EastWest Creative has evolved into a full-fledged promotion agency that prides itself on imagination. The privately held shop saw revenues jump 40%, from $9 million in 2001 to $12.5 million in 2003 — impressive for an agency that began as a design shop in 1983.
“We’ve [debated] many times in our evolution — should we be ‘EastWest something-or-other’? But we’ve come right back to ‘Creative’ because that’s the core of what we’re about,” says CEO Christopher Bragas.
EastWest has stood out, especially in the areas of youth and entertainment marketing, helped in part by its bi-coastal presence. Locations in New York City and Hollywood allow EastWest to tap into coast-to-coast entertainment opportunities.
“We’ve always tried to keep our finger on the pulse of pop culture — there’s a reason why our offices are in New York and Hollywood and not West Covina or Westchester,” says Chief Creative Officer Steve Rotterdam. “We are the agency of record for Universal Video Home Entertainment — they’re our biggest win of the last year.”
More like a win-win: EastWest has produced big results in the home entertainment category, winning EMMAs in both 2003 and 2004. This year, The Lord of the Rings Adventure Card Promotion for New Line Cinema took home top prize in the Home Video category. The card drove awareness of the video release while engaging consumers, promotional partners, licensees and retailers with a calendar of offers and characters from the blockbuster trilogy.
EastWest aligned Kraft Foods with the NCAA for a Munch Madness push that drove sales across Kraft’s entire portfolio with an in-store sweeps, on-pack promotion and pre-game parties — and took the 2004 EMMA for Sports Entertainment marketing. The campaign also helped EastWest earn the No. 1 spot in the PROMO 100 creative ranking.
EastWest looks for ways to integrate client brands with other brands to provide greater opportunities rather than just partnering for media dollars. They help two entities — packaged goods companies and entertainment — appreciate potential partners.
“The biggest reason that Universal brought us on is how we presented our thinking to them — brand integration and [an understanding of] how two products can weave into each other. Both can benefit from the awareness and promotional drive,” says Rose Odeh, executive VP.
Creative prowess shows in Labatt USA field marketing and promotions. Last year’s Rolling Rock Caps Off to Boston under-the-cap program connected with consumers at a local level. The agency is currently working on the Tecate Virgin Music Battle of the Bands program, a battle of Hispanic bands kicking off this summer in California.
“We’re fortunate to have a group of highly creative individuals that have very innovative, out-of-the-box thinking that can break out of the clutter of beer promotion,” says Ronnie Tucker, director of national field marketing for Labatt USA. “They [EastWest] are definitely very creative.”
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