As an employer brander, you’re sold on storytelling. You know deep down in your heart that the people you want to hire aren’t going to be satisfied by reading a list of your company’s values on the career site. They want to see them in action. What does growth look like? How do coworkers collaborate and celebrate successes? What’s the reality of a day in the life for someone in the same role?  

When these questions are answered by your people, the effect is powerful not only for attracting and engaging new talent but also for inspiring pride and advocacy in employees. And with every story, your EVP, personas and messaging framework collectively serve as your strategy’s north star — guiding your approach to storytelling in ways that will connect with the right audience, stir emotion and leave a lasting impression.

Budget, resources and time can challenge even the most “sold” employer brand leader to get a working plan off their vision board. How to begin can seem daunting, but when mapped across the entire talent lifecycle, the incredible possibilities of such stories are endless, too. So, let’s think about a realistic and very doable plan in the forever classic crawl, walk, run approach.

Crawl: Start with the Basics

Oh, where to begin? A great way to start is by developing content in the form of an employee Q&A blog series. Create a standard set of persona-led questionnaires to make the process scalable, easier to produce and focused on connecting with your target audiences internally and externally. Think of the resulting blogs as storytelling snapshots with bite-sized insights perfectly tailored to specific talent groups. For example, if your target persona is a group known to be ambitious problem-solvers, include a question that invites them to share a memorable challenge they successfully tackled or learned a ton from.

Add some at-work or at-play photos to the mix (bonus points if they’re candid) and you’ve got yourself the start of some very clickable and sharable content. Across relevant career site pages, job descriptions, social posts, nurture campaigns and even your company’s intranet or newsletter, a blog series can be the gift that keeps on giving when integrated into a wide variety of activations.

Walk: Take It up a Notch

Next, consider stepping it up to UGC (user-generated content) videos. Get employees and leadership excited and comfortable with the idea. Frame the exercise as a way to share authentic stories about being part of the team because an employee’s point of view is the ultimate job description. Provide clear guidelines and a prompt for each video request, such as “What’s your favorite thing about working here?” Even better, share an example or two of great UGC videos to inspire employees. While you can also offer optional training or tools to help with audio and video quality, like phone stands or ring lights, the camera on their phone or laptop is likely all that they’ll need. We really want to keep these real.

YouTube UGC videos versus brand-produced videos receive 10 times more views. As a dynamic element to your many talent touchpoints, imagine the impact on generating very meaningful engagement and quality conversions. And don’t forget to acknowledge and celebrate the employees who participate. Shining a spotlight on their stories company-wide helps build trust and jump-starts advocacy.

Run: Invest in Production

Moving right along, give serious consideration to investing in a professionally produced video series. Now, don’t worry. “Produced” doesn’t mean polished to the point of perfection. Authenticity still reigns supreme, but a little cinematic flair can go a very long way. Produced videos can creatively highlight key stories, showcase leadership or bring your EVP to life in a way that’s consistent with the look and feel of your employer brand that adds yet another level of credibility. Plus, the footage, including the bloopers, can be cut and recut into all sorts of applications to motivate and retain top talent.

The ROI of Storytelling

Investing in storytelling isn’t just a feel-good exercise; it’s also a business decision. According to LinkedIn, candidates are 3x more likely to trust a company’s employees over the company itself. By sharing real employee stories, you’re building trust, shaping perceptions, engaging candidates and fostering a sense of belonging before a candidate hits the “apply now” button or a new hire fires up their brand-new laptop on day one.

When tenured employees see their stories valued and shared, it deepens their connection to your organization. They can become your most authentic ambassadors, amplifying your brand to their networks and expanding your organic reach exponentially all by genuinely wanting to share this type of content.

So, whether you’re crawling, walking or running, the key is to start somewhere and make authentic storytelling an ongoing and highly rewarding journey.

Healthcare marketing is evolving. As patients become more informed and discerning, healthcare organizations must rethink their approach to brand visibility and engagement. Enter sports sponsorship. It’s a strategic move that positions healthcare brands in front of passionate, engaged audiences, especially when high-profile FIFA and MLB events are headed our way.

The Shift to Healthcare Consumerism

The traditional patient-provider dynamic has changed. Today, consumers expect more from their healthcare experience, weighing quality, cost and convenience like any other major purchase. Rising deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are driving consumers to make more deliberate choices about their care. Healthcare organizations must compete for attention and trust—and sports sponsorships offer a powerful way to do just that.

Why Sports Sponsorships Make Sense

For decades, beverage brands, fast-food chains and tech companies have capitalized on sports sponsorships. Now hospitals and insurance companies are catching up. The connection is natural: Sports embody physical health, wellness and peak performance—values that align seamlessly with healthcare.

In 2023, NewYork-Presbyterian became the first health system to put its logo on an MLB uniform, through a partnership with the New York Mets. Currently, there are healthcare organizations that are patch partners with the MLB, WNBA, NBA, MLS and National Women’s Soccer League. The NBA patch deals are estimated to be worth $7 million to $10 million annually, according to The Athletic. Health systems are using varying levels of partnership to promote initiatives like Breast Cancer Awareness Day and youth wellness programs, and to reinforce their commitment to community health. These partnerships go beyond logo placement; they engage audiences through meaningful activations that drive awareness, trust and even patient acquisition.

The Competitive Advantage

A well-executed sports sponsorship does more than boost brand recognition. It fosters community engagement, reinforces a commitment to wellness and differentiates your brand in a crowded market. As healthcare consumerism grows, strategic partnerships like these can enhance brand affinity and influence patient decisions.

Is your healthcare brand ready to step onto the field? Let’s talk about how the right sponsorship strategy can elevate your brand and create lasting impact.

