When I was asked to think about the marketing implications of the new coronavirus for our clients, I thought it was a joke at first. I was busy with *actual* client work and honestly was semi-annoyed with the request. Were people just reacting to sensationalized news reporting? (Depending on who you watch, this is either a big hoax or an impending pandemic.) But then I started thinking about it some more and realized it was an interesting puzzle to solve. Spoiler alert – I don't have any real answers for you – but the more I read up and started thinking through the lines of business we serve, it became really fascinating. We live in a highly interdependent and interconnected world. We've probably all thought a little about the obvious things – supplies and products from China, if unavailable, limited, or delayed, will greatly impact a lot of industries around the world. The stock market has been volatile, and that obviously has major implications here at home. People are starting to worry about being exposed in crowds – entertainment venues are seeing decreases in attendance and conferences have been cancelled. And it seems that the travel industry may have taken the biggest hit so far. People were once only scared to travel to affected regions, and we're now starting to see an impact on domestic travel. We're seeing the tangible impact of fear on human behavior. Whether the coronavirus is a real threat in your local area or not, people are changing their behavior based on fear – and that's a powerful thing that has many economic implications. From a marketing standpoint, when there is corporate uncertainty, we tend to see marketing and media budgets "paused" or cut. If the virus isn't contained quickly, this could be bad news for all marketers. But we could see an upside for some industries. Grocers are reporting week over week increases as people stock up on supplies – both health-related and food. If you have a shelf-stable food client like I do, this could be a good thing. Restaurants that offer delivery may also see an uptick in sales as people opt to stay home more. People are cancelling Spring Break travel plans. Will that mean that local attractions, assuming no real immediate viral threat, will see higher attendance as families search for fun local activities in lieu of their travel? Oil demand is down which usually leads to falling gas prices. If people are scared to travel en mass but still need to feed their wanderlust, will they drive instead? The news, in other words, isn't all bad – unless the virus gets out of hand. If that happens, I imagine marketing will be one of the least of our worries as a nation. From a paid media standpoint, in the face of a looming crisis, we may want to consider advising our clients to heavy up in digital. It's much easier to quickly pivot your messaging and buys versus other longer-lead channels like print or traditional out of home. And if you haven't sold in PR to a client, this would be the time to consider it! Not every business needs to have a robust public response plan, but it wouldn't hurt to at least consult on some of the basics. It's an interesting challenge we face today – and one I hope we spend more time thinking about philosophically than actually activating plans to manage. At the very least, it's a good reminder to think through contingency plans and focus on what matters most. In my mind, our employees and customers are the cornerstone of everything we do – no matter what line of business you are in. The safety and health of people is paramount. If you're not sure where to start planning, start there.

DALLAS, TX (Sept. 3, 2019) – Moroch Partners, a Dallas-based full-service independent marketing and communications agency, is pleased to announce it has appointed Brad White as Executive Creative Director, rounding out the agency's executive leadership team, effective Sept. 3. "With Moroch's continued efforts to lead data-driven results, it was paramount that we fill the Executive Creative Director role with someone who has experience integrating both data and creative to develop relevant and forward-thinking work for our clients," said Matt Powell, Chief Executive Officer at Moroch. "Brad's commitment to providing data-focused strategy and his expertise in creative leadership and development for some of the most recognized brands in the U.S. make him a natural fit for Moroch. We're thrilled to welcome him on board." White joins Moroch with more than 20 years of experience leading creative teams across traditional, digital and experiential campaigns. He most recently served as Chief Creative Officer of marketing and advertising agency Luckie & Company, with stints at TBWA and TM Advertising. As part of the agency's executive leadership team, White will oversee all creative operations for the agency, including managing creative strategies and analyzing performance data. "I could not be more thrilled to join an agency like Moroch with a legacy of great work, integrity and a desire to push the boundaries of marketing," said White. "Alongside Moroch's renowned leadership team, I look forward to leading bold, integrated solutions that open new doors for clients and the agency." As a Portfolio Center graduate, White understood the power of a big idea early in his career. His work has earned accolades including One Show, Communication Arts Awards, London International Awards, New York Festivals, National Addys, Content Marketing Awards, Mercury Awards and HSMAI Adrian Awards. White's extensive brand experience includes American Airlines, AT&T, Nortel Networks, Little Debbie Snacks, Texas Tourism, GlaxoSmithKline, Region's Bank, Motorola, Paramount Parks, Long John Silver's and LaQuinta Hotels, as well as many more. He received his B.A. in Advertising from the University of Kentucky.

