Advertising’s Bad Boys

Wexley School for Girls co-founders Ian Cohen (left) and Cal McAllister have built a successful ad agency with a series of offbeat and humorous projects.

When war-weary Afghans make their way to the polls next month to choose a new president, their effort will be a significant indicator of America’s success in bringing democracy to the region. Playing a minor but important role in that crucial election is Wexley School for Girls, a small Seattle advertising agency in Seattle that has been hired to advise the U.S. Army how to bring out the vote among tribes in outlying areas, and whose primary means of communication is word-of-mouth. 

“The strategy has everything to do with presenting the ideal of voting,” says Wexley co-founder Ian Cohen, “and the freedom of a better life that may come from it.”

Will the company succeed? It’s a daunting task, and the outcome is far from clear. But Wexley has shown an uncanny ability to match each client with the tactics and strategy—often unconventional, sometimes bizarre—most appropriate to the situation. The business’ success is clear from its impressive client roster, which has included the likes of Microsoft, Nike, the Seattle Seahawks, PepsiCo and Virgin Mobile. The firm had revenues totaling $8 million last year after doubling in each of the past four years.

When Wexley School for Girls was given the job of promoting the Seattle Sounders FC soccer team, it faced some tough odds. The Seattle economy was weak and fans had become discouraged by the poor performance of their professional sports teams. The Sonics had left town while the Mariners lost 100 games last season. The Seahawks had only four wins last season, and even the UW Huskies football team lost every game. Factor in a moribund economy and Wexley had its work cut out.

The agency, working closely with the Sounders organization, devised a strategy aimed at developing the passionate support for soccer that exists in much of the rest of the world. The “Scarves Up!” campaign focused on the tradition, common among fans in Europe and Latin America, of waving scarves in the team colors to support the team. On the Sounders’ opening day, each of the 22,000 season ticket holders was given a scarf. And Wexley staged a “March to the Match” prior to the kickoff to rev up the crowd, a tradition that has continued with each game this season. When the opening game began, the fans were so enthusiastic, they could have been mistaken for having come from another country. Wexley’s

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