When I joined DDB, more than 3 years ago, one of the things that struck me was a sense of togetherness of camaraderie and of shared purpose. This culture has been developed over many years, first as Palmer Jarvis and now as DDB, and it has been developed, as all cultures do, around a certain mythology and lore. This is the first such “shared story” that I heard about DDB when I joined and it speaks to just why the agency has been so successful for its clients over the years. I’ve heard, and told, many versions of this over the last three years but as this was just posted on our blog, I guess it is the official version, or canon.
To many, a hot dog is merely a nitrate-filled frankfurter housed in an oblong-shaped bun. But for us at DDB Canada, its significance runs much deeper.
Back in the early days of our agency, a hardware retailer was sharing with Frank Palmer, about his frustrations with his existing agency partner. The man lamented the fact that his agency had gotten cavalier in the relationship and, at a recent grand opening, ignored a crucial detail – in this case having hot dogs available on-site for customers. Frank didn’t hesitate in his response, “Well, we do hot dogs!” Soon afterwards, we were awarded the business.
In essence, what Frank was saying on that day was that at DDB, we use our creative prowess to do whatever it takes to make our clients successful. The fact is that we hold our client partnerships sacred. As Frank likes to say, “We’re in the relationship business. The work we do is a by-product of trust.” And that’s precisely why, nutritional guidelines be damned, we serve all our employees hot dogs on the last Friday of every month as a reminder of our collective mission.
From the DDB Canada Blog: Hot Dog Friday
Image from DDB Edmonton
