AGENCY BACKGROUND + CLIENT CREATIVE:
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY�
Prepared for:
OCTOBER 8, 2024 (VERSION 1)
DAWN MCWILLIAMS
Director of Marketing, Whitman School of Management
2
ABOUT
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES FOUNDERS WERE ALL PARTNERS AT A TINY LITTLE AGENCY THAT BECAME A VERY BIG ONE.
Then we all left. Why? We grew so large we couldn’t be involved in the work anymore.
Collectively, we have over a century of experience, most of them working with one another and with hundreds of brands in just about every industry.
3
EXPERIENCE (PAST & PRESENT)
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
4
WHY US?
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
THIS BUSINESS IS NOT EASY ON PEOPLE.
OUR BUSINESS IS.
Ask anyone and they’ll share the horror stories. The birthday when they worked until 3 am. The postponed vacation. The account manager who just walked out one day—never to return. The standard operating procedure for our high-pressure industry is to work its people to the bone, wringing as many billable hours out of junior staff members for as many clients as possible, all in an effort to maximize profits for owners who are likely not engaged in the day-to-day work. Early burnout isn’t just common, it’s the expected and likely outcome.
And the client’s work suffers because of it.
Truth & Consequences was built to break this cycle. The model is simple: Hand select the top talent in the industry, and create an environment where they can generate their best work for clients they believe in. Clients will be attracted to an agency where their team is motivated to engage and solve problems, and tends to stick around on their business.
5
WHY US?
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
Here are a few of the ways we help promote this culture:
Employee Ownership
Every employee is given the opportunity to become an equity owner in the business after their first year. When you have a stake in the game, you care more. Our employee-owners will be here for you for the long haul, unlike the revolving door most clients face with their agencies.
Uncommon Benefits
We offer 16 weeks of paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers. We pay 100% of our employees’ Blue Cross healthcare premiums and fund their healthcare savings account at the Federal maximum. We pair employees with a financial advisor to help make the best choices for their future.
Treating Each Other with Respect
We were office-optional before the world ever heard of COVID, because we believe responsible adults can conduct their work when and where they see fit. Our offices—one in the Philadelphia suburbs and one in the heart of Old City—are places to collaborate with coworkers and clients, not to be chained to a desk. We’ve set a Maximum Wage for ourselves, which means nobody in the company can be paid more than 5x the lowest paid employee. And our interns are compensated at $15 an hour to start.
6
WHY US?
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
We put it this way in T&C’s mission statement:
By focusing on the quality of life of our employee-owners, we foster �an environment that attracts experts looking to create career-defining work, while cultivating our industry’s next generation of up-and-coming talent. This level of expertise, in turn, attracts �desirable clients.
Everything we do is centered on attracting the best people in the business to help run your account, and it starts with constant analysis of our hiring and retention practices to insure we are being as inclusive as possible and that our team is diverse—because the best ideas are often different ideas, and you have the best chance of unearthing them if you encourage non-traditional points-of-view.
To do so, we conduct analyses of our job description language and requirements to ensure they are inclusive and equitable. We have conducted a pay equity analysis by gender, race/ethnicity, or other demographic factors and implemented equal compensation improvement plans or policies. We have a policy to give preferences to suppliers with ownership from underrepresented populations. And as an employee-owned firm, we give every member a path to ownership and a voice on our leadership board. Currently, 29% of our employee-owners are from BIPOC communities.
Current employee-owners
7
WHY US?
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
We weren’t sure how successful this model would be, and it seems to be working. But if we wake up in three years with 50 clients and 150 people, we’ve done this whole thing wrong. We’ve had the pleasure of partnering with some of the most high-profile brands in the world, like Nike, Disney, Ferrari, UCLA, and Microsoft. But at this point in our careers, we’re not interested in working with only the biggest names, or in growing T&C into the largest higher-ed-focused firm in the world—we’ve already done that elsewhere.
Instead, we’ve started T&C to get back to our roots: being personally involved with a select group of clients who we like and respect, and who want to do meaningful, truthful work that benefits the greater good. To that end we will only take on a new client if we unanimously feel that they’re a good fit for our firm and we have the capacity to serve the business to our fullest ability.
To learn more about what we think is a pretty unique approach to doing business, please read this recent article from The Philadelphia Citizen.
Of course, all the employee benefits in the world wouldn’t matter to you if our team didn’t have experience solving problems for clients all around the globe.
CLICK HERE TO READ
8
APPROACH
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
“WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOU DO HERE?”