We're excited to announce the promotion of two long-time, award-winning employees to Creative Director. Effective immediately, Candyce Vanterpool and Elijah Farmer will lead the agency's creative services for 55 McDonald's Co-ops across the country, as well as multicultural initiatives with partner agency, LimeGreen Moroch. "We're thrilled to promote both Candyce and Elijah to Creative Director," said Kevin Sutton, Executive Creative Director at Moroch. "They consistently produce outstanding work and constantly exceed the expectations of our clients. When we had an opening to lead McDonald's creative, they were the natural choice and have already hit the ground running." Vanterpool and Farmer started at Moroch, an independent, integrated marketing agency based in Dallas,  in 2011 and 2012 respectively, after both studied at the Creative Circus in Atlanta, GA. The creative connection between the two was immediate, working together on nationally-recognized accounts such as McDonald's, Western Union, Nasher Sculpture Center, Make-A-Wish® North Texas and more. In 2016, both served on the creative team that received Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Multicultural awards for two broadcast campaigns done on behalf of the McDonald's brand. Additionally, they've received numerous American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) over their careers.

35 years ago, Tom Moroch and Pat Kempf set out to create the greatest agency this side of the Atlantic, with a knack for throwing epic parties. And earlier this month, we threw our largest one to date when we invited our entire Moroch family – which includes over 500 employees from across 30 North American offices and ten amazing companies – to Dallas to celebrate our 35th anniversary. This was truly a night we will never forget.

We're excited to announce the addition of Yolanda Alarcon Cassity as Chief Integration Officer for our McDonald's account. Cassity's responsibility will be to ensure that all touch points of the McDonald's business are aligned across our agency's 32 offices, truly connecting the brand with its diverse set of consumers on a hyper-local level. "We are thrilled to welcome Yolanda to our Moroch family as she is sure to be a major force in driving success for our client of over 35 years," said Rob Boswell, CEO of Moroch Partners. "With our agency servicing 60 McDonald's markets around the country, Cassity will serve as the team's eyes and ears at our Dallas headquarters, uniting our on the ground teams on strategy and making sure we continue to deliver the McDonald's consumer with a more meaningful, intimate experience." Cassity, who holds 22 years of experience in advertising, brand communications, brand repositioning and multicultural and millennial marketing, joins Moroch from her most recent role as KFC's Global Marketing-Chief Advertising Officer. Prior to KFC, Cassity worked extensively on the agency-side at FBC and DIESTE on some of the largest brands within the quick service industry, such as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. In addition, she has a wide breadth of Fortune 500 experience in the consumer-packaged goods, retail and automotive industries. "Due to the country's ever-changing consumer demographic, now more than ever, marketers must remain vigilant and engaged in order to successfully blend total market strategies with local insights," said Cassity. "That's why I'm so excited to be joining an agency like Moroch, who not only has a truly legendary McDonald's leadership team but who has been long been proactive in staying ahead of the industry." Moroch Chief Integration Officer

This summer 30 interns from 23 different colleges based in 15 different cities came together for ONE big experience. The internship program is growing exponentially and Moroch is proud to announce that this is the largest class of interns the agency has ever had. These dedicated students collectively touched every Moroch client and collaborated weekly to discuss the roles of each discipline in the agency. All 30 interns have also combined efforts to develop content for an intern Instagram account to offer insights on our growing internship program and the daily life of a Morochian intern. Stay up-to-date with the latest intern action by following @MorochStars on Instagram. Aaron ApplegarthAbby LiskaAddie Gerritts Alex Burrier Alexis Gliedt Amanda Son Ann FreemanArmando LopezAshley Mielke Ashton ArmstrongAunna BeckemeyerBrian Scari Brooke TheisCeleste AllisonCorbin Bailey Jenny SharifipourKaitlyn StroudKati Ruthart Katie MunsterKayla MaberryMadison Miller Maria GonzalezMegan PhelpsMeredith WhitePatrick BurkeRachel DeemsRupal Mehta Ryan LewisSavannah Johnson-SchmidtSean Watson For more information on how you can apply to be a "Moroch Star", visit Careers at Moroch or contact Kendall Gibbs at kgibbs@moroch.com. Moroch Stars Logo

