Brandish | A Creative Agency

Our coziest Re:takes yet! A few weeks ago, we hosted a holiday edition of our headshot pop-up, Re:takes. This event marked a full year of hosting these pop-ups, and it was truly heartwarming to see how far they’ve come and the sense of community they’ve built along the way. A big thank you to everyone who joined us and our amazing event partners, Modern Electric Lunch and Nonsense Studio, for making it so special! 🤩 If you were at Re:takes and haven’t seen your photos yet, check your email first—then shoot us a message!

For the last three weeks, Cassidy Burak was an honorary Brandish team member! Joining us as an intern from RRC Polytech's Creative Communications program, she helped our Comms team capture content, build client briefs and host a Re:takes event! We’ve had so much fun collaborating with and learning from Cassidy! Before wrapping up her internship, she shared a thoughtful reflection, complete with an 'Intern Bucket List' highlighting all she accomplished during her time with us. Check out her reflection and bucket list in the article below!

Week 50/52 at Brandish! Last week, we swapped out the office for a cozy work-from-home day to escape the snowy Winnipeg weather. We also said farewell to our amazing intern, Cassidy Burak, who was working with our Comms team for the last three weeks! To cap the week off, some of us cheered on the Winnipeg Jets and caught up with friends at The Forks North Portage! Can you believe it? Only two more vlogs left for 2024! This year has truly flown by, and we’re feeling it all as we start to wrap it up. We'll see you in next week's vlog! ✌

"It’s been an incredible 23 year journey. We’ve navigated seismic shifts in advertising, marketing, and branding. Yet, one truth remains constant: our goal has always been to connect with people and help them achieve what they need and want more easily. Now, as RED continues its journey as Brandish | A Creative Agency, we’re poised to make an even greater impact—adapting to the ever-evolving marketing landscape with fresh energy and expanded capabilities." - Lori Billey Read our full letter here: https://redtheagency.com/ #PrairieCreatives

In 2022, I led my first big software implementation project when Brandish | A Creative Agency transitioned our project management tool from Asana to ClickUp. Here are some things I learned: 📝 Confidence goes a long way. Deciding to switch PM tools was pretty scary. I knew it was going to be hard, and it would impact literally the whole agency if it didn't work. I didn't know what I didn't know. And change is inherently uncomfortable. I also knew the limitations of Asana at the time were holding us back, and I whole-heartedly believed that doing nothing wasn't an option. I pre-planned as much as I could and built a case for my decision. In the end, my leadership team trusted me because I approached it with confidence – not because I wasn't terrified(!!) but because I believed it was the right solution and I was fully committed to seeing it through. 📝 Having the right support/resources is so important. I realized pretty early that I shouldn’t do it alone. I'd never used ClickUp, didn't know what I didn't know. So I hired a consultancy to guide us through the implementation. Instead of spending countless hours trying to fumble my way through it, ZenPilot gave us expert guidance from a team who'd done this same thing multiple times over for companies just like ours. This saved us time, reduced stress, and ultimately increased my own confidence working with the platform. 📝 Teamwork makes the dream work (honestly). I'm so grateful for the team who stepped up to help with initial training, decision-making and setup. When it was time to make the switch, Dan Nicholson, Michelle Perron, Phuong Hoang and myself worked over the weekend to migrate projects from one tool to the other – seamlessly following a well-constructed launch plan that they also contributed hours and hours to. Big, big thanks to this Ultimate #DreamTeam – because of them, the agency signed out of Asana one day and logged into ClickUp the next without missing a beat. 📝 My work is valuable e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶ especially when no one notices it. Launching ClickUp was kind of weird. Four months of planning and building, then launch – and that's it. No confetti, no big party. A few questions, but not much noise from the team. A few months later my dad asked me, "Oh – how did that big implementation you were working on go?" and all I could say was, "Good, I guess." 😅 The thing about #Operations is that people don't often see your contributions in the same tangible way as, say, a great ad campaign. You hear more about problems than success. But I’ve learned that silence can actually be a great indicator to look for – sometimes no news truly is good news. #AgencyTools #BrandishToolkit #BehindAgencyOps #ProjectManagement #AdminPlus

Like the majority of the internet, I was not a fan of Jaguar's bold rebrand. On the surface, the idea of throwing away over 90 years of brand recognition and equity seems like a terrible idea. Even wilder to me is that Jaguar is moving their fleet entirely to electric vehicles all the while creating a unique and daring identity inspired by Sir William Lyons’ quote, “A Jaguar is a copy of nothing,” (emphasizing originality and breaking away from the constraints of familiarity). This weekend I watched the Season 11 opener of Formula E, Jaguar TCS Racing (specifically Mitch Evans) propelled himself from dead last of the starting position to winner. Jaguar almost came 2nd place (Nick Cassidy) if not for an accident close to the end of the race. Before the opening of S11, Jaguar placed 1st in Season 10 and 2nd for Season 9 for Formula E. Considering that motorsport is an opportunity for OEMs to really test their skills and technology at the highest level, to me, speaks volumes of Jaguar's ability in the electric vehicle space. I think the product quality speaks for itself right now. Consider me a convert. What are your thoughts? PS. Just look at this livery 😚👌

Week 49/52 at Brandish! Last week, we took the tinsel out of the cupboard, decorated the office for the holidays, hosted a digital panel, and met new friends at @tech.thursday! There’s only 3 more vlogs for the year! We’ll see you next week for no.50 ! #creativeagency #vlog

Over the last two weeks, we hosted RRC Polytech Graphic Design student Arielle Penner (Algera)! We learn as much from interns as they do from us. Thanks Arielle for sharing your talents with us over the last two weeks! Arielle shadowed and contributed to many client projects during her internship. She also joined in on from Re:takes, a headshot pop-up and created Brandish's 2024 Holiday Card (coming soon!) with help from Candice Twomey! Thanks, Arielle! ❤️ #RRCPolytech #Internships

I’ve never been talented. It doesn’t matter what I’ve put my heart and effort into, I’ve always started out bad at it. Sometimes when I look for motivation, I find it in reflecting, going back to pieces of me that I don’t go back to often enough. Basketball was the first place I learned how to learn, how to outwork the talent gap and build myself up. I’ve spent the week working in Arizona, spending time with family, and getting back in the gym. I’ve seen a few sunrises in this gym and a few sunsets too. I’m not sure if this resonates with anyone else, but if you’re looking for motivation, it’s easy to look at others, maybe try looking at yourself and where you’ve been? It’s working for me.

We chatted all things experience, events and community building over lunch with Kyle Goldstine, Katrina Zborowsky, Yemilo Audu and callie mclaughlin. Missed it live? Watch the full conversation over on Youtube! #panel #communitybuilding #experiencemarketing https://lnkd.in/gMy5rgHs