Why is Strategy Important? A Q&A With Moroch’s New EVP of Strategy

Everybody claims their advertising is strategic. But how do you really go about making it so? In the latest addition to our strategy discipline, Moroch has hired Jim Schuch as EVP of Strategy. 

Jim comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience, so we asked him a few Qs about his background, how he got started in strategy and why he joined Moroch. 

This Q&A has been edited for brevity/clarity. 

How did you first get into the strategy discipline? 

I’ve always loved advertising. When I was little, I would ignore TV shows that were on and when the ads were on, I would stop playing and watch the ads! I loved how creative they were and how they communicated what they needed to in such creative ways. 

I’ve also always been interested in what makes people tick. I started studying psychology and when I realized I wanted to be in a more creative field, advertising strategy was the perfect fit. 

What does your background look like?  

It’s been a long journey. I started my career in Chicago, where I largely focused on packaged goods, which was a great introduction to the business of advertising. I worked a bit on the media side where I helped to build a consumer context discipline (more insightful media plans), I spent some time in Sydney working in creative and brand strategy on brands both global and local, and in Seattle on the digital side of strategy. 

Most recently I’ve come from the brand strategy side with McGarrah Jessee where I ran brand and creative strategy for Whataburger and helped build the strategy team. 

Why join Moroch? 

I think we’re the future. 

As you think about how brands are going to be built – with consumers collaborating, with decisions being made in real-time and with media being unbelievably personalized – the local perspective is going to be increasingly critical. 

Brands will be built from a local perspective up, just as much as from a national or global perspective down.  Moroch is perfectly positioned to unify these perspectives and drive brand results as well as local store-level results. 

Any unconventional methods or tools you’ve used to research/get insights for your work? 

I once got to do research for an alcohol brand and just dive in to doing research with people’s friend groups on their night out at different bars. The rituals and interactions they had were really something to see.

Everybody in this business claims to make their work based on strategy. What, to you, actually makes advertising strategic?

Does it consider what the client is up against? Brands live in the real world. To be strategic we need to consider the business reality and the human reality. We need to consider how people are using the brand and/or products to help tell their stories. We need to investigate both culture and community. The unity of these can’t help but yield a strategic result. 

Why is strategy especially important in the multi-unit marketing space? 

A one-size-fits-all approach for brands is a thing of the past. Multi-unit marketers need thinking on the communities they serve, not just to know what their brand is about at a high-level. 

Strategy helps marry the 30,000-foot view of culture to the realities of local neighborhoods. At the multi-unit level, this unification and understanding is necessary for creative and business success.

Any other parting strategy thoughts? 

Strategy is storytelling. Whether that is about what business story we need to tell to help our clients, or what creative story we need to tell to help people. I’ve always had a passion for storytelling and can’t think of a better job for me.  

Welcome to Moroch, Jim!

Moroch Hires Brad White as Executive Creative Director, Rounding Out Agency’s Leadership Team

DALLAS, TX (Sept. 3, 2019) – Moroch Partners, a Dallas-based full-service independent marketing and communications agency, is pleased to announce it has appointed Brad White as Executive Creative Director, rounding out the agency’s executive leadership team, effective Sept. 3. “With Moroch’s continued efforts to lead data-driven results, it was paramount that we fill the Executive Creative Director role with someone who has experience integrating both data and creative to develop relevant and forward-thinking work for our clients,” said Matt Powell, Chief Executive Officer at Moroch. “Brad’s commitment to providing data-focused strategy and his expertise in creative leadership and development for some of the most recognized brands in the U.S. make him a natural fit for Moroch. We’re thrilled to welcome him on board.” White joins Moroch with more than 20 years of experience leading creative teams across traditional, digital and experiential campaigns. He most recently served as Chief Creative Officer of marketing and advertising agency Luckie & Company, with stints at TBWA and TM Advertising. As part of the agency’s executive leadership team, White will oversee all creative operations for the agency, including managing creative strategies and analyzing performance data. “I could not be more thrilled to join an agency like Moroch with a legacy of great work, integrity and a desire to push the boundaries of marketing,” said White. “Alongside Moroch’s renowned leadership team, I look forward to leading bold, integrated solutions that open new doors for clients and the agency.” As a Portfolio Center graduate, White understood the power of a big idea early in his career. His work has earned accolades including One Show, Communication Arts Awards, London International Awards, New York Festivals, National Addys, Content Marketing Awards, Mercury Awards and HSMAI Adrian Awards. White’s extensive brand experience includes American Airlines, AT&T, Nortel Networks, Little Debbie Snacks, Texas Tourism, GlaxoSmithKline, Region’s Bank, Motorola, Paramount Parks, Long John Silver’s and LaQuinta Hotels, as well as many more. He received his B.A. in Advertising from the University of Kentucky.