Last week, Moroch had the opportunity to welcome eight South Korean female students to the Dallas office. During their visit to Texas, the students were asked to pick one agency in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that they would like to visit and we were honored that they chose us. These young women are in their junior year of their Advertising and Public Relations studies at Sookmyung Women's University (SWU), which just signed a memorandum of understanding with Texas Christian University (TCU). The partnership between SWU and TCU's School of Strategic Communications will allow for student and faculty exchange, research collaborations and a summer study abroad program. These eight women are working with TCU professor, Jong-Hyuok Jung, Ph.D. and make up the inaugural class of students initiating the partnership and summer study abroad program. During the agency tour, our team shared insights on Moroch's history, culture and client relationships. The students also had the opportunity to discuss the world of Public Relations as it relates to Moroch, visit our brand new technology lab, learn about social media monitoring, and finally end their tour with the obligatory ride down our bright orange slide. We look forward to watching the industry become more globally-focused with this future generation of advertising and public relations professionals. Congratulations to TCU, SWU and the inaugural class of students for expanding the boundaries of the college education and better preparing tomorrow's professionals. If you're a student or student group looking to visit an agency, choose Moroch. We would love to have you. Contact Kendall Gibbs at kgibbs@moroch.com for more information. OR Contact our office at (214) 520-9700. Agency Tour

In 1981, with nine of us working together for the Lowe Runkle Company's Arlington office, we had two accounts—one being the DFW McDonald's Co-op. We wanted to start our own company and our first calls were to Jeff Phillips and Larry Ingram, the Regional Corporate Vice-President—today one of our top Owner/Operators. Jeff and Larry championed the idea of us going out on our own and asking McDonald's to be our first client. With their support, we met with the DFW Co-op and with a unanimous vote, won the account. The rest is history—one in which Jeff played a key role in our growth, as well as McDonald's. For starters, he had a keen marketing mind himself and he constantly challenged us and forced us to up our own marketing game. As he gained national influence at McDonald's, Jeff promoted the Moroch brand—even with other Co-ops around the country. And he constantly encouraged us to think bigger and seek out innovative ideas. It's no exaggeration to say we are the agency we are today because of Jeff. As you may've guessed, he made a significant impact on McDonald's too—receiving many awards and recognition over his 42-year career there. In 2009, he and his wife Sandy were honored with McDonald's prestigious Ronald McDonald Award for "outstanding contributions to the development of McDonald's image in advertising, promotion and public relations." Today, Jeff's wife and children own a total of 23 McDonald's restaurants in North Texas. Jeff also worked tirelessly to leverage McDonald's as a way to help North Texas children in need. In 1981, he helped launch the first Ronald McDonald House in Texas—a temporary home-away-from-home for families of children receiving serious medical care. Since then, the Dallas Ronald McDonald House has served has served over 35,000 families. But even that was not enough for Jeff's big heart. He believed that McDonald's could help other local charities improve the health and well-being of area kids, too. And in 1988, he helped create another charitable entity to fund and make grants for medical care, education, arts, and social and civic initiatives. The entity is now known as Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater North Texas. Since 1988, they've raised over $10 million for worthy causes. North Texas is a better place because of it. Our condolences go out to his family—especially his wife Sandy, son Gregory, daughters Rhonda Ringler and Rochelle Ringler-Hernandez, grandsons, Landon and Logan and brother Judson Phillips. For those interested in donations, they may be made in Jeff's name to Ronald McDonald House in Dallas or Ft. Worth, Temple Emanu-El on 8500 Hillcrest Rd., Dallas, TX, 75225, or the charity of your choice. Some of us were lucky enough to know Jeff personally. But all Morochians are all better off for Jeff's quiet influence on our agency. We'll miss him.

