May 11, 2013
We started Cult with a vision to be different than typical advertising or digital marketing agencies. Not just to look different, but to think and behave differently. We are not an ad agency. We are an engagement agency. To quote my partner, Chris Kneeland, “We are in the business of making an impression rather than buying impressions.”
So, it’s been incredibly satisfying to have been hand-picked by brands who are looking for an orange in a basket of apples. Brands like Harley-Davidson Canada and, most recently, Big Rock Brewery.
Along the way, we’ve stuck hard to our position, despite it disqualifying us from working with a host of clients. Hey, we’re just not for everyone.
At the same time, our positioning has attracted others like a magnet. I call them CTGI: Clients That Get It. I know that sounds bold, but in order to change the mindset that running another cute ad will make a meaningful, lasting impression with consumers, a bold approach must be taken.
It’s refreshing to be attracting clients who are truly a good “fit” for us, and not just for them. I’m sure most ad agency folks can relate: Rare are those starry-eyed moments when agency and client declare love at first sight. Yeah, it never happens.
But then it did… several times.
Cult received some humbling and exciting news last week. Canada’s largest brewer of craft beer, Big Rock Brewery, had selected Cult as its agency of record. We’re honoured to have such a coveted brand on our roster. We also recognize that it’s not truly a “win” until we actually help them accomplish their goals.
It’s refreshing to be attracting clients who are truly a good “fit” for us, and not just for them.
For now, there is nothing to celebrate except the start of a new relationship that will be exciting for Cult and Big Rock — and I mean for the passionate people at the brewery who have been working tirelessly to materialize their new vision as a respected and celebrated craft beer maker. Partnered with our amazingly talented team at Cult, expect great things to happen.
For now, we continue to cultivate the relationships we have with world-class brands like Harley-Davidson Canada, Pita Pit, ImageWear, MacEwan University and Michaels.
Ahhh, it’s nice to be able to drop names that people recognize. And to know in your gut that they’re about to get a lot more famous.
I have to admit that, since we’ve quit being an agency, I’m having the most fun of my career explaining the difference and changing the conversation with so many people that are excited to listen.
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. 
