The1stMovement Builds its Brand From The Inside Out
The1stMovement (T1M) has quickly scaled the ranks as one of the leading full service digital agencies with offices in Pasadena, CA and Boulder, CO. CEO Ming Chan has built a company based not around how they service their clients, but how the way they service themselves extends to their clients.
Combining strong company culture with industry expertise, The1stMovement has begun to get significant industry recognition. They tout a trophy case that includes four Webby, three ADDY, HIVE, Horizon Interactive and PRO awards all just in the last year.
Chan see’s his team as the main ingredient in a recipe for success, so he constantly strives to create a company on the three C’s: collaboration, cohesiveness and culture. For example, in a current economy where companies are scaling back, Chan has his two offices meet once a year; to further elaborate on the importance of a one for all, all for one mentality. Investing in his team is Chan’s belief as the best money spent possible.
Liken this mentality to the most recent example of success with Zappos. Tony Hsieh had built a company culture where he stressed the importance of a extraordinarily fun environment. Your culture is your brand. The1Movement has made an intended fuss over what their brand is, from the inside out. Their company mentality: Create and take care of the team first, and the rest will follow. Chan was recently quoted as saying, “Praise from peers and high-profile organizations pushes us to strive for higher goals!”
By focusing on the people in the company, that attention to detail has translated into amazing work done for their clients. And those happy people doing amazing work has collected The1stMovement praise and accolades for a company that is only four years old. By focusing on his brand, Chan is in turn causing his clients to focus more on theirs.
In the consumer-driven world we live in now, brands are losing control over when a client consumes their message. The focus is shifting more to how you converse and react to the consumer around a message. Furthermore, a company who has happy employees at work, has happy employees after work. Brand management is no longer a conversation to the consumer, it is a conversation with the consumer. A business is no longer one person and one message. It is many people, many messages, that all address the same paint point for your clients. “I wanted to build an organization that celebrated individuality, valued its employees as team members and embraced a work/life balance…an environment where people wanted to be,” said Chan.
Business as we know it is having to update it’s operating system. You can’t have a computer with 20 year-old software. Businesses must adopt new communication tools and styles, as well as practices for acquiring customers. The internet has became the most notable repository for accessing clients. In this fast past new era of business, you must create a solid foundation starting with your team. When the cat’s away the mice will play. Make everyone on your team a cat, and no mice will get through the cracks.