MEplusYOU Acquired by Moroch Partners

Moroch Partners has announced that it has acquired MEplusYOU, a Dallas-based integrated marketing agency that specializes in developing authentic connections between brands and consumers through digital, social and mobile innovations. MEplusYOU, formerly known as imc2, will transition its current client roster and staff to become a part of the Moroch family at its headquarters, also located in Dallas, effective immediately. “We’ve been committed to leading our clients through the many challenges facing brands in today’s changing marketing environment, especially within the realm of digital media, which has become one of the most important components of any integrated marketing strategy,” said Rob Boswell, CEO of Moroch Partners. “So in order for us to continue being at the forefront, we need to broaden our set of skills and align ourselves with like-minded innovators, such as MEplusYOU. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to our family.” Founded in 1995, imc2 built its reputation as a pioneer in the digital space through the work the agency produced for brands such as Procter & Gamble, Pizza Hut, and Pfizer. imc2 changed its name to MEplusYOU in 2012 to reinforce the agency’s mission to build more intimate relationships between consumers and brands for its clients, which currently include Haggar, Mary Kay, Omni Hotels & Resorts and Wells Fargo, among others. “From the outset, our agency has put tremendous energy into leading our clients through the digital and mobile revolution so they can provide more intimate and meaningful brand experiences for their consumers,” said Doug Levy, CEO and Founder of MEplusYOU. “We’re thrilled to be joining Moroch, who not only shares our core beliefs but also our independent spirit and our commitment to continuing to innovate on behalf of our clients.” As part of the acquisition, Colin Turney, MEplusYOU President and Chief Client Officer, will serve as Executive Partner at Moroch. In addition, Levy will transition into his new role as Senior Strategic Partner for Moroch Holdings Inc., providing counsel to its board.

New Hire: Donald Pierce

Today, we’re happy to announce the addition of Donald Pierce as Director of Business Insights to our Dallas-based integrated marketing and communications agency. Pierce will be responsible for leading consumer insights and analytics on behalf of the McDonald’s account in both Philadelphia and New York. “Donald understands how critical it is to make the McDonald’s brand relevant locally and our team will greatly benefit from not only his experience with the brand but his ability to keep his finger on the pulse of the consumer in these markets,” said Rob Boswell, CEO of Moroch. Pierce brings to Moroch over 23 years of experience in consumer and business insights, informing brand strategies for global retail giants including Polaroid, Nabisco, Target, Kmart, CVS and Walgreens. He most recently concluded a 15 year tenure with McDonald’s USA where he served as East Division Officer for Consumer & Business Insights. “During my tenure at McDonald’s, I grew to truly admire Tom Moroch and his team for their relentless support of the brand and their dedication to the very core of the business – the local consumer,” said Pierce. “I find it a great privilege to now work with a team that truly understands how important it is to fully immerse oneself into the market in order to discover local level insights so we can better inform overarching brand strategies that will successfully impact long-term performance.” Donald Pierce

Moroch Participates in Dallas Cable Day

Last week, Executive Media Directors, Matt Powell and Danielle Krauter, had the privilege to take part in the 8th Annual AAF Dallas Cable Day. While Matt moderated, Danielle had the opportunity to sit on a panel with fellow media experts from Time Warner Cable, ESPN and AWE to discuss “The Rebirth of Television: TV Has Gone Digital.”  As discussed on the panel, consumers still spend up to five hours a day watching TV, which is commonly overlooked in our digital world. It doesn’t matter if consumers are viewing programs on a PC, tablet, smart TV, smartphone, Kindle, Roku box, Xbox or an actual TV … television is still more popular than any other activity. Congratulations to Matt and Danielle for being selected to represent Moroch at Dallas Cable Day among the best in our industry and for continuing to discover new ways to reach consumers as technology continues to evolve!

Communication Arts Features Our “Be a Man” PSA

We’re honored to see that our “Be a Man” PSA – which we created in support of the Dallas Men Against Abuse campaign – was featured in Communication Arts’ November Exhibit this week! Our work on this campaign was based on one simple premise: you can call a guy who hits a woman a lot of things, but the one thing you cannot call him is a man. Support the cause and help us end domestic violence by taking the pledge against abuse here.  