In this time of economic uncertainty and job insecurity, power has swung back from the job seeker to the employer in the hiring process. Combine this with possible lingering resentment from employers being “ghosted” by candidates and the job hopping of the last few years, hiring companies may be less invested in the candidate experience. Eight in ten hiring managers admit to “ghosting” candidates, and Kevin Grossman of ERE Media, Inc. predicts the “candidate experience will be in a free fall in 2025.” This is the time to positively differentiate yourself from your competitors and foster good will among job seekers.

A poor candidate experience can cause damage to your company’s reputation. According to Lisa Shuster in Forbes, “Not responding to candidates who take the time to apply or express interest in an open position can lead potential hires to believe your company doesn’t treat job seekers well or value its people. This sentiment can spread and harm your employer brand because applicants you’ve ‘ghosted’ won’t hesitate to leave poor online reviews and tell everyone in their networks.” While you may see a minimal impact upon your company’s reputation in the current economic climate, good candidates may still “ghost” you in favor of another job offer or may not apply at all. Those negative online reviews also don’t disappear so they can cause long-lasting damage to your company’s reputation and, when the pendulum swings back in favor of job seekers, your company may be on the outside looking in.

One consequence of a poor candidate experience you may not consider is damage to your overall business. As Lisa Shuster notes, “When my company iHire surveyed a Qualtrics panel of 600 U.S. job seekers this past March, we found that nearly 40% of candidates would be less likely to interact with a brand in the future (buy their products, follow them on social media, etc.) if they applied and didn’t hear back from the employer.” If job seekers feel slighted, the impact can go far beyond considering any future openings and affect the bottom line of your business. On the other hand, cultivating a positive job candidate experience can help your overall business. According to Kevin Grossman, a positive candidate experience can result in “more referrals, more revenue, and more brand advocacy.” As you can see, how you treat job candidates can reverberate across your whole company.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Ensure that there is an automated message confirming that the application has been received, and, if possible, an estimated timeline of the review process. The less mystery, the better!
2. If the job opening is for a hard-to-fill position (physicians, nurses, etc.), personal outreach from a recruiter will make a difference. A generic and/or automated response just won’t cut it.
3. Notify candidates in a timely manner if they are not being considered for the opening. They will appreciate the respect instead of silence.
4. For those no longer being considered for an opening, offer to add them to your company’s “talent community” (if you don’t have one, now is a good time to create one) so they may receive notifications of future openings they may be interested in and insights into what’s happening at your organization to keep them engaged.
5. For those you are considering for an open position, send regular updates at every stage of the hiring process, especially if the steps are taking longer than expected following an interview.

Job candidates have always valued genuine contact and honest feedback in the recruitment process and this is especially true now, when they feel less empowered and more vulnerable. Timely and genuine communication with a candidate will not only affect your ability to recruit the best candidates, but also can generate good will that helps your company in the long run.

Overwhelming response to agency’s “trolling billboard” in Kansas City engages hundreds of thousands of fans to help raise money for charities in both cities.

PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 9, 2025) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast, today demonstrated what brotherly love is all about by replacing its “trolling billboard” next to Arrowhead Stadium with one thanking Kansas City residents for joining in the fun—and ensuring the agency made its maximum intended donation to two charities. AB&C has placed a similar board near Lincoln Financial Field, thanking Philadelphians.

In response to the original campaign going viral and prompting AB&C to donate $2,500 each to the Eagles Autism Foundation and Kansas City’s Hunt Family Foundation, at 8:00 a.m. (CST) today, the agency replaced the 816-323-GO KC billboard with a new message: “Hey, KC, Thanks for Answering the Call. Donations made to Hunt Family Foundation and Eagles Autism Foundation.” The corresponding “Thanks, Philly” board went live this weekend as well.

“The response has been overwhelming and amazing to watch,” said Steve Merino, AB&C’s chief creative officer. “Whether people were taking part because of their spirit of competition, out of curiosity or to support the cause, we achieved what we set out to do. Both cities win. Now we just want to say thanks.”

On Feb. 4, AB&C went live with a billboard to capture the attention of commuters on I-435 in Kansas City. It featured a compelling message: “816-323-GO KC—call for a pep rally in your pocket.” Callers were greeted by a rousing version of the “Fly, Eagles, Fly!” fight song. AB&C pledged to donate $1 per call to both the Eagles Autism Foundation and Kansas City’s Hunt Family Foundation, with a total donation maximum of $2,500 to each charity. In true Philadelphia Eagles style, engagement with the campaign “soared,” connecting hundreds of thousands of fans through the phone number, billboard, social and news media in a show of pride for their respective teams.

Campaign Metrics

While the agency anticipated social media and PR efforts would play a big role in the success of the campaign, engagement numbers exceeded expectations. As of late afternoon on Friday, Feb. 7—less than 48 hours after the campaign kickoff—activity on AB&C’s social channels alone had generated 192,114 impressions; 2,030 likes/reactions; 1,301 shares; and 248 comments.

However, the real “viral power” came from other people and organizations—ranging from news outlets and sports influencers to fans in both cities and beyond—posting on their own social channels. Again, within 48 hours, this shared content generated 356,639 impressions (X/Twitter only); 80,587 likes/reactions; 30,361 shares; and 4,616 comments.

In addition, a range of digital and broadcast media outlets, including the Fox outlets in Kansas City and Philadelphia as well as many others, helped extend the reach of the campaign.

About AB&C

Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) is one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast. Proudly founded in Wilmington, Delaware, with additional offices in Philadelphia and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, AB&C has played a significant role in the industry for over 50 years. Our clients are regional, national and international in scope—and concentrated in five core market segments: healthcare, behavior change, recruitment marketing, consumer and specialty B2B.

