Effectively opening the window of communication for brands to engage with consumers in new, exciting ways requires a skilled team of creative problem solvers that find purpose in advocating for their clients’ brands. Founders of the all-inclusive TV agency Marketing Architects noticed a lack of such teams existing within the media advertising space more than 20 years ago and accepted the challenge of making quality engagement opportunities within the medium accessible for performance brands of any size or tenure.
It goes without saying that no industry, brand, or individual has emerged unscathed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that first made its introduction in early 2020. Businesses were thrust into unexplored territories and forced to reimagine their principal strategy, all while trying to navigate the rapid transformation of the corporate workplace that was occurring at a massive scale.
Despite the upsurge in TV consumption in this time of mandated homestay, Marketing Architects and similar brands were not exceptions to the collective experience of uncertainty and forced change.
The rich and empowering company culture present in the workplace has always been a powerful agent in Marketing Architects’ pursuit of success for both their company and the clients they serve. At its core, the characteristics that defined the company’s culture had not changed; it was still fueled by the resounding passion and drive shared by its colleagues. The team’s roots, however, were planted and grown in a collaborative work environment- a fundamental resource they had no expectations of losing access to in the foreseeable future.
Leadership at Marketing Architects knew from the moment business norms began evolving so drastically that making improvisations in order to maintain the dynamic culture they had spent so many years cultivating demanded priority. As the company faced the reality that work from home policies were much more than just a temporary response to the pandemic, executives started brainstorming meaningful ways to support, motivate, and engage employees and plant the seeds for continued growth in the new era of remote work.
Staying true to their mission of identifying unique opportunities to reach targeted audiences, Marketing Architects turned their focus inwards in search of a way to connect with members of their internal team despite their separation. They landed on the idea of custom socks in their search for a solution that would be both fun and practical for employees.
What really sold them, however, was the unique opportunity to keep the physical element of company culture alive with a product that employees would be excited to wear and share. “Sock Club was able to customize socks with Marketing Architects branding, and the final product turned out amazing! The socks were a hit,” Aiyanna said.
The process of collaborating with Marketing Architects to design, manufacture, and ship their custom gift to individual employees was quick and seamless (not to mention, this project was so much fun!)
The results generated by the initiative to engage remote teams were immediately apparent upon seeing the reaction of the staff upon receiving their gifts in the mail. So much so, Aiyanna said, that they “also included the socks in gifts for employees during the holidays. The project united the team in such a fun way.”
The enthusiasm provoked among employees upon receiving their custom socks gift better enabled the team to achieve their business goals–a profound reminder that the journey to growth and success often starts within. To businesses struggling to justify financial investment in internal affairs, Marketing Architects should serve as an excellent example of the invaluable ROI that can be generated when you dedicate resources to going the extra mile for your team.
“Since shifting to working remotely, our team no longer had the connection of a shared office space. But we did have something else in common… We were all working in our homes, wearing socks, not shoes. We used this idea to create a company culture video with crowd-sourced footage including branded socks from Sock Club.”
-Aiyanna Klaphake, Marketing Coordinator at Marketing Architects
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