Ad of the Week: Fry Gloves

Our “Ad of the Week” is a perfect example of how great things can happen when you deliver more than the client asked for. The job called for a few ads to refresh McDonald’s Milwaukee Co-Op’s existing “Backer of the Packers Backers” Green Bay Packers sponsorship program, but the team didn’t stop with ads. In addition to delivering the assignment they were asked for, they delivered a number of other out-of-the-box ideas. One in particular: Fry Gloves. Not only did the client love the idea, they bought thousands of pairs of gloves to be handed out at a Packers home game. Gotta hand it to the Milwaukee team. (Get it,hand? They’re gloves?)
McDonald's Fry Gloves

Fry Gloves

Moroch Takes Over Local University Classrooms

Last week, Moroch had the opportunity to teach the University of North Texas’ Advertising Media Strategy night class. Matt, Danielle, Shawn and Serge from our media discipline took the class of 90 (after taking a selfie of course) through a McDonald’s/millennial project, sharing case studies and valuable insights that the team themselves developed. Moroch asked the students to brainstorm ideas on the project, giving feedback through text messages so their ideas could be seen in real time on the screen, and then asked them to share their thoughts on the ideas Moroch had. Not only were the students full of creative ideas, but everyone had loads of fun. In addition to the UNT visit, Andy from our creative discipline spoke to TCU design program students last night about transitioning into the work world after college. The presentation was centered on how to balance work, finances and social lives when taking on your first job out of school. The students welcomed Andy with an awesome header and were a wonderful audience. As an agency, we look forward to continuing our educational partnerships in the future! If you’re a student looking for internships or full-time positions make sure to check out our career page here.

Cherri Prince Drops By

President of the Cherri Prince Company

Cherri Prince

Today, as a last minute (but fantastic) surprise, Moroch welcomed brand strategy expert Cherri Prince, President of the Cherri Prince Company, to our Dallas office. Cherri and Moroch have a lot in common, as she recently completed a project for the McDonald’s Corporate Strategic Planning Staff, a client we’ve worked on for over 30 years. As part of her visit, Cherri walked Morochians through her presentation, “Seven Habits of Insightful People”, which consists of insights derived from her personal brand experiences and examples of brands she admires. With that in mind, she encouraged Morochians to do the following:
  1. Ask Insight-Provoking Questions
  2. Collect Firsthand Experience…Notice the Un-Noticed Details
  3. Remember the Human Inside the Marketer
  4. Step Inside Their Shoes and Into Their Lives
  5. Bring Insights to Life through Exaggeration
  6. Embrace the Power of Storytelling
  7. Look for the Paradoxes and Contradictions
Cherri, former Senior Vice President of the Leo Burnett Company and co-founder of LeoShe, is a leading expert in women’s marketing. She played an influential role in the film “What Women Want” as a consultant, was a senior strategic planner for Kellogg’s for almost 15 years and was the lead on strategic planning for Silk Almond Milk. Lucky for us, we’re looking forward to welcoming Cherri back later this year when we kick off our Moroch Women’s Speaker Series! Read more about Cherri and her significant work here: http://cherriprince.com/.

Morochians of the Month: September

Congratulations to this month’s group of outstanding Morochians! The Morochians of the Month awards program rewards employees who exceed expectations and shine for all of their contributions and efforts each month. Christy Rogge Christy Rogge Account Supervisor, Dallas Since joining the account service team, Christy has excelled! There is no task or project too difficult or time consuming—she attacks them all with energy and focus. Christy is a never-say-no employee and exemplifies the Moroch principle “talk about solutions rather than problems.” When her team was short two members, she stepped up to the plate, never complaining or missing a deadline. Outside of her daily client interaction, she has cultivated many new relationships and laid the groundwork for continued success.  We love having Christy on our Moroch team! Kristin Smith Kristin Smith Client Relations Specialist, Dallas In sports, there are numerous behind the scenes positions like the the sixth man, coach, trainer, sales executive or GM that lead to a successful team and season. Kristin Smith is all of these things and more. Kristin recently took the lead in planning and executing one of Moroch’s annual meetings that hosts over 100 people.  From estimating budgets, booking hotel rooms, coordinating food and drink, making copies, managing designs and handling accounting and billing, Kristin exceed expectations and took ownership of this project. Kristin never complains, gets the job done and always has a smile on her face. We truly appreciate Kristin more than she knows and most importantly thank her for keeping us sane during the entire planning and meeting process! Shannon Dalton Shannon Dalton Account Executive, Denver Shannon has been holding down the fort on production in the Rocky Mountain Region. She opened 25 new jobs in a very short timeframe with each consisting of multiple components. Shannon is managing our work, working with clients on changes and approval and making sure the ball never drops. Shannon has also shown interest in digging in and digesting new trainings, taking in the material and work to continue growing her skills and engaging with the team in new ways. Great job and great teamwork Shannon!
Brian Eusebio