We’d like to announce the second most exciting match-up of Super Bowl LIX – creative and strategy. As you are very well aware, this is a pretty big time of year for us ad nerds. Some might say it’s the Super Bowl of commercials. So, as we look ahead to our commercial kick-off, Alex Wittchen and I want to break down what we think you’ll see during the big game’s big breaks.

What to expect

AI o’clock.

Where 2023 was the year of bitcoin, this will be the year of AI. Some brands like Meta and GoDaddy are touting new AI‑powered offerings, but even more will streamline production costs by using AI tools behind the scenes, and plenty of brands may just use AI as the butt of their jokes. But what you won’t see are fully AI-generated ads. During the Super Bowl, the idea is king and AI just A-ain’t there yet (just ask Coke and Toys‑r‑us).

Alex’s Takeaway:

AI is a tool, not a concept. The brands that win won’t just use AI—they’ll make it relevant to their brand and audience. If AI doesn’t reinforce a core brand truth or deliver an actual consumer benefit, it’s just another tech buzzword that will be forgotten by the next commercial break.

Raise a glass, or 5.

According to ADWEEK, “Anheuser Busch is the largest Super Bowl advertiser across all beer, alcohol, and consumer packaged goods companies” in 2025. Last year, they secured spots for three of their drinks; this year it’s 5. With advertisers ponying up a pretty penny for airtime – $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime alone – that’s a lot of money spent on watery beer.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Dominating share of voice isn’t the same as dominating consumer mindshare. More ads don’t necessarily mean more impact—it’s about what they say, not just how often they say it. The real win for Anheuser Busch will be if they make each ad feel distinct while reinforcing a consistent brand narrative across all five.

Take that, rewind it back.

As usual, many brands are taking the ol’ “if it ain’t” broke approach to their big investments. We’ve got baby Clydesdales, action stars named Chris, and a big nostalgia play (looking at Hellmann’s bringing us back to the When Harry Met Sally diner).

Alex’s Takeaway:

Nostalgia works when it’s more than a reference. The brands that get it right will use nostalgia to reinforce brand equity or spark new relevance—like Hellmann’s tying their diner moment to modern food trends. The ones that get it wrong? They’ll feel like reruns with no clear reason to exist today.

What not to expect

What’s got 4 doors and is sitting out of the Super Bowl?

As of last week, only one automaker confirmed a 2025 Super Bowl ad. The reason could be that the industry has been heavily focused on making and marketing electric vehicles which customers have been slow to adopt, along with the current administration’s likelihood to end subsidies and policies that benefit electric vehicle manufacturers. Long story short, if you’re looking for a quick way to save a buck – $7 million on air seems like a good place to start.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Sitting out is a strategy, too. Automakers aren’t just cutting costs; they’re recalibrating priorities. If a category that used Super Bowl ads as a staple suddenly opts out, it’s a signal that their marketing focus is shifting. The real question: Where are they investing instead?

Shock factor

My guess is that most brands will like their ads how Anheuser Busch likes their beer – watered down and palatable for the masses. Humor is going to be light and the heavy emotional spots will be few and far between. In this climate, brands will be less looking to make bold statements in favor of broad appeal and a feel‑good laugh.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Mass appeal doesn’t have to mean forgettable. The best brands will find ways to be memorable within the safe zone—whether that’s through strong storytelling, unique execution, or a fresh perspective. Playing it safe is fine. Playing it dull isn’t.

State Farm

Though they had a big presence in last year’s game and were cued up for more of the same, they decided to pull their spot in light of the LA fires to “focus firmly on providing support to the people of Los Angeles.” In other words, they had received some flack as of late for dropping policies in LA in the past few years due to extreme weather. So spending all of that money on a big ad with big celebs wouldn’t be a great lewk.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Marketing decisions don’t exist in a vacuum. A brand’s public perception can shape what they shouldn’t say just as much as what they should. The smartest marketers know when to step back—and when to reinvest in rebuilding trust through actions, not ads.

So grab your chips, your dip, and your copies of “Inner Excellence” – there’s a lot to look forward to this weekend.

In an unprecedented show of Eagles fandom, agency owns up to billboard by Arrowhead Stadium.

PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 5, 2025) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast, has come forward to claim responsibility for the “816-323-GO KC—call for a pep rally in your pocket” digital billboard next to Arrowhead Stadium. Since Tuesday, Feb. 4, the billboard has been capturing the attention of commuters traveling on I-435. After dialing the number on the billboard, a person is greeted with a rousing version of the “Fly, Eagles, Fly!” fight song.

In addition to securing and designing the board, the agency is demonstrating what being in the City of Brotherly Love is all about. For every call received via the 816-323-GO KC line, AB&C is making donations to the Eagles Autism Foundation and Kansas City’s Hunt Family Foundation. AB&C will donate up to $5,000 total, based on the number of calls received between Feb. 4 and the game on Sunday, Feb. 9.

“AB&C is incredibly proud to be a part of the Philadelphia community and grateful for the opportunities it’s given us as a business,” said Colleen Masters, AB&C’s executive creative director. “To honor this pride, we wanted to give back to two great charities in a meaningful but uniquely Philly way. Like any proud part of the Philadelphia community, we take our sports seriously. With the Eagles in the big game, this seemed like a great chance to take our team spirit well beyond our borders. We did this for every loyal Eagles fan out there—and even more importantly, for the communities of both teams.”

About AB&C

Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) is one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast. Proudly founded in Wilmington, Delaware, with additional offices in Philadelphia and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, AB&C has played a significant role in the industry for over 50 years. Our clients are regional, national and international in scope—and concentrated in five core market segments: healthcare, behavior change, recruitment marketing, consumer and specialty B2B.

Well, it happened—sort of. The TikTok ban, slated to go into effect on Jan. 19, 2025, arrived a few hours early, as users began to receive messages that the app was no longer available around 10:30 p.m. Eastern time on Jan. 18.