Office Space
Research: Analysis Sans Paralysis
Research shouldn’t take more time than it does to birth a child. We set out to efficiently understand who you are and how you are perceived. Qualitative and Quantitative, IDIs and surveys, Competitive Audits and NPS Benchmarking, we identify, deploy, and synthesize research to inform how to best position and market your brand.
Strategy: All Killer. No Filler.
Ever see a strategy deck and get to slide 126 and wonder what the heck you just read? Our strategy takes the insights we've gleaned through research and makes them understandable and actionable. We clearly define what motivates your audiences, establish success criteria, identify differentiators, and create brand positioning you can actually understand and use for years to come.
Branding: Authenticity is Evergreen
Every interaction with a brand informs your perception of it. From campaigns to content, digital experiences to package design, identity development to print design—we authentically bring your brand to life across all touchpoints. And when the entire brand needs a refresh—well, we get giddy.
9
APPROACH
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
Planning: Measure Twice, Cut Once… Actually Keep Measuring
The “how” is just as important as the “what.” We'll work with you to define your objectives, develop marketing strategies to achieve them, and then shape the appropriate mix of tactics across channels. Implementation doesn't end once your YouTube Pre-roll airs or your website goes live. We monitor, measure, and optimize to ensure our work actually works.
Consulting: Out of your depth? We were there once too.
Sometimes, you just need another set of ears. The founding partners of T&C have all worked in-house and have seen it all. We’ve been CMOs, Marketing Directors, and even faculty members managing teams that are larger than many agencies. We understand the challenges you face from a new boss to a lack of resources and bring a depth of experience and objectiveness to the most sensitive situations. Why go at it alone when you can have a partner by your side?
10
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
BEWARE THE “DEEP BENCH.”
Our expertise allows us to work fast, with minimal revisions. Our size keeps us incredibly flexible. We don’t pad our jobs with superfluous staff who show up in meetings but don’t contribute. When you choose to partner with T&C, you’re bringing on board a small but highly experienced (and very focused) team—exactly the people you want on your side when you’re reimagining your brand or developing an engaging campaign. You have our commitment that the staff identified in our proposals will actually perform the assigned work. A partner will be your direct point of contact and everyone you meet and work with will provide tremendous value to the collaboration.
AGENCY TEAM
11
MISSION & ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
WE STRIVE TO IMPACT MORE THAN JUST OUR CLIENTS.
Truth & Consequences is a 1% for the Planet Partner, which means we donate one percent of revenue (not just profit) to environmental causes both in the Philadelphia region and nationwide.
As an agency pursuing Certified B Corporation status, T&C seeks to meet the highest standard of environmental performance. As such, it’s more than leaving a recycling bin next to the printer: we constantly consider the impact of our decisions on our workers, customers, suppliers, community,
and the environment.
Even pre-pandemic, our progressive “office-optional” policy reduced commuting impacts across the board. We conduct virtual meetings with our clients whenever possible, further reducing our environmental footprint.
12
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES STUDIOS
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
MADE HERE, AND ELSEWHERE
A subsidiary of T&C proper, Truth & Consequences Studios (T&CS) is an employee-owned video and photography production company. T&CS combines our in-house production capabilities with our network of some of the best talent in the industry. It's like you ordered your production from an a la carte menu except instead of salmon tartare you get multi-channel content campaign. Maybe tartare too, if you want that at crafty.
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
NEW CLIENT CREATIVE
AGENCY BACKGROUND + NEW CLIENT CREATIVE:
BRANDING / ADVERTISING / COLLATERAL / VIDEO / ENVIRONMENTAL
19
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
23
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
24
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
BRANDING / DIGITAL / ADVERTISING / COLLATERAL / VIDEO / ENVIRONMENTAL
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
DARE NORTHWARD VIDEO
DAVIS INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VIDEO
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
NEW .EDU
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
BRANDING / NAMING & IDENTITY / ADVERTISING / COLLATERAL
BRANDING / NAMING & IDENTITY / ADVERTISING / COLLATERAL / CAMPUS SIGNAGE
FOREVER OHIO VIDEO
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
BRANDING / ADVERTISING / COLLATERAL / VIDEO / ENVIRONMENTAL
BRANDING / LOGO & IDENTITY / ADVERTISING / COLLATERAL /
(OLD IDENTITY)
102
CONTACT
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES // CONFIDENTIAL
THANK YOU!
If you have any questions please contact:
Corey Levin�Founding Partner�215.880.9593�corey@welcometruth.com