Minority- and immigrant-owned Even/Odd found a way to grow the size of its team and more than double its revenue to $16 million in one year. In response to the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, the agency created a series of films about the importance and legacy of Black business ownership for its client Square. The three-part film series focused on the importance and historical legacy of business ownership in Black communities across the country by focusing on businesses in Jackson, Mississippi; Chicago; and St. Louis.
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Even/Odd more than doubled its revenue telling untold stories
Small Agency of the Year, 1-10 employees, Gold: Even/Odd
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See all of Ad Age's 2021 Small Agency Award winners here.
The campaign received more than 8.5 million impressions, 1.5 million video views and more than 80,000 engagements, including hundreds of positive comments about these sellers.
Even/Odd's growth is even more striking considering that the shop turned down a signficant amount of work that did not fit with its purpose-based ethos, electing instead to focus on efforts like cultivating an art and media project with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office about the inequalities of the criminal legal system. The shop, in fact, says it has walked away from many high-budget offers in favor of those that suit its mission.
The San Francisco-based agency also helped create a campaign for customer service software company Zendesk that amplified the stories of “helpful" people. The stories included: “Eric and the Bees,” a documentary about a veteran who teaches beekeeping as a form of treatment for PTSD and “Golden Age Karate,” a film about a high school student who helps a group of senior citizens get through a vulnerable time by teaching them karate and more.
But the agency didn’t just talk the talk, it also prioritized diversity internally. In 2020, the agency and creative studio staff was 49% BIPOC and 47% women. Production projects reflected crew hires that were 61% BIPOC and 47% women in key production crew positions, and 62% BIPOC and 29% women in non-key production crew positions, with post-production teams showcasing diverse hires as well.