Memes mourning the loss of TikTok and maligning Instagram Reels immediately began to make their rounds (shoutout to uncontested brand troll leader Duolingo for this video), and by the early-morning hours of Jan. 19, TikTok users were beginning to adjust to a new normal without their FYP.

Shortly after noon on Jan. 19, something interesting happened—TikTok was restored. U.S.-based users were able to open the app and scroll again, greeted with a message that read, “Thanks for your patience and support! As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”

But is TikTok back long-term? That remains to be seen.

In August 2020, during his first term, President Trump issued an executive order claiming that TikTok was capturing massive amounts of information about Americans that could be used by the Chinese government. The order was later blocked by a federal judge and then dropped by the Biden administration, in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA, the TikTok ban that was semi-enacted over the weekend).

President Trump appeared to change his position in March 2024, when he came out against the bill to ban the app or force a sale. Over the weekend, on Truth Social, Trump posted, “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”

TikTok has also issued a statement that ends, “It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”

What that long-term solution looks like remains to be seen, as ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) has shown no interest in a potential sale to a U.S.-based company. Trump has floated a joint venture between ByteDance and a U.S.-based company, but PAFACA in its current state prohibits more than 20% ownership by a foreign company. Congress could move to change the law, which would pave the way for TikTok to be partially owned by a U.S. company.

In the meantime, here’s what we recommend for users and for brands celebrating the return of TikTok:

• Continue to download your data and save any content you’re posting on TikTok to your computer or phone.
• Follow your favorite creators on other platforms.
• Diversify your media mix and consider shifting paid media dollars that were previously allocated to TikTok to other social networks that are less volatile.

WILMINGTON, Del. (Dec. 11, 2024) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies in the region, has announced that Linda Shopa, CFO, will retire on December 31, 2024. After 35 years with the agency, Shopa’s retirement comes with several long-planned leadership changes that will ensure a smooth transition and support the agency’s aggressive growth strategy.

“It’s been a remarkable journey with AB&C, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to contribute to our growth and help build the agency into the company it is today,” Shopa said. “I have no doubt AB&C will continue to pursue the strategies that keep the business strong and set us apart from [other] agencies in the region and beyond.”

Key leadership changes at AB&C include:

Joanna Ford, previously Director of PR & Social Media, has taken on an expanded leadership role as the agency’s Chief Communications Officer. In addition to overseeing all internal and external communications, Ford will take on responsibilities for agency operations. She also now joins Paul Pomeroy, CEO, and Steve Merino, Chief Creative Officer, as an owner.

Will Davis, Finance Director, will become CFO upon Shopa’s retirement. Davis will also expand his responsibilities in the agency’s long-term fiscal planning and operations.

“AB&C would not be where it is today without Linda’s dedication and the influence she’s had on our growth,” CEO Paul Pomeroy said. “Certainly, we are sad to see her retire. But the way we will transition and move forward is completely aligned with Linda’s commitment to the well-being of AB&C. This agency is building on the very foundations that she helped to establish to continue our growth strategies. We wish Linda all the best and are excited to move ahead with these meaningful leadership changes.”

Additional AB&C promotions driven by Shopa’s retirement and agency growth include the following new positions:

• Chris Marts—Managing Director of Technology Operations (formerly IT Director)
• Danielle Clark—Senior Financial Accountant (formerly accounting services)

About AB&C

Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) is one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with additional offices in Philadelphia and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, AB&C has played a significant role in the industry for over 50 years. Its clients are regional, national and international in scope—and concentrated in five core market segments: healthcare, behavior change, recruitment marketing, consumer and specialty B2B. Learn more at abccreative.com.

In a creative agency, ideas are currency. But great ideas rarely emerge fully formed—they’re shaped, refined, and polished through the fires of discussion and debate. At AB&C, we believe that disagreement doesn’t mean disrespect. In fact, it’s not just welcome—it’s necessary. Creative progress demands differing perspectives, thoughtful challenges, and the courage to question assumptions.

This belief comes from experience. Some of our best work has grown out of spirited conversations and opposing viewpoints. And yet, fostering a culture where disagreement thrives without crossing the line into disrespect requires intentional effort. It means rethinking how we engage with one another and, sometimes, redefining what success looks like in a team dynamic.

The Value of Healthy Disagreement

Disagreement is not a sign of dysfunction; it’s a sign that people care. Passion for an idea or a direction often leads to pushback—sometimes strong pushback. But this pushback is vital. When team members bring their unique perspectives, they open the door to conversations that enrich ideas and expand creative possibilities.

Healthy disagreement keeps us from settling for ‘good enough’ ideas. It challenges groupthink and encourages innovative thinking. Without it, creativity risks stagnation, and we may fail to fully serve our clients or reach the potential of what we’re capable of achieving as a team.

I can vouch for this personally—some of the best work I’ve been part of started with heated debates among close colleagues. I’ve had moments where I walked out of a meeting thinking, There’s no way I’m agreeing with that idea, only to find myself passionately defending it a week later. That’s the beauty of this process—it doesn’t just evolve the work, it evolves us too.

Making Space for Dialogue and Debate

So how do we create space for productive dialogue and debate? The fact is: it’s tough. It doesn’t just happen naturally. Teams need a structure and a culture that welcomes diverse perspectives and ensures everyone feels safe to voice their thoughts. This means being deliberate about how we approach conversations and ensuring that all voices are heard, not just the loudest or most senior in the room.

This means we’re asking ourselves critical questions:

• Are our meetings structured in ways that encourage differing perspectives rather than silence them?
• Do our team members have the time and space to articulate their ideas fully before the group responds?
• Are leaders modeling constructive disagreement by encouraging challenges and demonstrating a willingness to be persuaded?

