Woodruff Sweitzer

Careers

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8 quick facts about Woodruff Sweitzer

We are a full-service advertising agency. Strategy, account management, creative in all media, web design and development, media services, and more – all in-house. See our complete list of services.
We deliver unexpected ideas, nurtured in fresh air. That means we’re innovative and open-minded. See our work.
Woodruff Sweitzer Canada has been a trusted partner to clients since 2003.
Building on our deep understanding of agriculture marketing and rural consumers, we’ve expanded our expertise to consumer and business sectors including financial products, real estate, pet care and entertainment sectors.
Our client list includes large international organizations - big brands that demand the best. We also serve smaller clients - medium–sized brands that also demand the best.
We have in-house PR, events, and research departments.
We have three offices. In Calgary, Alberta; Kansas City, Missouri and Columbia, Missouri.
We think short numbered lists are a good way to communicate a lot of information quickly.

Woodruff Sweitzer

has been propelling brands forward since 1992. Clients come to us from across North America for our insights,
our honesty, and our integrated thinking. Every campaign we develop harnesses the power of
our strategically selected communication tools.

Strategy
Strategic marketing plan development
Research
Focus Groups
In-depth Interviews
Online Surveys
Advertising
TV
Radio
Print
Outdoor
Online
Media consultation
Public Relations

Direct
Direct mail
Email marketing
Digital
Website development
Mircosite development
iPad applications
Social media development
Monitoring and maintenance
Design
Collateral
Point of Purchase
Packaging
CRM

Sales
Sales material development
Sales meeting coordination
Event Management
Events are a very effective channel, yet not many agencies offer this service. We do! More
Media Planning and buying

Verticals:

Animal Health
Our deep knowledge
in animal health puts
us ahead of the
competition. More

Agricultural
We know ag. The terminology,
the equipment, the market,
the players. More

Jeff Groeneveld

President and Managing Partner

403-930-4923

Fresh Air Inspirations

Simplicity, humility and loyalty – and the wisdom of inertia

Connections: LinkedIn
Twitter: @JeoffGroen

Susan Groeneveld

Account Director, Partner

403-930-4926

Fresh Air Inspirations

What inspires me - nature- it’s awesome
What motivates me - people with passion for whatever they do
What I can’t live without - Starbucks - grande, non-fat, xtra hot, 1 pump of syrup, green tea latte- thanks Rina!

Peggy Huston

Director of Finance and Operations

403-930-4922

Fresh Air Inspirations

Challenges
Learning
Problem solving
Teaching

Can’t Live Without:
Animals
Diet Pepsi (I know it is lame)
Family and friends
Sports

Connections: LinkedIn

Steve Warme

New Business Director

403-930-4924

Fresh Air Inspirations

Fresh mountain air
My daughter’s laughter
Great music
Fun times with good friends

Connections: LinkedIn

Eric Howling

Creative Director

403-930-4913

Fresh Air Inspirations

Reading a good book
Writing a good book
Shooting a low round
Running a good race
Walking with my wife
Laughing with my sons

Connections: LinkedIn Blog

Lindsay Kennedy

Senior Account Executive

403-930-4905

Fresh Air Inspirations

People who are passionate about what they do, dancing, reading great books, walking outside (rain or shine….or snow), sharing great food with family and friends.

Connections: LinkedIn

Carolynn Sinclair

Account Manager

403-930-4910

Fresh Air Inspirations

Laughter with family and friends

Sunshine, long walks and the Seasons

Sitting at a ball park, or on the sidelines of a basketball game – especially when my kids are playing

My dogs – Mac, Maggie, Tucker… and always remembered Barley

New ideas, people with passion, honesty and integrity

New friendships and long-term relationships

And last but certainly not least, my Family – they are my Core!

Jennifer Gibson

Production Manager

Fresh Air Inspirations

A childs laughter

A good book

A great find at a Farmers Market

The ocean

Fishing, camping and the great outdoors

Football games with my brother

Home cooked meals with my family

Theo Wilting

Mobile Content Specialist, Designer

403-930-4920

Fresh Air Inspirations

Bicycles – building, maintaining and riding them
Innovation – smart thinking that makes things better, longer lasting or easier to use through redesign, engineering or new materials
Lego
Sunshine

Connections: LinkedIn

Dave McKean

Associate Creative Director

403-930-4919

Fresh Air Inspirations

Coffee with my wife, skateboarding, crossword by the pool, hanging with my kids

Shannon Anderson

Senior Account Manager

403-930-4908

Fresh Air Inspirations

Reading, writing, knitting, playing the ukulele, writing music, singing, creativity, problem solving, good friends, fine dining, wine fine, traveling.

