Member Spotlight: Doe-Anderson

Member Spotlight by Avery Kerns, Social Media Specialist; Stephen Kauffman, EVP Managing Director

Provide us with a brief summary of your business’ services.
We are an advertising agency established in Louisville, Ky., in 1915, and opened our Columbus, Ohio, office in 2016. As a full-service advertising agency, we do it all – from developing smart strategy and creative ideas to putting them into action through web design, print production, graphic design, video production and whatever else our clients call for. We then take the work to our audiences with a team of media and social media experts and PR gurus. From start to finish, Doe is there for our clients’ brands.

While we execute award-winning creative and continue to stay at the forefront of our industry, building belief is what we are all about. Belief in each other, our clients and their brands. We support that both by our longevity and by an organizing principle: We see the human inside every purchasing decision. Our vision helps us create more meaningful connections that confer belief in our clients and their brands.

Tell us about your company’s mission and values.
Our values are the steppingstones to achieving our capstone – our mission – of building belief. We seek to build belief in ourselves, our clients and their brands because belief is the most powerful driving force in every decision. To build belief, we celebrate and integrate our values in everything we do.

1. Be one with the ant and the anteater. Empathy is a cornerstone of collaboration, understanding and community.
2. Be first into the wilderness. Innovation and exploration are necessary for fresh ideas and growth.
3. Carry the water. Elbow grease is – and always will be – the driving force of impeccable work. Doing your part and celebrating others doing theirs will only aim to help us build great ideas.

What are the services you use the most (or are looking forward to using) from the Columbus Chamber?
Most recently, information from the Government Relations platform has been most helpful. The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly changed how we do business, and these resources allow us to see how our neighbors are handling the crisis.

Workforce insights and support will also be of interest as we have our own growth opportunities in mind. When the need for additional staff arises, this resource can help us find the right level of expertise and interest in our business.

How do you stay engaged with trends that you see in your industry?
The short answer: it is our job. At Doe-Anderson we are ever-evolving to best understand and engage our consumer. In our industry, new specialties, trends and technologies emerge daily, and we have never shied away from change. Change is a natural effect of adaption. It also shifts our perceptions, personalities and procedures.

To keep up with our consumers, we employ world-class strategists, social media and digital specialists and the best creative minds while leveraging a wide range of the industry’s best resources. We even introduced a new department dedicated entirely to innovation.

We would love to lend a hand to those who are in need of help or want to learn the latest.

What is your company culture like?
Our culture starts with our employees. Doe-Anderson is made up of exceptionally driven and talented folks. We aim to support them however possible by emphasizing professional development – we have a designated team dedicated to organizing these opportunities – and an empathetic attitude toward work-life balance which is more pertinent than ever in these times. We are professional but, a creative agency first and believe we have married the two polar-opposite attributes seamlessly. Think of us as the socially acceptable mullet or tuxedo t-shirt of agencies.

What does it take to be a successful employee at your company?
We believe our success comes first and foremost from hiring smart people. Intelligence – our most important asset – is adaptable, and some of our greatest growth and innovations have stemmed from the brains of our employees.

Next, we look for someone who embodies our values. A successful Doe employee will express empathy toward teammates, clients, subordinates and leadership. There are no small parts to Doe-Anderson, and we all do ours. Successful Doe employees always strive to support one another. Finally, our employees always look to the future, analyzing and pursuing the next greatest thing, and they might just surprise themselves along the way.

What makes Columbus such a great place to do business?
When Doe-Anderson (a 106-year-old Louisville, Ky., ad agency) won the OhioHealth business in 2016, we were not only thrilled to have this highly respected health care organization as a client but also excited by the prospect of planting roots in Columbus, Ohio.

We opened our office in the heart of the Short North and began to understand very quickly why Columbus was so special. The team assembled comes from across the U.S. or have roots in the state – all were excited at the prospect of experiencing all the new opportunities our ever-expanding city has to offer. Not only does our local team recognize the enormous advantages of the city, but our leadership in Kentucky is committed to seeing our agency grow here.

Columbus has a spirited community that celebrates its successes but also works hard to overcome its challenges. The business community works closely with city leadership to decide the best path forward. Here, there is a sense of community and unity to create a more prosperous city that you won’t find in many cities. No city is perfect, but Columbus certainly raises the bar on how to get it done. We are proud to be a part of a community that is growing and has its eyes on the future. Doe-Anderson wants to be a part of the growth and community involvement that have been championed in the Chamber’s programs and partnerships and impressed us since we set up shop. 

Social Media
Twitter: @DoeAnderson
Facebook: @DoeAnderson1915
LinkedIn: @Doe-Anderson
Instagram: @Doe_Anderson
Website: doeanderson.com