When it comes to launching brands from zero to cult-favorite status, Derris is the authority. Innovative clients including Warby Parker, Glossier, Good American, SKIMS, Supergoop! and more are a testament to this, as is BerlinRosen’s recent majority investment in the agency. The agency has announced expanded offerings to help bring brands they believe in to life; now clients can work with their Creative & Content, Influencer Marketing and Experiential & Events divisions through In Person, a joint venture with the hospitality leaders at the thank you organization, that focuses on creating temporary and permanent retail experiences. In addition to building diversity within the Derris team, agency leaders keep a pulse on representation within their client roster. Currently, 43 percent of their clients have BIPOC representation amongst their founders or C-Level leadership. They also launched Project Mercury, a joint venture between Derris and Mythology aiming to bring new perspectives and ideas to the world of start-ups and innovation. The goal is to ensure there are more Black voices in the founder community, more Black ideas championed and more Black-owned concepts realized.
Leadership team:
Jesse Derris, Founder
Lisa Frank, Partner
Notable long-term clients:
Warby Parker, Everlane, Reformation, Glossier, Harry’s, Good American, Shopbop, Supergoop!
New client wins:
abc carpet & home, Alaska Airlines, Bombas Hodinkee, KEEN, SKIMS
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“We think strategically, not tactically, developing and executing creative and unexpected ideas for our clients that place them at the forefront of the zeitgeist. The Derris-client relationship is a true partnership. Our best work starts at the idea phase, where we act as thought partners on how brands activate, helping build campaigns and initiatives. We’re channel and platform agnostic, and believe our role is to help our brands tell smart and strategic stories in order to reach the right audiences and build brand affinity whether that be in business, trade or consumer press, on a brand’s owned channels, or through shared content (influencers). We apply this framework to any category, both with established later-stage companies and disruptors in emerging spaces (Web3).”
It’s been a big year for the hospitality pros at bread & Butter (b&B). Within the last year, the agency opened offices in Atlanta, Denver, Washington D.C. and Newport, bringing the company footprint to 17 offices nationwide. With expansion on the brain, they also brought on a U.K.-based partner to expand its reach in Europe and Asia. On the work front, b&B’s travel team has expanded in both quality and quantity of hotel and destination clients, and their client services have followed suit. Their digital division expanded beyond social media management and influencer marketing to include social media advertising, Google ads and email marketing. In addition, b&B has strengthened its focus on affiliate marketing in order to help its CPG clients maneuver the new media landscape. With a focus on growing creative and design services, the agency welcomed a new creative director as well as two new designers. The team now offers services including brand identity, website design, menu design and content creation, and is building its Shopify expertise to craft e-commerce websites for CPG and spirit brands.
Leadership team:
Rachel Mays Ayotte, Founder & CEO
Notable long-term clients:
Eat Heavy Restaurant Group (Dominick’s, Little Dom’s, 101 Coffee Shop, Little Dom’s by the Sea), Chef Maneet Chauhan, El Cortez Hotel & Casino, Timber Cove, Marriott International, the Americas, Visit Tucson
New client wins:
Four Seasons San Francisco, Starlight Motor Inn, Grand America Hotels & Resorts, Alma, Stellar Pizza, Cabra, Akua, Wynn + Encore Hotels, Elysian Bar and Bacchanal, Jacquin’s, Conrad Nashville, Zankou Chicken, tbh, Highland Park Whiskey
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“We operate by the mantra that the only constant in life is change, continually driving ourselves to transform and evolve. Over the past year, we’ve completely flipped how we think about and approach communications campaigns. With that, we find ourselves saying ‘yes’ to ourselves by saying ‘no’ to others. We no longer sign on for campaigns we don’t believe will meet client goals. We have advanced our practice by challenging the accepted conventions of traditional PR and now focus on what will be most impactful for our clients. Where PR used to be our bread and butter, we now find we’re utilizing public relations to support a campaign instead of it being the cornerstone. We’ve grown infinitely more comfortable and confident with the fact that bread & Butter isn’t for everyone. We want partners who are forward thinking and open minded as well.”
