Could Knoxville Be the Next Boulder of the Agency World?

Back in 2006, Alex Bogusky, one of the co-founders of Crispin Porter + Bogusky (since shortened to CPB), raised industry eyebrows when he moved a portion of the agency from its then-home base of Miami to Boulder, Colo. At the time, the industry pondered why the agency would move from a large, fast-paced city to a more low-key outpost nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. “We wanted a lifestyle change because most of the people who had built the agency over the years were from the Midwest,” Bogusky recalled. “They were in Miami for the work, and I wanted to move before my kids got into junior high. It was a lifestyle thing.” After the move to Colorado, CPB continued its standout work, helping to make Boulder an unexpected advertising hub and, arguably, added to the trend of talent choosing markets off the beaten path. Austin, for example, had agencies like GSD&M (founded in 1971). Yet, it took time for the Texas city’s ad scene to catch fire and become today's vibrant market of agencies—both homegrown and corporate outposts—that's an attractive alternative to the likes of New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. While both Boulder and Austin have matured—and become more expensive locations to live or start and run businesses in the process—other markets are emerging as enticing magnets for talent seeking a different pace of life while still being able to build a portfolio of strong work. Perhaps surprisingly, Knoxville in Tennessee is emerging as one such destination. Boulder 2.0? It’s not a huge stretch to compare Knoxville with Boulder. Both cities are squarely midsize markets with relatively similar populations (Knoxville is slightly larger); have enjoyable, walkable downtown areas filled with things to do; are big-time college towns (the University of Tennessee is in the city); and sit squarely in the middle of mountainous outdoor wonderlands. One creative leader who has experience in both markets is Jeff Benjamin, recently named chief creative officer at Tombras, the independent agency founded in 1946 now run by Dooley Tombras, who represents the third generation to lead the agency started by his grandfather. [kickout id="1"] “When we went to Boulder, nobody knew anything about it,” Benjamin recalled. “We felt like we were creating a community there that hadn’t existed before, and we could do it our own way.” Part of the draw for Benjamin, a top creative at JWT, CPB and Barton F. Graf, was not just a slower pace but also being outside the intense pressure of cities like New York. “What attracted me to this place was being tucked away in the mountains, and the fact that you’re not being judged by people,” he said. “In New York, you’re constantly being judged, and here, we have the freedom to do it our own way.” Yet another reason that Knoxville, and specifically Tombras, had such appeal was the fact that the agency has continued to evolve and is building a reputation of doing big-time work for an increasingly prominent roster of brands. Additionally, the agency was one of the first to start an Amazon practice, sensing that the ecommerce behemoth would play a more critical role in advertising’s future. “When my granddad started this shop, we weren’t doing TV. So we’ve had to innovate from the beginning,” said Tombras. “We got into analytics way before everybody else did; we got into social on the ground floor and are always looking for ways to connect data and creativity for business results.” [kickout id="3"] Currently, the agency—which has 350 employees across offices in Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Charlotte, N.C.—recently opened a 60,000-square-foot headquarters on the main street of Knoxville and counts Orangetheory Fitness, Zaxby’s, MoonPie and Regal Cinemas as clients. “Once we started attracting better brands, we were able to attract better talent,” Tombras said. “There are practical realities that hold us back from being our most creative selves,” added Benjamin, referring to the high cost of living in some of advertising’s major markets. “I asked myself what I was doing by grinding so hard for a one-bedroom apartment in New York. And Knoxville reminded me a lot of Boulder in that it is a place where I could follow my passion.” Big-time work in a smaller city According to Ashley Bulszewicz, Tombras’ vp of human resources who moved to Knoxville from Chicago, the city sells itself in lots of ways. Aside from the outdoor environment, there is a burgeoning food and beer scene, all wrapped in a much more budget-friendly package (the city ranks among the most affordable in America). While those external aspects help with the sales pitch, she says the work remains one of the bigger draws as well. “People can work on national brands and do big-time creative with some of the brightest people in the industry,” she said. Even with all of the pluses, Tombras concedes that Knoxville isn’t necessarily for everyone and can serve as a way to make sure the right talent lands at the agency. [kickout id="2"] “We’ve grown quickly and learned from trial and error,” he said. “We want people who are going to be happy in Knoxville. Some people aren’t wired that way and want a bigger market, and that’s perfectly fine. In some ways, there’s some filtering that helps us and, more importantly, helps talent decide what’s best for them.” [kickout id="4"] “The same thing happened in Boulder,” added Benjamin. “I always appreciated it when people were honest in saying that they couldn’t move there. It drew the people who were committed and wanted to be there.” A Volunteer state of mind While Knoxville is chugging ahead, other cities in the state are emerging as well. “A lot is happening in Nashville with the music industry, and that helps build the creative class,” said Bogusky. “From there, you see businesses that help support it, and then that builds the zeitgeist of the place.” Another city, Chattanooga, is in a similar vein to Knoxville: a mountain town with an anchor agency in Humanaut (partially owned by Bogusky) that continues to pop up from time to time with large-scale brand work, most recently for Splenda. That agency’s founder and CCO, David Littlejohn, spent two years at CPB as a copywriter leading the Domino’s team and sees similarities between his city and Boulder as well. “I’ve been saying that the South is the new West for a while,” he said. “Most of the other markets around the country are expensive and tapped out, and the South has a bunch of midsized cities with potential. The downside is that there’s not a huge talent pool here, and there are no clients in Chattanooga—so you could say that it’s the worst place to start an agency, but most people [including clients] are accustomed to working remotely.” Another component that may prove to be beneficial is the geography itself, which creates an interesting cultural tension. “There is a fun mashup of it being the country and the Bible Belt, but then you have hippies, rock climbers and outdoorsy people,” Littlejohn said. “This helps with understanding the pulse of America outside of the coasts.” “It’s not a bubble,” added Tombras. “You have all of America here. You’ll bump into someone who voted for Trump, and you may even be their friend even though you won’t agree with them. But it’s interesting to have those conversations considering that we’re coming up with communication that’s supposed to go out to everyone.” That said, the parallels between the region, and specifically Knoxville, are hard to ignore—but, according to Littlejohn, it’s all in service to the most crucial part of starting an agency in the first place: client success. “You’re not thinking about awards, you’re not thinking about the other shops," he said. "Being outside of those big agency cities forces you to focus on solving your client’s problems.”