The ad business is hungry for change. Clients and their customers too—everyone is ready for what’s next. For BFG Communications, MARC USA, and BLR|further, change is here, today. The three agencies are now one.
The newly named entity, 9Rooftops, is an integrated agency with more than 300 employees, and offices in nine cities (New York City, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Birmingham, Miami, and Hilton Head Island).
“9Rooftops is launching at the moment when dramatic changes in business and lifestyles create new opportunities – and pressures — for marketers,” says Kevin Meany, BFG’s founder and new CEO of 9Rooftops.
Scott Seymour, Kevin’s runnin’ pardner for the past 20+ years, is the new agency’s EVP and COO.
Disclosure: I Used To Work for BFG
Scott and Kevin are my former employers. They were also some of the best agency leaders I ever worked with, and I want to say why. They were not afraid of me. They understood how to harness my passion, talent, and energy for the good of the company and our clients, and I will always appreciate that very much.
One day I walked into Kevin’s office for a talk and said, “You don’t know who I am or what I can do for your agency.” Instead of being put off, he was entertained and interested to know exactly what I could do and wanted to do. This is how a smart boss behaves. One month later, Kevin asked me to step up and help to launch and run a content department to serve the needs of the agency’s packaged goods clients.
The Inside Scoop
Scott and I chatted via email this week. He says, “The agencies that have come together here are bringing data science and analytics into the mix in a big way that makes our creative perform even better.”
“The addition of a solid media group integrated with creative and access to a proven multicultural marketing team allows us to leverage relevant opportunities we didn’t have in the past,” Scott adds.
Speaking of creative and multicultural marketing, let’s pause for a few and check out the content that BFG (now 9 Rooftops) produces today. Here’s a heartfelt story from Church’s Fried Chicken.
Why 9Rooftops
The new agency’s name references a commanding line-of-sight to a client’s business and marketing success. Kevin says, “MARC USA has a brilliant team of ‘scientists’ and strategists and media pros that build algorithms and apply sophisticated analysis to large data sets generating meaningful insights and measurable results.”
Another thing that helps set the new agency apart is the fully equipped 6,000 sq. ft. content studio, with a dedicated full-time staff of photographers, producers, and editors, to meet the dynamic, multimedia integrated marketing needs of today’s brands.
Kevin says, “9R has everything the major agencies have but in a nimble and compact package. Our grit and street smarts remain, giving us an advantage over larger shops.”
Category Experience, Plus
BFG (Beverage & Food Group) was built on the backbone of food and beverage clients. The combined agencies also have healthcare experience, and now a dedicated group to serve the sector.
Today, 9Rooftops is working closely with Honest Tea, Qdoba, Barilla, Conair Man, Turner Broadcasting, South Carolina Tourism, Bellin Health System, Carle Health, Glanbia, Coca-Cola, and the Pennsylvania and Maryland state lottery agencies.
I also emailed Kevin this week and he says, “Successful brands have strong well-thought brand archetypes, but at the same time require constant innovation, promotion and must deliver proven measured results.”
He adds, “The disruption that marketers are experiencing today is a hyper-exaggerated version of our F&B experiences. Working under pressure, with many unknowns and daily disruptions—lifestyle changes, distribution problems, health concerns, new regulations, and social issues—is familiar territory for us.”
