OOH Agency Today —Cutwater
by Sarah Druhan, OOH TODAY Journalist
To get an idea of the culture at Cutwater, you need look no further than their name. Cutwater Agency is all about standing out: cutting through the noise of competitors with such verve and originality that customers have no choice but to give them their attention. With over a decade of work behind them, this San Francisco-based agency has no shortage of experience in honing edges and trimming fat for every campaign that lands on their desk. And in the interest of trimming the fat off this intro, we might as well get down to what everyone’s waiting for. Without further ado, let’s hear from Cutwater.
- Please tell us about Cutwater. How long have you been in business? Staffing? Size? Specialties? Billing? Regional Offices?
Cutwater is a leading full service creative and media agency. The agency was founded in 2007 as part of Omnicom and was taken independent in 2010. We have about 45 staffers split across our offices in San Francisco and New York City.
- What would you like brands and the OOH Industry to know about your shop?
OOH is one of our favorite mediums. We consider it to be one of the last true “broadcast mediums” – great for mass awareness, scale, and PR.
- Do you work with clients directly and/or through agencies? What is the percentage breakdown?
We work entirely with clients directly.
- Any comments or suggestions for OOH reps in approaching or working with your company?
Reach out to us at info@cutwatersf.com and we’ll be sure to get your message to the right person.
- According to your website, Cutwater’s “passion lies in finding a brand’s truth and purpose and articulating it in a simple and distinctive fashion.” What are some specifics of how you go about doing this? How do you find a brand’s ‘truth’?
We investigate four key areas: brand landscape, brand archeology, people, and cultural currents to get to a unique brand point of view that can guide all communications before developing external campaigns. Setting this strong strategic foundation from the start is key to a successful campaign.
- What is your most memorable new business pitch?
We once flew to Boston for a campaign in the middle of a snow storm and were quite literally snowed in at our hotel the day of the pitch, so it had to be pushed out a day. Getting home from the pitch was delayed as well but it was all worth it as we ended up bringing this brand on as a client for many years.
- How do you obtain new business?
New business comes in a variety of ways – word of mouth, search consultants, referrals, outreach, etc. There’s not one method but rather a combination of things that work together to help us obtain new clients.
- Discuss or share OOH campaigns by your shop.
We love OOH! See below for links to case studies on our website, which include some of our favorite OOH campaign examples.
Click to see Cutwater’s work for Brawny, Unison, Sunrun, Edelman Financial Engines, and Peet’s Coffee.
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