Brian Eusebio

Brian Eusebio Account Coordinator, Milwaukee Brian has been with us since March and has already managed to make a significant impact on our team. Brian has already demonstrated the Moroch principle of “take ownership” by taking development into his own hands, demanding that he has all of the tools for the job we’ve asked him to do. He has taken over much of the responsibility of our creative production and has stepped up to deliver not just what the client asks for, but the best possible product we can deliver. Brian takes pride and ownership over everything he touches and is always offering new ways to look at things. Thanks Brian!
K. Smith_C. Rogge_B. Eusebio_S. Dalton

September Morochians of the Month

Ad of the Week: Michigan Muffins

Since the first time we looked at a map of the United States, we noticed Michigan is shaped like an oven mitt. So we decided that turning the state of Michigan into just that would be the perfect visual metaphor to represent the McDonald’s Detroit Co-Op’s new oven-cooked muffins! This Michigan Muffins “Ad of the Week” proves that great work doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be smart…and delicious.  Check it out!
Moroch Ad of the Week

Michigan Muffins Ad

Ad of the Week: McDonald’s Field Goal Fry

This week we’re not highlighting an ad but a great extension of one with Field Goal Fry. To kick off another football season, McDonald’s wanted to continue the wildly successful “Backer Of The Packers Backers” ad campaign and asked us to develop an original extension of the concept. So we thought, what better way to kick off the season than to ask Packers fans to physically kick it off? And win prizes to boot!  So check out this week’s “Ad of the Week!”
Moroch Ad of the Week

Field Goal Fry

Morochians of the Month: August

Congratulations to this month’s group of outstanding Morochians! The Morochians of the Month awards program rewards employees who exceed expectations and shine for all of their contributions and efforts each month. Joseph Salazar  Account Supervisor, Dallas When Joseph started working for Moroch in the OKC Office, he was housed in the storage closet due to limited space, but he never once complained and made it work. To this day, Joseph never complains and is always a team player.  Last month, Joseph truly demonstrated how to take ownership of a project when last minute he took over the role of leading the Account Service Learning & Development Boot Camp II. He has absolutely exceeded expectations and has shown his passion for this Agency by working tirelessly to ensure the best Boot Camp ever for our people.  Joseph’s friendship, dedication, leadership, overall training, and development skills that he constantly exhibits are greatly appreciated.  Thank you for taking on the leadership role of developing our people, which ultimately helps to elevate our Agency! Amanda Gleason Account Coordinator, Dallas Amanda joined the team last August and has been outstanding at her job. In the last few months she has shined while working on multiple assignments in true Moroch fashion. Amanda exemplifies the Moroch principle of “constantly look for ways to improve.” Amanda designed and manages the monthly competitive update for her clients, which keeps them informed of all things going on with the target and category. Amanda also supports Moroch shared initiatives including managing the creative elements and project coordination from an account perspective. Taking advantage of her background in our accounting department, we challenged Amanda to help with the billing process which she now also helps with flawlessly on a monthly basis. As you can see, Amanda has brought so much to our team in such a short time. She is a quick learner, strives to go above and beyond and has won the trust of those beyond just our team. Tanya Leon Account Coordinator, Teaneck NJ Tanya has been with Moroch just over a year and has really come into her own over the last few months. As a small town Texas girl moving across the country to work in New Jersey, uprooting had to have been incredibly intimidating, but over the last few months she has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was ready for the challenge. Our office couldn’t run without her. She takes care of everything from ordering office supplies to coordinating meetings in our office. This alone is basically a full time job, but over the last month she has proactively looked at ways to improve the office, making thoughtful suggestions on how we can better service our client. Tanya exemplifies the Moroch value of “respect everyone and everything” and is a tremendous asset to our team! Jason Price Sr. Account Executive, Houston Jason was recently asked to step in for a colleague and to double his work load overseeing 12 motion picture studios and managing day-to-day tasks. If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, he recently was called by one of our studio clients late on a Friday night to facilitate setting up a special screening for a terminally ill young woman. Jason gladly took on the task of purchasing the needed equipment, going to the woman’s home, setting up the equipment, working with the studio to download the content and getting the unfinished film to successfully play. In addition, he facilitated a surprise phone call between the filmmakers and this woman.  Instead of bemoaning the loss of his weekend, he commented that he felt blessed to be a part of it. Jason definitely took ownership of these projects, did what was right and never threw in the towel…and that’s being significant!
J. Salazar_A. Gleason_T. Leon_J. Price