Wendy Chiu

Account Executive

403-930-4929

Fresh Air Inspirations

The first snowfall of the year

The feeling you get after reading a good book

Small scribbles and doodles on a fresh sheet of paper

The smell of thunderstorms

Great food surrounded by the great company

Juliane Farinazzo

Events Manager

403-930-4925

Fresh Air Inspirations

Get to know people from different culture

Adventure sports

Love to socialize with people

Think outside the box

Live each day intense no matter what

Evan Macleod

Lead Developer

403-930-4917

Fresh Air Inspirations

An uncloudy day, a snow filled mountain, a good song (GNR does not qualify), an open road, a fast car, a poorly drawn illustration by my friends, I feel like I should put long walks on the beach in there too for some reason.

Melissa Kolody

Production/Traffic Manager

403-930-4932

Fresh Air Inspirations

Listening to music while working in my garden on a warm sunny day, relaxing in my back yard, travelling and learning about new cultures, trekking outdoors, camping, fishing and all things nature!

Sarah Taylor

Account Manager

Fresh Air Inspirations

Having a positive impact on every person with whom I come in contact
Living daily a life dedicated to positivity, commitment, challenge and joy
Enjoying the outdoors and the adventures it brings under the hot sun and in the snow covered mountains

Connections: LinkedIn

Graham Kahl

Digital Director

403-930-4912

Fresh Air Inspirations

Winning against the odds
The Olympics
Being in the mountains
Passionate, positive and energetic people
Leaders who are mentors
Anything well designed (functional and fashionable)
Friends and family
Laughter
A job well done

Mark Near

Account Executive

403-930-4927

Fresh Air Inspirations

Enjoying the outdoors: Camping, fishing, hiking
Snowboarding
Woodworking… when I have the time
Believing that one day the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup
Playing Hockey, Golf, & Soccer
Friends & family
Any new exciting adventures

Connections: LinkedIn Twitter @MarkTNear

Erin Christensen

Account Executive

403-930-4921

Fresh Air Inspirations

I couldn’t live without laughter, chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and a good cup of tea on a cold night.

My family and friends are my life support.

Less is not more when it comes to humour, love, and chocolate.

Ana Maria Triana

Digital Designer

403.930.1918

Fresh Air Inspirations

I am very inspired by grandparents and their stories

Well crafted typography

Animal advocacy

The big city

Sharing a cup of tea with friends

I am inspired by possibilities of everything around me

Michelle Stappleton

Account Executive

403.930.4916

Fresh Air Inspirations

My Husband and Two Daughters

Long mind clearing walks with Hamilton (my dog). He never talks back and always agrees with me by evidence of his crazy tail wagging.

Thunder Storms at our cottage in Ontario

Doing anything at the cottage. Everything tastes better, looks better and is better at the cottage.

My Twin Sister.

Kala

Director of Company Morale

Fresh Air Inspirations

- Paperclips

- Walks

- The Magical treat ball

- Belly rubs

- Theo

Peter Klingvall

Account Manager

403.930.4933

Fresh Air Inspirations

Mountain biking on a summer night, or anytime!

Coffee in the morning when camping in the mountains.

Family and Friends. My daughter.

First tracks in deep powder!

Aaron Murphy

Account Executive

403-930-4907

Fresh Air Inspirations

Buy the ticket; take the ride.

Pay it forward

Passion and Peace

True Media is one of the few independent media agencies
in North America. Free from traditional agency ties,
this team of professionals focuses on implementing
innovative ways for clients
to connect to customers.

Discover Define Develop Disseminate

First, we drill to the core of your brand, products, audiences
and marketplace to unearth invaluable insight.

Obtain qualitative and quantitative research and analysis
Identify trends, critical insights and attitudes and opportunities
Develop customer, competitive and company profiles
Explore channels that resonate with target audience: online, offline and other

Then, we analyze the findings and boil them down.

Articulate situation analysis
Develop brand dashboard (challenge, strategy, position, pillars)
Draft creative blueprint for brand architecture
Determine stakeholder engagement method

Next, we create a compelling brand that rings true.

Identify brand voice and personality
Compose visual vocabulary
Generate unexpected creative concepts
Stakeholder engagement, review and extensive client feedback

Finally, we launch your brand across all tactics and media.

Finalize media mix and all channels
Execute creative and tactics
Measure and analyze results
Stakeholder engagement, review and extensive client feedback

Versatile

Sell Lots of Tractors

Challenge

Versatile Equipment needed to promote their promotional sales event and demo tour in Summer ‘09.

