Mischief went on a new business tear last year, too, winning 19 brands without a pitch, including creative agency-of-record assignments with Goldfish, JCPenney, Carter’s baby clothing and Tru Fru, in addition to other partnerships with Jameson Whiskey, AG1, 7-Eleven, e.l.f. and U by Kotex. The agency said revenue was up nearly 40%.
The striking work often causes brands to pick up the phone, but Mischief’s strategic know-how is what convinces marketers to stick around, according to McKibbin. (The agency’s talent and client retention both sit at 97%.)
“We do really creative work that pushes boundaries, but it’s grounded in super solid strategy,” said Jeff McCrory, chief strategy officer. “We’re super attentive to the client’s business, not just running around doing crazy stuff.”
In fact, Mischief’s partners say that traditional advertising efforts, such as the brand-building work for longtime client Tinder, is also becoming a bigger part of their reputation.
“When we’re interviewing creatives, or receive messages from people, they’re calling out, ‘Oh, the campaign that you guys did for Tinder is running here. I really like it,’” said Bianca Guimaraes, executive creative director. “We hear that more than we did before.”
Marketers give Mischief credit for being direct and thoughtful—but also for simply being easy to work with.
“When you make a decision to go after an agency that’s known for disruptive creative, maybe the thing you’re worried about, on some unconscious level, is that they’re going to chase creativity at all costs and fall in love with their ideas,” said Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands, which houses JCPenney. With Mischief, “the great realization, so far, is that they have big ideas and strong opinions, but they’re also listening and collaborating—working with us in a way that’s just been very, very positive.”
Part of the agency’s allure is also how involved the partners remain, even as staff continues to grow. “No matter how big the work gets and how many more projects we give them, I feel really confident that it’s still the same Mischief we signed up with four years ago,” said Colucci.