CLIENTS: General Motors, Underwriters Laboratories, Anheuser-Busch, Stolichnaya, Red Bull.

HEADQUARTERS: Chicago