What Being a Creative Digital Agency Means

Kicks has been kickin' it for the last four years, growing stronger, more creative, and more ready to take on the digital world. We recently decided to do a brand refresh that represented this momentum and how we've grown into our own. It was a chance for our team to define who we are and our mission, together. Led by our leadership team, Matt Turow and Brooke Heffernan, the revamped Kicks feels authentic to our team of smart, energetic, curious, creatives.

Matt and Brooke, who grew Kicks from just two, talk about why they felt a brand refresh was necessary, the growth of the agency, how they feel about where we are, what being a creative digital agency means to them, and why what they've built feels so much different than any other agency.

Q: What was the final push that made you feel like Kicks needed a little facelift?

A: We’re spoiled working in a creative field. Everywhere we turn, we see the art of the possible. It’s easy to get order envy when the menu of what could be is so abundant. Kicks has more energy now than when it began and we’re big believers that you should look like you feel. As a team of collaborators our synapsis are always firing for craft and our clients, the old brand didn’t embody that enthusiasm, so a retirement was inevitable. 

Q: Every agency thinks of themselves as creative—what is it about Kicks that makes you feel we can back up that thought process?

Brooke: The difference between us and other agencies is that we believe that everyone is creative. Good ideas can come from anywhere and if you believe that, then you really lean into a collaborative process with your clients and your teammates. We avoid dictation, despise supioririty and unnecessary chains of command. This isn’t to say that everyone has the ability to artfully execute, but it does mean that anyone can inspire and contribute useful ideas in the creative process. 

Matt: Oh, and I’ll add that our team is eclectic. We’re very well-versed, well-read and well-intentioned as a bunch which makes relatable connections come easier with our client counterparts. 

Q: What does being creative mean to you, and how do you infuse that idea into the digital marketing world?

Matt: Creativity is hard to describe, but you know it when you see it and we have a ton of it here. For me, creativity in our business is taking an out-there idea and being able to refine it down to something that solves a business problem. 

Brooke: For me, I value the vantage points of the people around me. As a person, I think my core creative competency lies in translating those vantage points into relatable conversation. Sometimes the power of language and connection comes in handy when you’re relaying why something matters to the big, or even immediate picture. Digital marketing, if done well, incorporates the organization's priorities, operations and sales objectives. Pairing these factors with brand aesthetic, voice, UI/UX, analytics, social media, content strategy and digital advertising-- the specialization within the field is intense. Because of that specialization, priorities within aren’t always aligned. It takes a team of specialists churning in the same direction to make a sustainable impact. 

Q: If clients or peers could sit in with our team for a day, what would you be excited about them seeing?

A: We think they’d be pleasantly surprised to see the effect that their responses or performance have on us. We go on the roller coasters with people. We hate when something doesn’t work, or if something is rushed. We want to see them win. We want to win for them! I think they’d see our investment in them by the collective conversation we have around our clients. As for our peers, I think they’d be surprised at how naturally our personalities mesh together. 

Q: Kicks has grown quite a bit in the last four years—what are your hopes for growth in the future?

A: Being a boutique agency is good with us. We like it that way. We want to continue to deepen our relationships with our clients, adding as much value as possible. We’d like to expand upon client relationships that empower collaboration and creativity; we’ll continue to lean into the things we like and bring people on the team who compliment what we’ve built to date. 

Q: The Kicks team is filled with people who are so different from one another, yet work together like peas and carrots. As the leaders and decision-makers for Kicks, what do you look for when hiring new people? 

A: Confidence, competence, tenacity, and relatability. Above all else, we value the whole person. We want to know a persons’ way of being in the world brings out the best in the team members around them. We love putting people in positions to succeed and we think if you can find people who are compatible collaborators and hard workers, you’ll continue to elevate the company person by person.