Initially, when myself and fellow Morochians' – Austin Yoder, Nikki Cloer, Kala Brock and Ben Rucker – were asked to participate in the 4A's Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies (IAAS), we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Some of us thought, "Sure! I'll take a class after work, learn more about my industry, meet some interesting people and impress my boss!" Little did we know that IAAS would be a whirlwind of an experience. During IAAS, we partnered with La Quinta to evolve their current regional Travel Advisor Videos that promote regional attractions and hotel properties. It was our role to recommend a strategy on how to evolve the videos while building brand perception and guest loyalty through increasing engagement. At the end of the 14 weeks, we presented a new business pitch to La Quinta, and our success was measured by tracking return on ad spend and booking revenue. Each week throughout the program, we would break up into our "agencies" that were compiled of five people from different Dallas-based agencies with 1-4 years of industry experience in various disciplines, such as creative or media or account. My group in particular decided to evolve the Trip Advisor Videos into a platform and created a mobile app to support it. Users within the app completed a sentence about the region they were in, what they wanted to do and the LQToDo app (our new name for the platform) would spit out suggestions that were catered to the consumer's locale. We also came up with two taglines: "Find your sunshine" and "See more. Search less." Finally, we created a media plan that would support this platform in different mediums. Throughout the journey there were highs and lows. We were pushed out of our comfort zone and we realized that no matter what discipline we worked in, we all contribute and have a say in the final result. Ultimately, we all have the same goal—success in the eyes of our client. Going through the IAAS class has ultimately challenged the way we think when at work. Furthermore, it has allowed us to see how other disciplines view the task at hand and has given us the tools to work successfully in a collaborative environment.

Time to hand it to Moroch Partners for being awarded Silver for its internationally recognized McDonald's Fry Gloves and its McDonald's Green Bay Smile/Frown ad at the American Advertising Awards, the industry's largest and most representative competition, on Saturday in Las Vegas, NV. Moroch was the only Dallas-based full-service, integrated marketing and communications agency at the national award ceremony and walked away with Silver in both the "Consumer or Trade Publication – Full Page, Four-Color" for its Green Bay Smile/Frown ad and the "Direct Marketing – Specialty Advertising/Apparel" for Fry Gloves. The latter of which has been recognized by trade organizations around the country, winning the 2015 Communication Arts Design Award and a Platinum Hermes Creative Award. The gloves were also nominated at the International Food & Beverage Awards in May. "In a campaign for the McDonald's Milwaukee Co-op's existing 'Backer of the Packers Backers' Green Bay NFL sponsorship program, we brought a number of creative, out-of-the-box ideas to the table, including Fry Gloves and Smile/Frown, " said Kevin Sutton, Executive Creative Director at Moroch. "It's been such a fun ride watching these ideas come to life and to be recognized by our peers at this level is an immense privilege for not only our agency but for our client as well." The annual award show is credited as being one of the most rigorous in the industry, as it includes not one but three levels of judging with over 40,000 entries received. Entries are first judged at the local level with winners advancing to one of 15 district competitions. District winners then advance to nationals.

This March, I was delighted when Vivian Unger, MJ, Adjunct Faculty at University of North Texas, approached me to guest lecture on Brand Planning to her class of college juniors and seniors. After the class, Vivian asked if I could recommend one or two clients that the class would be able to work with to give them a look into real agency life and a true client experience. I reached out to two non-profits who I work with personally, the Dallas Holocaust Museum Center for Education and Tolerance and The Legacy Senior Communities, and they quickly agreed to participate. For the students' final project, which accounted for a significant percentage of their final grade, they formed teams of four each functioning as an agency, and had to develop a strategy, media plan, and a multi-channel communication plan to meet the objectives stated by the organizations. Over the past two weeks, I had the privilege of attending these students' final presentations, along with the leadership teams of both organizations, which determined the students' final grades. The President CEO of the Dallas Holocaust museum was so impressed with the presentations that on the spot, she offered one student a summer internship with the museum. After having this experience with UNT journalism, I am truly excited for the future generation of advertising professionals. Congratulations to these students on their final projects and the end of a great semester in Journalism 3020 Ad Concepts! UNT Journalism

We're honored to announce that we won 28 ADDYS last night at the 53rd Annual AAF Dallas American Advertising Awards. This was a record night for Moroch, setting not only our personal best but receiving more awards than any other agency in 2015. Moroch took home 10 Gold ADDYS, 14 Silver ADDYS and three Bronze ADDYS, in addition to being awardedBest Broadcast for McDonald's "Dad Duties" campaign. Spanning multiple categories – from traditional advertising to radio and OOH, from specialty apparel to digital advertising – the awards included: BEST BROADCAST: Dad Duties: McDonald's Gold ADDY:

