September 24, 2015
It’s not everyday that I open my inbox and find a totally unsolicited nugget of validation from one of my employees.
Last week, Cult’s Creative Director, Charles Blackwell, wrote a short piece about the professional journey he has embarked on since joining our agency. Read the full post here.
Charles admits that he has struggled over the years with the seemingly inherent shallowness of his career in advertising. He has gravely questioned what he does for a living and even considered switching career paths entirely in pursuit of a nobler cause. That is, until he joined a cult.
We are here to create and reinvent brands, help them build more positive, fun and efficient work environments, and produce work that reflects those values.
Cult is on a meteoric rise to change the way the world looks at marketing. We don’t exist to sell you, excuse my French, shit. We are here to create and reinvent brands, help them build more positive, fun and efficient work environments, and produce work that reflects those values. We know that happy employees create better results, and that helps the bottom line. It’s just the truth.
We are building an army of believers here at Cult. We are a group who understands that:
- There is a better path to greatness.
- Shoveling countless dollars into paid media is not only ineffective, but also soul sucking.
- Cult brands don’t buy impressions, they make them.
- The goal is not to get customers to simply buy, but to buy into an honorable cause.
To quote Charles, “We’re about helping groups of people, AKA companies, live more worthwhile lives at work. Assisting them make better enterprises by improving the way they conduct their businesses. And make their products, programs and people more remarkable – to have a more meaningful impact in their world.”
Amen to that partner. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Cult is here for those who subscribe to the notion that brands with cult status will always make more money, be better places to work and survive economic downturns better than all the others. It’s a fact!
If you have shouted “hell yeah” to any of the points I’ve raised above or in Charles’ latest blog, then maybe you need to send us your resume.
We encourage self-selection here. If you’re not totally on board with our ethos, you will figure out pretty quickly that this place is not for you. And that’s okay. But if you have shouted “hell yeah” to any of the points I’ve raised above or in Charles’ latest blog, then maybe you need to send us your resume.
We’re growing fast. We’re hiring. Get in touch if you believe you can make a difference.
I believe we’re making a difference. And damn it feels good.
Ryan began his professional life in digital marketing. His first company, Suitcase Interactive, was a consistent best-digital-agency award winner. And his tenacity and forward thinking also led him, personally, to being awarded a coveted place on the auspicious 40 under 40 list. (Notice that we're not telling you how many years ago that was, we're kinda attached to our kneecaps ; ) Those seminal years also led Ryan to the enlightenment that the whole concept of advertising and digital agencies was dead. From there it was a short putt to the birth of Cult, one of North America's first true engagement agencies. As Cult's President, his legacy as a pioneering thinker has blossomed from pushing pixels, to pushing forward what marketing actually means. Ryan then founded The Gathering in 2012, an annual international event to honor cult-like brands that put the generation of movements before the creation of ad campaigns. The Gathering is now widely acknowledged to be one of North America's premier annual marketing conferences. And it's an idea that has introduced Cult to brands like Keurig, Converse, Airbnb, UFC, Las Vegas Tourism and Red Bull, among many others… hey, there's only so many names you can drop in one bio. Never one to whine about the status quo, but rather put his energy into finding a better way, Ryan’s latest innovation is the founding of a whole new operating model for marketers, both on the client side and in the industry that serves them. Called Communo, this tech-enabled work model is an incomparable brain trust of talent for brands, a human resources platform for marketing professionals, and an unprecedented business development engine for both. In his "spare time" Ryan continues his strong commitment to giving back, both at home in Calgary, and around the world. He spearheads Cult's ongoing monthly commitment to Ronald McDonald House and continues to lead Project Smile, the international relief organization he founded over a decade ago. He even managed to find some spare, spare time to co-author three editions of Fix: Break The Addictions That Are Killing Brands, Cult's thought leadership book that's changing the way CEOs and CMOs see the marketing function. 
