CREATIVITY PAYS OFF FOR EVANS HUNT DUO
When Dan Evans and Bill Hunt launched strategic digital marketing agency Evans Hunt in the historic Cooper Block at the corner of 10th Avenue and 7th Street S.W. in 2009, they occupied space on just two-thirds of a floor.
As they kept adding new business and new staff, they filled that floor and added another.
Today, Evans Hunt has 90 staff in its Calgary office and with a move this month into the 5th floor of the building, occupies almost all of its space.
Before starting their own company, both of the firm’s managing partners were with Critical Mass, where they worked exclusively with major U.S and European clients.
They had decided to give up the travel and concentrate on Alberta clients, but their reputation has also led to growth south of the border.
They have been successful in building a roster of larger local companies, many of which they have served for a long time.
ATB Financial is a good example; a client for the past nine years for which it has developed a business tracking portal and is currently helping the bank’s customers better utilize online banking.
Another is Calgary Economic Development that has been a client since 2009. Evans Hunt was responsible for the media package for the bid to persuade Amazon to open its second headquarters here, helped with the bid package and strung the 120-foot-long banner in Seattle that caused such a stir in its downtown — great recognition for this city’s campaign.
Work is also growing outside of the country again, with clients such as Phoenix-based Viad Corp that hired Evans Hunt to rebrand its experiential adventure travel experience division under the new name of Pursuit.
The new umbrella group supports Viad’s strategy to grow its high-margin travel and recreational group.
The portfolio welcomes 2.2 million visitors each year in distinctive lodging properties into more than 1,400 rooms across Alaska, Montana, B.C. and Alberta, as well as unique experiences such as the Glacier Skywalk and the Banff Gondola.
Other U.S.-based clients include Tommy Bahama, which Evans Hunt is helping to focus on its digital transformation to understand how best to connect with online shoppers.
A Los Angeles beef jerky company was overwhelmed with the results of contracting Evans Hunt to launch its first online offerings.
Sales increased from $30,000 to $1.6 million in the first year, resulting in the fast-food firm having to expand its space to handle the new business.
The creative production emanates from the Calgary office’s staff, of which 40 per cent work on creative, 15 per cent with technology, another 15 are project managers and the rest work on strategy and customer experience.
The fifth floor of the Cooper Block is being transformed into a Customer Experience Centre, with a focus group room and a usability lab where a team of 11 will concentrate on helping clients respond to customers’ needs.
Evans says the firm has to be constantly aware and updated on the changes in his industry — when the first generation iPhone was being introduced, there was no tablet and no Instagram, yet, today, social media is a necessary function of any campaign.
New media is being used effectively by its clients, including DIRTT, ATCO, Husky, Jusu and Brookfield Residential, as well as in its support of Gordie Howe Cares, Enough for All, Sport Calgary and the Calgary International Film Festival.
Watch for a new campaign by Evans Hunt to create a brand for Alberta Small Brewers Association.
NOTES
Calgary’s Village Brewery certainly deserves recognition. In its five years in business it has supported 1,200 community events and contributed more than $400,000 back to the community, while hosting 18 local artists in its Taproom Gallery and designed nine Village Square Variety Packs. Currently on its new six-pack of Northern English Ale, Village is featuring good friend Alastair Smart. Before he moved to Calgary and became Big Rock’s first salesman, he was a policeman in London. The new box of Bobby beer shows the now-retired Smart in his Bobby’s uniform directing traffic.