August Morochians of the Month

McDonald’s Marketing Leadership Meeting Awards

After working on the account for over 30 years, we like to think Moroch knows a thing or two about McDonald’s, but having confirmation always makes us smile. This year at the Annual McDonald’s Marketing Leadership Meeting in Chicago, Moroch kicked off the awards winning Best Sales for our Houston/San Antonio and Sacramento/Fresno account teams. Additionally, Moroch swept the Best Integrated Marketing Plan awards, winning in all three divisions. Congratulations to the fearless leaders of our McDonald’s teams and we’re looking forward to next year’s McDonald’s Marketing Leadership Meeting!

Ad of the Week: Texas Homestyle Quarter Pounder

Mustard is a big deal in Texas especially on McDonald’s Texas Homestyle Quarter Pounder. Spilling it on your shirt is not considered a stain but a badge of honor. In Austin, McDonalds is a proud supporter of their Texas Longhorns and that mustard badge, which can be seen in this week’s “Ad of the Week”.
Moroch Ad of the Week

Texas Homestyle Quarter Pounder

Ad of the Week: McDonald’s Line of Work

A great ad can live anywhere, even on your back. So when our McDonald’s Co-Op in Lexington wanted a new crew t-shirt design that would demonstrate their employees’ sense of pride in their line of work, we provided just that (literally). And for bonus points, we found that this is something you would want to wear everywhere and not just on the job. Check out an example of our line of work in our latest “Ad of the Week”.
Moroch Ad of the Week

McDonald’s Line of Work

Morochians of the Month: July

Congratulations to this month’s group of outstanding Morochians! The Morochians of the Month awards program rewards employees who exceed expectations and shine for all of their contributions and efforts each month. Matthew Longman Brand Communications Manager, Dallas Matt is an individual who fully embodies our Morochian beliefs and principles, and continues to exceed our Agency Goals on a day-to-day basis. Since Matt joined Moroch, he immediately accelerated one of our client’s Corporate Communications, securing over $100K in PR coverage in the first quarter alone. Additionally, after quickly stepping into a leadership role on a different client account, Matt secured the Corporate Communications business for another year. This was a considered a huge win for not only the PR department, but the agency as well. Not only has his hard work, camaraderie and dedication to elevating the agency proven that he is a vital asset to the team, but his sense of humor keeps a smile on everyone’s faces, even on our toughest days. Becky Paredez Media Billing Accountant, Dallas Becky has stepped in and taken on additional workload without any issues by working longer hours in order to keep her workload current and maintain our client’s month end deadlines. Becky also came up with and implemented an idea to scan newspaper and magazine invoices onto our document manager which saves not only her, but her team valuable time when pulling backup for clients or simply needing to find and research a particular invoice. Her contributions to the team, rising to the challenge of an additional workload, and finding a solution to an ongoing issue is why Becky makes the perfect Morochian of the Month. Cheri Rice Senior Broadcast Negotiator, Atlanta Cheri is a real media professional. She has solid buying skills and a strong marketing sense. She communicates well with her peers, sales reps and planners. Recently her list has required her to go above and beyond the regular scope of work. Cheri’s response…no problem. Cheri also recently picked up a second market that needed additional support for an event. Cheri was able to not only put together a buy of 10 second spots, but negotiated for one of our vendors to help produce the spot that could be used across stations and across markets. Cheri does all of this with a smile and a cheerful disposition. Cheri consistently provides out of the box thinking and analysis when challenged with providing insight to expand the reach of our brand/promotions with consumers. She challenges our media partners to give us the best placement, added value and ideas at every turn. We value the expertise she brings to Moroch. Kristen Bergman Communications Specialist, Springfield Kristen Bergman has made a true difference in the Ozarks. Living in Springfield, MO she has a plethora of local knowledge and contacts that she leverages for our clients. Kristen shares a passion for putting people first. She coordinated an event where 167 of one of our client’s employees volunteered at schools, children’s homes, camps and local charities for 492 hours.  Kristen has also begun to change perceptions of one of our clients by hiring a local Dietician and educating people on wholesome and balanced choices. She has an infectious positive attitude that is built into everything she does at Moroch. It is difficult to summarize all that she does for her team and clients, but thank you Kristen for being significant.
M. Longman_B. Paredez_C. Rice_K. Bergman

July Morochians of the Month