At many agencies, the goal is to earn impressions,” says CSO Sean McDonald. “At Rethink, we are trying to leave an impression.”

With seven consecutive AOY Golds to its credit, Rethink has certainly left an impression on the marketing community. And it has achieved that by doing for itself what it does for its clients’ brands. “Ultimately, the goal of a brand,” continues McDonald, “is to challenge the conventions that surround it so as to be distinct. The idea is to be unforgettable.”

As proof, who can forget the “Draw Ketchup” campaign for Heinz, or the Scotiabank tagline “You’re richer than you think,” or IKEA’s “The Troll”?

Though known for its creative brilliance, Rethink’s success is also the result of strong, longstanding client relationships, a fact not widely known in the industry “This year is our 25th anniversary, and we’re still working with our very first client, A&W. I don’t think people understand how hard we work on the relationship.” In fact, the average length of a client relationship at Rethink is eight years – that’s an enviable achievement.

For long-term relationships with clients like A&W, Molson Coors, IKEA, Scotiabank and Kraft Heinz, it’s a matter of mutual success. “We have a lot of relationships where we see our clients succeed and they’ve watched us succeed with them,” says McDonald. “That momentum is precious, and I think it’s something that a lot of agencies would clamor for.”

It has also allowed the agency to build a strong fullservice model, with many key clients engaging Rethink across advertising, PR and design. Late last year, the agency launched a new PR unit, headed by Meredith Burns.

McDonald points out that it wasn’t so much a launch as it was about hiring a new leader and renaming the unit Rethink PR. “PR launched several years ago under the name Brand Narrative, but not everybody understood what the service was, and so to be clear to clients, we renamed it Rethink PR. Meredith joined us from Hill & Knowlton to lead it, and it’s grown tremendously.”