  • Fry Gloves: McDonald's (DIRECT MARKETING – Specialty Advertising – Apparel)
  • Michigan Raceway: McDonald's (OUT-OF-HOME – Outdoor Board – Flat)
  • DMAA Website: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Broadcast/Electronic/Digital – TV)
  • Big _ on campus: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Out-of-Home)
  • Take it like a _: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Out-of-Home)
  • Logo: Hinge (ELEMENTS OF ADVERTISING – Visual – Logo)
  • Spoiler Avert: McDonald's (TELEVISION – Regional/National TV Single Spots – Products)
  • Quiet Breakfast: McDonald's (TELEVISION – Regional/National TV Single Spots – Products)
  • Dad Duties: McDonald's (TELEVISION – Regional/National TV Single Spots – Products)
  • Green Bay Smile/Frown: McDonald's (CONSUMER OR TRADE PUBLICATION – Full Page – Four-Color)

Silver ADDY:

  • My Line of Work: McDonald's (DIRECT MARKETING – Specialty Advertising – Apparel)
  • Lesson #2080: McDonald's (RADIO – Local – One Metro – :60 or more)
  • Lesson #376: McDonald's (RADIO – Local – One Metro – :60 or more)
  • Lessons: McDonald's (RADIO – Local – One Metro – Campaign)
  • The best _ for the job: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Collateral – Poster)
  • A _ of his word: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Collateral – Poster)
  • May the best _ win: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Collateral – Poster)
  • Be A Man: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Broadcast/Electronic/Digital – TV)
  • Every _ for himself: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Out-of-Home)
  • DMAA OOH: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Campaign – Single Medium Campaign)
  • DMAA Print: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Campaign – Single Medium Campaign)
  • DMAA Integrated Campaign: Dallas Men Against Abuse (PUBLIC SERVICE – Campaign – Integrated Campaign)
  • Nod: McDonald's (TELEVISION – Regional/National TV Single Spots – Products)
  • Uprights: McDonald's (CONSUMER OR TRADE PUBLICATION – Full Page – Four-Color)

Bronze ADDY:

  • Dipped Cones: McDonald's (OUT-OF-HOME – Outdoor Board – Flat)
  • Lesson #562: McDonald's (RADIO – Local – One Metro – :60 or more)
  • Crying: McDonald's (DIGITAL ADVERTISING – Video – Branded Content – :60 or less)

"It's a huge honor for us to not only be recognized by some of the most distinguished judges in the industry but also by our friends and colleagues at AAF Dallas," said Kevin Sutton, Executive Creative Director. "Our awards this year crossed over all mediums, which is truly reflective of the diversity, hard work and dedication our team has to not only producing significant work for our clients but elevating our agency to new heights.  And we have to thank our clients for believing in our approach, and affording us the opportunity to continue to find ways to more intimately connect their brands with their consumers." The American Advertising Awards is the largest competition in the advertising industry, receiving over 40,000 entries each year through local AAF Club competitions. Winners of gold and silver awards will move on to the regional ADDY Awards before having the chance to move on to nationals.

As a person whose family exiled from two different countries and had to grow up in a country without any other family members, traveling has always been a normal part of my life from a very early age. In fact, my first flight was when I was six weeks old! Traveling provides a window into so many rich cultural experiences:  people, food, art, music, language, friendships, the list is endless. One of the greatest strengths of living in the U.S. is there are so many cultures to experience right here at home.  From Little Italy in NYC to Chinatown in San Francisco to Calle Ocho in Miami – you can immerse yourself without leaving our borders. Even in our own Dallas we can easily explore so many different cultures depending on which side of town you are in. In embracing our cultural differences and backgrounds, we eventually find our common humanity. Civil rights begins with each of us being willing to put ourselves in someone else's shoes and see the world from their point of view.  So many look at Martin Luther King, Jr. Day only in the context of an "African American" celebration or his "I Have a Dream" speech.  However, when you look at his life in total, he did not just fight for African American rights. He fought and advanced civil rights for all. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was someone who embraced and celebrated the diversity of our country as strength to be harnessed and valued. We've come a long way since his speech 52 years ago, but we still have a ways to go. As we reflect on the legacy of Dr. King, the historical strides our country has made and embrace the strides we have yet to make, let us start with the willingness to do our part. There are many things to do this holiday to honor this legacy. I ask that you carry his intention with you every day after with the simple acknowledgement that when you look beyond the color of our skin, we are all the same inside. Tommy T.