These are questions without easy answers, but the effort to address them is essential if you want to keep making better and better work. Creating a culture of dialogue and debate starts at the top, with leaders setting the tone. Yet it also requires buy-in and accountability from everyone in the organization.

The Responsibility of Every Team Member

Creating a culture of productive disagreement isn’t solely a leadership responsibility. Every team member has a role to play. Here are some principles we hold ourselves to:

1. Be Curious: Approach disagreements with curiosity, not defensiveness. Ask questions to dig deeper into someone’s perspective, aiming to understand rather than rebut.
2. Be Respectful: Always critique ideas, not people. Choosing the right words and maintaining a thoughtful tone can mean the difference between a constructive conversation and an unproductive argument.
3. Be Open to Being Wrong: And let me tell you, — this one can be tough. Strong opinions are valuable, but they shouldn’t become immovable. Flexibility in the face of better ideas or perspectives is a hallmark of true collaboration.
4. Stay Goal-Oriented: Remember that the purpose of debate is not to “win” but to arrive at the best possible solution for the client or the project.

Finding the Balance Between Passion and Positivity

In a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, it’s easy for disagreements to become heated. Passion is a good thing—it means we care about the work. But it’s also essential to balance that passion with positivity. A culture that prioritizes constructive dialogue over combative conversations will build trust within teams and strengthen the creative process.

At AB&C, we encourage our teams to view debates as opportunities, not obstacles. It’s a chance to show vulnerability, to test ideas, and to grow together. After all, the best creative work is rarely the product of one person’s vision—it’s the result of many voices coming together, refining, challenging, and ultimately building something better than any single person could have imagined.

Why It Matters

Disagreement is where innovation lives. By pushing back, we push forward. Debate and dialogue drive us to move beyond our comfort zones and uncover solutions that may not have been obvious at first glance. This process isn’t just better for the work—it’s better for the people doing the work. It fosters trust, builds stronger teams, and cultivates an environment where creativity can flourish.

When disagreement is respectful, thoughtful, and goal-oriented, it becomes a powerful tool for growth – for the agency, the client and the individual. It teaches us to listen, to articulate our ideas clearly, and to value the perspectives of others.

At AB&C, we know that great ideas don’t come from avoiding conflict. They come from engaging with it—constructively, respectfully, and with a shared commitment to our clients and each other. So lean into the tough conversations. Let’s embrace the beautiful friction that makes magic happen. And let’s keep the dialogue going.

In a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, CEOs of health systems are laser-focused on one paramount goal: improving patient care outcomes. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, this priority tops the list of health system C-suite initiatives for 2025. Yet, achieving this goal hinges on having the right physicians in place — a challenge that underscores the value of a robust physician recruitment function.

A strong recruitment strategy does more than fill vacancies. It also accelerates the time to hire, secures top-tier talent and minimizes the organizational and financial costs of prolonged vacancies. Here’s how:

1. Faster Hiring = Better Patient Outcomes

Physician vacancies create a ripple effect throughout the organization, impacting patient care delivery, staff morale and operational efficiency. Overburdened physicians may experience burnout, leading to errors, patient dissatisfaction and even higher turnover. A well-oiled physician recruitment function ensures your health system hires quickly, keeping teams fully staffed and maintaining high quality care standards.

Key Insight:

Every day a critical physician role remains vacant, patients may face longer wait times and diminished access to care. This can jeopardize a health system’s ability to meet quality benchmarks, adversely impacting patient satisfaction scores and reimbursement rates.

2. Quantifying the Financial Benefits of Reducing Time-to-Fill

Beyond quality-of-care metrics, unfilled physician roles have a direct financial cost. The average physician generates $2.4 million annually in net revenue for their organization, meaning every day a position goes unfilled translates to lost revenue.

Organizations can quantify this impact using tools like MissingPhysician.com, which calculates the financial windfall associated with reducing time-to-fill. This data allows CEOs and CFOs to see the tangible benefits of investing in physician recruitment infrastructure.

Example:

A specialty like cardiology, with an average time-to-fill of 180 days, could result in a $1.2 million revenue loss during that period. Reducing time-to-fill by even 30 days can recapture $200,000+ in revenue.

3. Investing in Recruitment Yields Long-Term Gains

Physician recruitment isn’t just about speed; it’s also about building relationships, understanding market dynamics and strategically aligning talent acquisition with organizational goals. By investing in a dedicated recruitment function, health systems can:

• Access a larger, more diverse candidate pool.
• Strengthen employer branding to attract high-caliber candidates.
• Enhance retention by identifying candidates aligned with organizational culture and long-term objectives.

Practical Action Steps:

• Utilize data-driven strategies to forecast workforce needs.
• Partner with recruitment specialists skilled in reducing time-to-fill for hard-to-recruit specialties.
• Integrate tools like MissingPhysician.com to align recruitment goals with measurable financial outcomes.

As CEOs champion better patient care, they must recognize physician recruitment as a cornerstone of this mission. A seamless, efficient recruitment function ensures that the right talent is on board to deliver on the organization’s promise of quality care. Moreover, linking recruitment success to financial metrics, such as reduced time-to-fill and lost revenue recovery, can secure buy-in from key stakeholders across the C-suite.

Physician recruitment is an operational necessity, but it’s also a strategic lever to achieve top-tier patient care and financial sustainability. By prioritizing recruitment, health systems can address the CEO’s #1 priority for 2025 while simultaneously unlocking significant financial gains.

Want to explore the financial impact of reducing time-to-fill at your organization? Start your journey toward recruitment excellence today.

