I love Columbus, Ohio. About 95 percent of my friends live there. My neighborhood is culturally diverse and filled with kind and cool families. The sidewalks are lined with monstrous, century-old maples, fronting houses that were built in the ‘20s and ‘30s—emanating character. I’m immersed in the Columbus music scene. I live and die with the Buckeyes. I can’t think of a better place to raise my kids. I used to frequently wear an Homage T-shirt that proclaimed “Columbus ’til I die”—but I wore out the armpits.
So my friends consistently and justifiably ask me, “Billy, why the hell do you drive to Dayton every day for work?”
Well, I’ve been working in technology since 1999, and I’ve done the ad agency thing since 2007. I’ve worked at great Columbus agencies, both large and small, and I’ve worked with insanely talented people who helped me grow into my current role as senior digital director. And yes, Columbus has been hailed by outsiders as a hub for interactive marketing. But there is one thing Columbus doesn’t have, something that is worth a two-hour round trip and a hefty fuel bill: LMG.
LMG is a rarity in the marketing world: a full-service agency with vast resources, but a humble and nimble work ethic. The digital team that I inherited is the epitome of scrappy. They are gym rats—the best kind of digital marketers: self-taught and flexible, committed to research and pragmatic (yet handsome) solutions. I love working with them. And I also love being able to walk upstairs and chat directly with the branding and messaging experts. We solve challenges together. Nothing gets lost in translation. There are no egos. We truly are full service, focused on our clients and, more importantly, their customers.
Our culture was seeded when Doug Lunne and his wife Elaine started the company over a decade ago. We aspire to their original promise of creative intelligence: beautiful and functional design supported by sound strategy. Beyond Doug’s business acumen and ideas, I was most encouraged by his welcoming demeanor and positive energy. From the second I met him, and we shared our visions for the future of the digital team and the agency at large, I knew this gig was going to be worth the drive. And I know that any client, no matter what size or industry vertical, will be well served by this amazing crew that I get to work with every day.
So every morning, while the moonlight still bounces off my old street, I load my beautiful kids into their carseats and drop ‘em off at daycare. And then I refresh my iPhone for technology and college football podcasts and weird rock records to make the trek to Dayton, Ohio: home of the band Guided By Voices, Warped Wing Brewery, and the midwest’s finest full-service marketing agency: LMG.