Insight

Equipment owners are very passionate and vocal about brands and the industry in general.

Solution

Woodruff Sweitzer created a Facebook event page to promote the event as well as a Twitter feed and Flickr group to update the community over the summer. In addition to informing potential customers, these channels were promoted via PR to appropriate media outlets.

Result

The event and campaign overshot target numbers by 160%. Media pick up also exceeded expectations to the delight of our client. The tour was expanded to encompass all of North America in 2010.

Western Financial Group

No Worries

Challenge

Western Financial Group, a Canadian financial services firm, needed to raise awareness about their company and branches throughout communities in Western Canada.

Insight

Careful examination of customer needs and distillation of the Western Financial Group brand essence identified the fact that customers (and potential customers) need a financial services/insurance company that will be there when they need them, creating peace of mind.

Solution

A carefully targeted television advertising campaign was developed focusing on the “No Worries” theme while outlining core products and services throughout the series.

Result

The television campaign has been favourably received by branch employees and customers. Western Financial Group has enjoyed revenue increases (and while all of their success cannot be ascribed to effective advertising alone, it should be fair to say that it certainly doesn’t hurt).

Brookfield Residential

Building a Community

Challenge

Brookfield Development had a unique suburban community concept that didn’t fit current city of Edmonton zoning. They needed research to validate the appeal of the concept, so they could petition the city and modify the zoning to accommodate their innovation.

Insight

The innovation required that entry level, premium, townhouse and condominium residential forms were to be built in closer proximity to each other, and mixed on the same street. So we needed to test research participant’s perceptions of a mixed building form street or community, and measure their affinity for this variety, we could help Brookfield make their case to council.

Solution

We created a “100 families” game conducted in 8 focus groups. Participants were challenged to arrange and place game pieces representing the 4 housing forms on a single residential map. We ran this game 5 times per group, challenging them to respond to 3 housing form arrangements, and giving them the opportunity to create two of their own. From the conversation transcripts, and our analysis of form mix beside and across, we were able to convey the attitudes and perceptions of participants to this new and unique suburban plan.

Result

Brookfield homes successfully petitioned the City of Edmonton zoning department, and the quality and detail of the research findings . From the client “The focus group work certainly helped us to define what should be in the zone and was very helpful to be able to talk about with the city administrators and with City Councillors during our pre meeting lobbying. A great deal of the information that came out of last winter’s focus groups helped us to achieve this.”

Versatile Event Poster Facebook Twitter

Fortune Teller

Careers

Creative Director (Co- or Associate)

We are always accepting resumes to keep on file for other opportunities.

Click here to apply

Creative Director (Co- or Associate)

Your work has been recognized at shows from the Anvils and The One Show. You want to help take a leadership role in the concept and design of every project in the agency. You’re a Senior AD who wants to move up or a Creative Director (Art) who wants to move across. This is a career opportunity for those wanting to make their mark.

Why WS? Why now?

You will join the creative leadership team as the most senior art person in a full-service shop with a variety of national and local clients

Your input and innovative ideas on strategy and tactics will be welcome
You get to work with two senior writers (hopefully that’s a plus)
A lot of our work is in agriculture. Seriously, you want to work in ag: it’s the opposite of those boom/bust industries that make everybody nervous about their jobs
A lot of our work isn’t in agriculture. Seriously, you don’t want to only work in ag
We’re actually at least 37% cooler than our website will lead you to believe
Our executive CD, Steve Sweitzer (he works out of our Columbia MO. office) has worked on legendary campaigns at many of the top US agencies. It would be hard to find a better mentor in the Calgary market
Among your first projects: plan and execute an integrated campaign for a national tractor manufacturer, new agency website, several iPad presentations
We are a nice bunch and the vibe here is pretty low-stress
Very cool downtown office (99.5% Ikea-free)
Competitive salary and benefits, generous personal development allowance

Skills and requirements:

Art direction and design at the most senior level
Understand and contribute to ad and online strategies
Have plenty of advertising experience
Design-wise your work is sharp and artful – in a range of styles. And you are very particular about the details the client will never notice
Love to collaborate
Mentor younger designers

We thank all applicants however only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Interested? Send your online portfolio to: hr@woodruffsweitzer.ca.

Calgary

Contact

200, 630 - 8th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2P 1G6
403-930-4900

Kansas City

Contact

331 Southwest Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-255-1917

Columbia

Contact

501 Fay Street
Columbia, MO 65201
573-875-7917