People often first encounter a company via their job postings. While companies are well versed in presenting job duties and requirements, company culture, benefits and other quality of life considerations, they often forget the most basic thing: presenting the information and the job details in a well formatted, succinct and error-free posting. According to a survey by Indeed, “52% of job seekers say the quality of a job description (e.g. spelling, grammar, role description, formatting) is ‘very’ or ‘extremely influential’ on their decision to apply for a job.” Therefore, it is imperative that companies take time in posting their openings to their applicant tracking system and on job posting sites, such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter.

Here are some ways to create a professional-looking and easy-to-read job listing so that the candidate knows the duties and requirements and also comes away with a positive view of your company. Even if the candidate does not apply, they may keep your company top of mind for future job openings.

1. Make sure everything is spelled correctly, especially in the job title. A spellcheck program will find most spelling errors but be sure to read the listing again because no spellcheck program is perfect and often misses nuances that can result in an incorrect recommendation.
2. Use a consistent font of large enough size to read on multiple types of devices. What may seem like a good font size on a desktop may be too small to be read on a cell phone. And a listing with a variety of fonts gives the impression that the person who posted the job just blindly copied and pasted from one or more documents.
3. Avoid any grammatical errors. Again, a spellcheck program can spot many issues of this nature. However, be aware that many of these programs are less accurate in this regard so give extra thought to any recommendations from the program. An additional, careful read may be more reliable than any program in some situations.
4. If you copy/cut and paste from another document, make sure special characters (e.g., apostrophes, bullets) appear correctly. They may appear as question marks or other characters that are incorrect. Also, make sure any dates have not passed or are still relevant.
5. Bolding and italics are great ways to highlight items like sign-on bonuses, but don’t overdo their use or the job seeker may be confused as to what is most important in the listing.
6. Use headers and bullets or numbered lists for duties and qualifications. Doing so allows the job seeker to quickly assess what the job does and requires. Listings that put everything in a handful of paragraphs are harder to read and the job seeker may abandon the posting rather than sort through that information.
7. Do not make your listings overly long. According to Remko Glatzhofer of Indeed, “Shorter job posts (1-300 words) had significantly higher-than-average apply rates per view (the number of applications the job post got divided by the number of views).” Here are some ways you can keep the word count down in your posting:
   • First and foremost, only include information relevant to the job title, department, etc. For example, if you are hiring for an emergency department RN, do not have a generic nurse listing that includes qualifications for every department at your facility. Job seekers will not want to search for information pertinent to the position they are interested in. Also, limiting your qualifications only to the relevant job should dissuade unqualified candidates from applying.
   • You do not need to include any requirements that would seem obvious, especially if a more detailed requirement is also listed (e.g., if the IT tech position requires knowledge of a specific programming language, “computer experience” is completely unnecessary), or if the requirement is extremely basic (e.g., “ability to listen to others”).
   • If you have any qualifications listed as preferred, ask yourself if they are necessary for the person to qualify for the job. A few preferred items here and there are okay, but a potential candidate may feel unqualified and not apply if confronted by a list of preferred qualifications.
   • Avoid duplicating information. If you have benefits, for example, early in the listing, you shouldn’t list them again later. Also, if the earlier information doesn’t completely match up with the later information, it may confuse job seekers.

Investing in the appearance and readability of your posting from the beginning can potentially increase not only the number of applicants, but also the quality of those applicants. If your listing looks poorly written or requires too much time to read and understand, you may lose out on a quality candidate for not only the initial job listing they encounter, but any future listings. A well-formatted, professional-looking listing helps to win over a job seeker to an opening and to your company overall.

Recognitions include six platinum awards—the most of any agency on the East Coast—for outstanding creativity and strategy.

WILMINGTON, Del. (Nov. 18, 2024) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies in the region, recently received a total of 15 recognitions during the 20th annual MarCom Awards. Presented by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals (AMCP)—an international organization founded to provide credible recognition of excellence and achievement in marketing and communications—the MarCom Awards annually receive thousands of entries from around the world. From the 15 entries they submitted in 2024, AB&C received six platinum awards, five gold awards and four honorable mentions. With winning entries spanning everything from television and digital PSAs to outdoor and social—for clients in industries including healthcare, public health, higher education and tourism—AB&C demonstrated the depth and breadth of the agency’s strategic and creative capabilities.

“Awards are great, but results are what really matter,” said Steve Merino, AB&C’s chief creative officer. “We’re especially proud when we can do both at the same time. Not only was our work recognized, but every campaign submitted helped improve our clients’ bottom line. That’s what it’s all about.”

Since its inception in 2004, MarCom has evolved into one of the largest, most-respected creative competitions in the world. Unlike some traditional marketing and communications award programs, MarCom submissions are not accompanied by written narratives to “build the case” for the creative execution. Instead, all work is evaluated solely on its own merit—taking into account excellence in quality, creativity, and resourcefulness.

AB&C’s 15 winning entries were judged in a highly competitive field of an estimated 6,500 submissions from dozens of countries. AB&C’s MarCom honors for 2024 include the following:

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About AB&C

Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) is one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast. Proudly founded in Wilmington, Delaware, with additional offices in Philadelphia and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, AB&C has played a significant role in the industry for over 50 years. Our clients are regional, national and international in scope—and concentrated in five core market segments: healthcare, behavior change, recruitment marketing, consumer and specialty B2B. Learn more at abccreative.com.

There was a time when the full-service agency model felt like the ultimate solution. Clients loved the convenience of one-stop shops, where strategy, creative, media, production, and PR all lived under one roof, ready to work together seamlessly. But as marketing has evolved, it’s become clear that no agency—no matter how talented or resourceful—can be everything to everyone.

The pace of change in technology, consumer behavior, and media complexity has made it nearly impossible for a single agency to excel at every specialty. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s better. By embracing collaboration, focus, and adaptability, we can build a new, more effective way of working—one that reflects the complexity and opportunity of today’s marketing landscape.

