Erich & Kallman keeps bringing the funny, but its growth is no joke

Indie agency Erich & Kallman has been a steady presence out west for the past seven years. But the shop found another gear in 2022, almost doubling headcount as it grew revenue 25% to $11.6 million. Some of the growth is surely due to changing sensibilities as the world emerges from the worst of the COVID pandemic. Many clients are leaning into humor again after a somber few years, and that’s long been Erich & Kallman’s sweet spot—funny, broadly appealing work that people talk about and share, as Co-Founder Eric Kallman told Ad Age last summer. Ad Age Small Agency Awards See all of the 2023 winners Click here Founded by Kallman, chief creative officer, and Steve Erich, president, the agency hired its first executive creative director last year—Rikesh Lal, formerly a partner at Camp+King. And it continued to churn out amusing campaigns for the likes of Great Wolf Lodge, iRobot and the Take 5 oil change and car wash chain. Take 5, in particular, has been fertile ground for the agency’s quirky comedic approach. In one recent spot, for example, Take 5 washes a lounge singer’s car so quickly, she finds herself without any time to warm up her voice for a performance. The comical Take 5 work has continued in 2023, with a hilarious stunt in which the agency outfitted a single pigeon with a GPS tracker and attempted to follow it around Dallas—giving out free car washes to any vehicles the bird pooped on. Spots for iRobot, meanwhile, imagine the company’s robot vacuums being piloted by a group of tiny humans inside, leading to lots of shenanigans as they frantically try to comprehend and navigate around obstacles. And a campaign for Great Wolf Lodge introduced giant wolves, which families rode—becoming their own “wolf pack” along the way—to the chain of indoor water and theme parks. The agency continues to point to its flat structure as a key point of difference—experienced, hands-on leaders work with ambitious juniors, sidestepping a bloated middle layer. This approach has helped reduce personnel churn—the agency said it’s maintained roughly 85% retention in the creative department in its seven years in business. The agency also increased its ratio of AOR relationships by 23 points to 74% of its business in 2022. And it accelerated several diversity initiatives—implementing “Double the Line” practices, an AICP initiative designed to ensure access for underrepresented groups in production; and joining the BLAC internship program, focused on bringing Black creative thinkers into a more inclusive industry. Ad Age Small Agency Awards See all of the 2023 winners Click here

Erich & Kallman keeps bringing the funny, but its growth is no joke

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