Updraft
The wind shifted for Draft last year. The agency aspired to more strategy work, so it formed a “Concept Group” of non-promo pros to foment ideas, beefed up its retail staff and jettisoned event-marketing execution.
“We figured out who we are and what we want to go after” just as promotion spending rebounded, says Tina Manikas, exec VP-agency director, promotional marketing. Promotion, about 40% of Draft’s U.S. work, melds with its flagship direct marketing (another 40%) and digital (about 20%).
Five dedicated thinkers — with backgrounds from chemistry and urban planning to entertainment — blue-sky ideas that they hand off to promo staff to bend into brand-centered campaigns. “They’re expected to create chaos,” says Chief Creative Officer Lor Gold.
The year-old team often meets in Draft’s Rubber Room, a soundproofed corner office painted ceiling-to-floor with blackboard paint. “You could put one fat-ass executive in there or a bunch of big brains,” says Gold. “We gave the corner office to creativity.”
An idea for the MilkPEP pitch not only won Draft the estimated $10 million account, but became the actual campaign breaking this month. 24 Ounces in 24 Hours: Milk Your Diet. Lose Weight! puts milk bars at retail (staffed by dieticians), gives away 24 cars in 24 days via sweeps, and colors Milk Mustache print ads and p.r. “Draft’s ‘24 in 24’ idea was embraced by our ad and p.r. agencies,” says MilkPEP’s Julie Buric. “Draft brought together everything we wanted for consumers. They jumped in with both feet.”
CVS/Pharmacy consolidated its estimated $150 million below-the-line account with Draft in November. Retail design now in test expands to CVS’s 4,175 stores — and another 1,260 stores that CVS adds this year with its acquisition of Eckerd, closing this month. Draft also picked up CVS’s ExtraCare loyalty program with about 45 million members.
Longtime client Kellogg let Draft tinker with Tony the Tiger for its Finding Nemo tie-in that put Nemo on cereal boxes and Tony in scuba gear. They weren’t touching — “there are some lines you just don’t cross with brand icons,” Manikas says — but Nemo didn’t upstage Tony.
Kellogg put Draft in charge of account-specific marketing two years ago. “We get really good feedback [on their work] from retail customers,” says Kellogg VP-consumer promotions Kevin Smith. “Draft struggled at first on how to staff it and handle art,” but has gotten up to speed.
Last year Draft won AARP, Fleetwood Enterprises, Nuveen (all AOR) and Loews Cineplex Entertainment (project). “It was a nice uphill climb,” says Manikas.
Burger King split with Draft in April 2003 after two years, shifting promotions, P-O-P and direct mail to Wunderman when investors bought BK. Draft keeps military and co-op work, and premiums remain with Premium Surge, launched as part of Draft in November 2001 to handle BK work. Interpublic Group of Cos. spun off Premium Surge and Group III Promotions from Draft in December; Draft keeps a minority ownership in each. Combined net revenues for the two are about $15 million. Draft also dropped about 300 field staffers when it exited event execution, mostly through Group III (now Legacy Marketing Partners).
This year Draft wants to further its fledgling reputation as “an idea leader,” pick up a few major accounts and develop multi-disciplined campaigns “where a promotion agency can lead the way,” Manikas says. And let other shops draft off its breeze.