Why the One-Stop Shop is Losing its Luster

1. The Age of Specialization: Marketing today is more complex than ever, with fields like data analytics, programmatic advertising, TikTok trends, and UX design demanding deep expertise. No agency, however large, can be the best at all of these—and clients shouldn’t expect them to be.
2. The Fragmentation of Media: The days of a single, unified campaign spanning just a few channels are long gone. Today, campaigns need to adapt across dozens of platforms, each with its own nuances and audiences. This level of specificity calls for specialists who live and breathe their craft.
3. Shifting Client Expectations: Clients no longer need agencies to own every piece of the puzzle. Many are building strong in-house teams and are looking to agencies to complement their capabilities—offering fresh perspectives, specific expertise, or strategic guidance.
4. The Rise of Collaboration: Clients increasingly assemble their own teams of partners, blending agencies, in-house talent, and specialists. What they need now isn’t one team to rule them all—it’s a team that plays well with others.

A Smarter Approach to Agency Partnerships

The idea that one agency can do it all is outdated. But that doesn’t mean agencies are any less valuable. Instead, the opportunity lies in evolving how we think about agency-client relationships.

1. Specialize with Intention: Agencies should focus on what they do best and lead with those strengths. Whether it’s brand strategy, creative development, or campaign execution, excelling in a few areas builds trust and ensures higher-quality work.
2. Be the Connector: Instead of trying to be the one-stop shop, agencies can serve as strategic hubs—bringing together the right partners for each client’s unique needs. This means not only knowing your craft but also knowing who to call when a client needs expertise beyond your scope.
3. Collaborate, Don’t Compete: The best agencies understand that working alongside other partners is the norm, not the exception. A client’s in-house team isn’t competition—it’s a resource. Other agencies aren’t rivals—they’re collaborators.
4. Offer Modular Solutions: Instead of all-or-nothing retainers, agencies can offer flexible, project-based options. This approach meets clients where they are, whether they need a single campaign, a long-term strategy, or just some extra hands on deck.
5. Focus on Outcomes, Not Ownership: Clients don’t care who came up with the idea or executed the campaign. They care about results. Agencies that prioritize outcomes over ego build stronger relationships and create better work.

The Power of the Hub-and-Spoke Model

Rather than trying to be all things to all clients, successful agencies are embracing a hub-and-spoke approach. Think of the agency as the hub: a central core of expertise and shared values. From that hub extend specialized business units or “spokes,” each focused on a distinct discipline, audience, or industry.

At AB&C, we’ve structured our agency around this very idea. We have dedicated teams for healthcare, behavior change, B2B, consumer, recruitment, and higher education. Each unit is its own expert, deeply embedded in its field, but the magic happens in the overlap.

• Specialization Drives Depth: Each business unit hones its expertise, staying on the cutting edge of its sector’s trends, challenges, and opportunities. This focus allows us to bring unmatched knowledge to our clients.
• Cross-Pollination Sparks Innovation: While each unit specializes, they don’t operate in isolation. Ideas, strategies, and creative inspiration flow freely between them. A recruitment campaign might borrow behavior change principles from our healthcare team, or a B2B strategy might adopt consumer-focused storytelling techniques.
• Flexibility Meets Scalability: This model also allows us to scale our solutions to meet client needs. A higher education client looking to amplify enrollment could benefit from the consumer team’s creative muscle or the behavior change team’s expertise in motivating action.

The hub model doesn’t just benefit clients—it strengthens the agency itself. When teams share insights and draw from each other’s experiences, it creates an environment of collaboration and innovation. It keeps ideas fresh and ensures that no matter where a client enters the ecosystem, they’re gaining access to the full breadth of the agency’s expertise.

This isn’t just a theory—it’s a practice we live every day at AB&C. When a healthcare project demands recruitment expertise, or a behavior change campaign benefits from consumer insights, our teams are ready to lean on each other. The result? Stronger relationships, smarter strategies, and better results for our clients.

Why It’s a Good Thing

The shift away from one-stop shops isn’t a failure of agencies—it’s a reflection of how much marketing has evolved. Collaboration is the new cornerstone of success. By leaning into our strengths, building relationships with specialists, and embracing a collaborative mindset, we can deliver better results for clients while fostering stronger partnerships.

At AB&C, we believe no agency is an island. We thrive by focusing on what we do best and working hand-in-hand with our clients and their other partners to create campaigns that exceed expectations. Our role is to simplify the complex, navigate challenges, and act as a trusted guide in a fast-changing marketing world.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about owning everything. It’s about owning what we do best—and being willing to share the spotlight when it’s what’s best for the client.

Let’s Talk

Are you rethinking what you need from your agency partners? We’d love to hear your thoughts—and how we can help you navigate this new world of collaboration and specialization.

Timing is everything in recruitment. While certain months are peak hiring seasons for some industries, real success comes from a consistent, year-round effort. That’s where a smart checklist makes all the difference. It ensures you stay ahead, ready to connect with top talent and fill roles efficiently. To help you get started, here are some ideas you can build on to craft a checklist customized to fit your hiring goals.

January & February

• Develop a detailed and organized onboarding process — or refresh your existing one — to kick-start a new hire’s journey. A great onboarding experience sets a positive tone and establishes the foundation for lasting engagement and retention.
• Review your pipeline and reconnect with candidates you haven’t been actively engaging. They may not be open to a new job or conversation, but reaching out is never a missed opportunity.
• Start planning for spring, when new graduates (who are eager to start their careers) are entering the job market. While many employers often overlook new grads, viewing them as inexperienced, they typically bring fresh ideas, strong tech skills and a passion for learning.

