Helping to get clients’ messages heard
Ad executive focused on saying right thing at right time in right place
In the 14 years Nichole Baccala has worked in advertising, little has changed in the questions that arise with each new client or campaign.
“It really is figuring out who you’re talking to, who you need to talk to and where they are spending their time — and delivering your message in the medium that they value,” said Baccala, co-president along with Howe Burch of the Baltimore advertising firm TBC.
Finding answers has become easier in some ways, more complicated in others. The digital age offers a wealth of information on consumer behavior, but it also created an explosion of ways to reach audiences. Long gone are days when messages were spread mainly on TV and radio, in print and on billboards. “It’s never been more important to say the right thing at the right time in the right place,” Baccala said. “Every second there’s a new technology that’s being developed, and a problem solved for people that often becomes an opportunity for a brand to connect with the target audience.”
The 90-person agency is wrapping up a record year of new business with clients such McCormick & Co., Monumental Sports Network, ZIPS Dry Cleaners and Eggspectation restaurants, representing annual billings growth of more than $15 million. Baccala sees that milestone as evidence the agency has evolved as clients increasingly look for one place to go for help developing a strategy and message as well as delivering it.
“Clients are looking for agencies to be more than just advertising experts,” she said. “They want them to be real partners in their business.”
The Baltimore native was hired at TBC in 2002 and within months was plunged into work with a major client, Dow Jones & Co. and its Wall Street Journal. The agency helped increase the number of online readers from 40,000 to 1.5 million when paying for an online subscription was an unproven strategy.
Baccala has served as a TBC account executive, account director, vice president and director of digital marketing and senior vice president. She has been president for two years.
Nichole Baccala
Age Title: Previous job: Residence: Birthplace: Education: Family: Hobbies/interests: Travel. Whether it is a local restaurant opening or discovering a new place, Nichole believes that food, as well as fashion, architecture, and language can tell a story about a city and its people.