Changes at Carew Co : A Message From Paul Carew

After 16 years at the helm of Carew Co, it is mindblowing to look back and consider everything that has happened since I started the agency. We’ve had many successes — too many to count. We’ve had some failures that are difficult to forget. Overall, I’ve been nothing but proud of our team and the things we’ve been able to accomplish. It’s humbling to look back and ponder all of the amazing creative opportunities and great relationships we’ve built over the past decade and a half.

Excellent Service

We’ve always strived to provide great, responsive service, which has often been a challenge with such a small team and as the sole owner. But I get great satisfaction in the hustle and hard work — and more importantly — meeting client goals and keeping them happy. Overall, we provide great service. The perfectionist in me would prefer to offer excellent service (and now we can).

The Future

I’ve spent countless hours over the past year planning for our future, considering our structure, crunching numbers, and exploring different scenarios for how to get to the next level. My achiever strength is always in my ear pushing me to make a better agency, do better work, be a better partner. This internal conversation is constant and always there  — even more so during the uncertainty of a pandemic. We were able to do so much during 2020. Moving forward, what could we do to take us even higher?

Digital Marketing

As my agency grew, we started digital marketing services for our clients, especially those in tourism and hospitality. About 6 years ago, we became a HubSpot Agency Partner and learned to place display ads, social ads, OTT, connected TV, and native advertising in support of our client campaign needs. We bulked up quickly in this area and this became my new obsession. Having proof in analytics and results to inform our client investments was the best change for my agency.

A New Friend

At the beginning of the pandemic, I met a fellow agency owner that blew me away. Torey, the CEO of BrandCraft (with offices in Richland and Spokane) was in Boise and invited me for lunch. After less than 15 minutes of conversation, it was eerie how much we had in common. This was a great discovery, as I thought I was so unique in our approach at Carew Co. Here was another agency owner who shared the same values — a brandcentric vision in which hard work and creativity rule the roost, and people and performance matter.

So Solid

In learning more about Torey, his agency, and the leadership team at BrandCraft, I’ve been nothing but impressed. Meeting Max, the agency’s Chief Growth Officer, and Kellie, Operations Manager, I was starting to see the magic of the agency’s structure and approach.

As I was planning my next move with Carew Co, it was incredible to see how good of a handle the agency had on operations. The leadership, project management, clear processes, and policies were of great interest to me. How could Carew Co replicate these good practices?

Wait! What?!

One day, Torey said to me, “BrandCraft is planning to open an office in Boise.”

I was shocked and also excited to hear that my friend was going to be spending time in my hometown. BrandCraft is headquartered in Richland and has an office in Spokane, so I could easily see the brilliance of completing the regional focus by adding Boise.

After delivering this news, Torey and Max asked if I would consider being a part of BrandCraft.

BrandCraft Boise

After many conversations, planning sessions, and visits, I decided this was an excellent move for our team and our clients. We get to offer that excellent service to our clients immediately.

Yes, we have a name change, but all of Carew Co’s employees are staying on. I will lead the creative team and our rates will remain the same. We now have a larger family, project management support, bookkeeping and financial support, more creative brains to engage, and friends in high places. We have surrounded ourselves with people who are smarter than we are and we are thrilled.

Added Services

Carew Co has always offered digital marketing, but we now have a full department with expanded capabilities, huge talent, a proven track record, and certifications. BrandCraft’s core offering is performance-based marketing, so we have much more to offer our current clients. We now can offer SEO services and have more people involved in our HubSpot work. We no longer have to outsource these services and can make the most of a cross-trained team.

Simply put:

• We are thrilled.
• We embrace change.
• We are ready to go to work.
• We are Boise.
• We are Brandcraft.

Thank you for all of your support — we look forward to providing an excellent experience to our existing and new clients.