March & April

• Create a conference engagement plan. Choosing which conferences to attend shouldn’t be left to chance. Some events will offer far more benefits than others, but the value you gain will depend on your specific goals.
• Establish your pre-conference marketing strategy. How will you measure success at the event? Through the number of new email leads you capture or the number of interviews generated? The answer may vary, but using consistent metrics across all your conferences gives you a meaningful comparison.
• Start building a conference playbook with key contacts, phone numbers, budgets, receipts and anything else you might need. Think of a playbook as your survival guide. If anything goes off track, a playbook keeps everything at your fingertips. It also frees up your mind so you can stay focused and fully engaged at the conference.
• Identify key dates in your industry — conferences, special events, observance days — and start crafting relevant content to share with future hires. For example, if you’re recruiting nurses, you could create content for National Nurses Week each May. In construction, you might earmark content for National Safety Month each June.

May & June

• Remember the goals you set in January? Review your progress and adjust, as necessary.
• Start prepping for fall career events. Late September and early October are the most popular times for career fairs, and graduating students are motivated to start looking.
• Create templates for invitations or social media posts for career events — and don’t forget to include a booth number, contact information and a link for registration.

July & August

• Reevaluate your employee value proposition (EVP) and brand. There’s ample evidence that a strong employer brand doesn’t just attract top talent — it drives real results. LinkedIn reports that 72% of recruiting leaders worldwide agree that employer brand has a significant impact on hiring. With a great EVP, you’ll fill roles faster and save on recruitment costs, all while boosting your bottom line.
• Evaluate responses from candidates you’ve engaged with over the year and find opportunities to refine and improve your job titles, posts and other messaging. Which subject lines got the most responses? Does one job post stand out and why? For inspiration, check out 12 Tips for More Effective Indeed Job Titles and Mastering the Art of Effective Job Descriptions.

September & October

• Assess your sourcing and marketing tools. Finding the right candidates is an art that needs targeted search capabilities and more. You should also start figuring out your top hiring priorities for the upcoming year and decide which recruitment tools to implement.
• Rethink incentives and compensation for your roles. Start with a hard-to-fill position and ask, “What does the ideal candidate for this role look like?” Use those traits to sharpen your search and adjust the incentives to attract the perfect fit.
• Review your budget and expenses compared to last year and start planning for the year ahead.

November & December

• The holiday season is the perfect time to recruit for many organizations. End-of-the-year rethinking has people reexamining their future, and you should take full advantage of it. Many potential candidates also have slower schedules or days off, which means more time to read your emails, search job boards or take a recruiter’s call.
• Review recent and past hires — and their lead sources — for valuable insights to improve future recruitment efforts. Do most of your hires come from the same source? Are some sources underperforming in lead generation? Ultimately, your ability to make quality placements hinges on how effectively you source candidates, so understanding where your best leads come from is crucial.
• Do you have candidates you want to hire, but know they’re not ready to sign on? Don’t risk losing them to a competitor or indecision. Try writing a letter of intent or “offer letter.” It serves as a written expression of mutual interest and good faith from both parties. While not legally binding, it can help candidates take an important mental step toward formalizing an employment contract.

Ready to step up your recruitment game? A smart checklist is your secret to staying ahead, no matter the season. Whether you’re gearing up for the next hiring wave or fine-tuning your year-round approach, AB&C is here to craft a custom plan that aligns with your unique goals and keeps you ready to attract top talent. Let’s talk.

Awards include three best-of trophies, recognizing some of the agency’s most compelling work for print, outdoor, digital and broadcast media.

WILMINGTON, Del. (Oct. 16, 2024) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies in the region, recently received a total of 10 recognitions—including four first-place, two second-place and three best-of awards—at the New Jersey Ad Club’s 2024 Jersey Awards. Marking its 56th year, the Jersey Awards program celebrates creative excellence that drives results across communication platforms. To be considered for an award, work must support a New Jersey­–based business or be created by a New Jersey–based agency. This year, AB&C’s awards demonstrate the agency’s depth and breadth of capabilities by showcasing stellar print, outdoor, digital and broadcast media advertising—delivering on strategic objectives for well-known New Jersey entities, including Adventure Aquarium, AtlantiCare and Englewood Health.

“New Jersey has always been a fundamental part of our DNA,” said Steve Merino, AB&C’s chief creative officer. “Our team lives and vacations all over the state. We know how to talk to New Jersey audiences in ways that connect, compel and ultimately drive results. These awards are for all our New Jersey clients, who trust us to push the envelope and get them noticed.”

AB&C’s 10 winning entries were selected by a distinguished panel of judges from a highly competitive field of more than 380 submissions. Members of the team proudly accepted their awards at the 56th Annual Jersey Awards Exhibition and Ceremony on Sept. 18. AB&C’s honors include the following:

First-place awards

• Magazine Ad—Englewood Health, With Women, For Women
• Out of Home, Environmental Design—Adventure Aquarium, Adventure Awaits
• Out of Home, Billboard—Adventure Aquarium, Adventure Awaits
• Newspaper Campaign—AtlantiCare, Heartburn print ad series

Second-place awards

• Multimedia Campaign—Adventure Aquarium, Adventure Awaits
• Identity, Logo—Adventure Aquarium, T-shirt design

Best-of trophies

• Adventure Aquarium, Adventure Awaits campaign
• AtlantiCare, Heartburn print ad series
• Englewood Health, With Women, For Women ad

AB&C also received an Award of Excellence for its Adventure Awaits television ad series created for Adventure Aquarium.

About AB&C

Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) is one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies on the East Coast and one of Adweek’s 50 “Top Shops” in America. With offices in Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, AB&C has played a significant role in the industry for over 50 years. Established in business-to-business and consumer marketing, the agency brings creative intelligence to local, regional, national and international accounts in a variety of industries.