Today marks the 19th anniversary of Markham Yard. It’s been a crazy journey to get to where we find ourselves, and inevitably, we’ve picked up some stuff along the way. Some useful, some weird, some inspirational, and some, like a cockroach after Armageddon, dumb but immortal.
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Recently, we were presenting a brand campaign to the Board of Directors of a large corporation, which was going pretty well, when the Chief Financial Officer leaned in to give his input.
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I was struggling last night to keep an obsolete piece of software running. It was, fifteen years ago, an important and fundamental (also complicated and temperamental) part of the creative toolbox- Everyone used it and its quirks and constant need for attention was an industry-wide joke.
But now, frustrated, I cling to its increasingly rickety Rube-Golberg functionality, anachronistic technology, and updates that stopped arriving around the time of the last generation iPod. Because it is familiar. And because to give up would be to acknowledge that I have to start over with something new.
Start.
Over.
I would have to clean out a dozen years of ossified files and folders, take inventory, and worse yet: I would have to learn something unfamiliar.
The new thing may be way easier. More efficient. Faster. But that’s no reason to like it. Because I have to change in order to use it, and I’m not crazy about the idea.
And then I asked myself why that is.
This made me step back, for a minute, to look at myself. And those like me. And our entire industry.
And then I thought of the crab.
The Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) is a marine invertebrate with a rigid exoskeleton. It lives and grows within a shell of a fixed size, until it accumulates an internal pressure so great that it splits its own constricting skin, shedding the calcified limitations of its old self, forming a new and vulnerable stage, with a soft, malleable carapace that can stretch and grow to a greater size.
An adult male Blue Crab molts up to 23 times in its life. But at some point, it stops. It becomes trapped inside the hardened restriction of its own body, where it grows fetid, static, doomed to remain the same size forever.
We are this crab. If we choose to be.
The ongoing timeline of our industry, whether driven by culture, or technology, or innovation, has created an ever- intensifying cycle of necessary reinvention of ourselves and our businesses, which we can either reject or embrace. Every new stage requires the discomfort of change and adaptation, and in order to continue growing we need to eagerly accept these blessings.
Or we can reject it, and become captive to the rigid shell of our own obsolescence at some point. This happens more often than we’d like to admit.
I know a number of advertising folk of a certain age who do little more than bitch about how things have changed and how awesome this business used to be. And it was- The work was exciting, fun, and what was valued was well established and easy to understand.
I get it. It’s comfy here in the shells we’ve spent our lives crafting, with the wall-to-wall One Show books and mountains of free LA production co. swag. But the world is different now. What is important, how it’s done, and where the goalposts are, are all different.
So we have to be different.
We have to get comfortable shedding our habitual limits, and emerging into the vulnerability of our own soft-shell stage, where we are all walking on the wobbly legs of a baby giraffe, and find the opportunities to take the experience that filled our old shells and use it to grow into our new ones.
And the empty, hardened vessel that once restrained us must be discarded- Clinging to it will only slow us down (Like that damn software.)
So I’ll be downloading some new software today, and living with the uneasy period where shit doesn’t work the way it should as my system adapts to the new reality. And the bandwidth/psychic energy I expended keeping the old stuff running can then be spent in much more constructive ways.
Shed your skin once in a while. It is hard. But it’s the only way to find room to grow.
New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe) has collaborated with advertising agency Markham Yard to launch a youth-targeted campaign designed to educate and activate a new generation of blood donors.
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The ultimate culmination of Community X Conservation, Costa’s Marlin Fly Project is the first multi-partner program of its kind to better understand one of the most incredible Striped Marlin fisheries in the world – by tagging billfish on the fly in Magdalena Bay, Mexico.
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Farm Bureau Bank has selected Markham Yard to lead its integrated branding and marketing efforts after a national competitive review among undisclosed participants.
Farm Bureau Bank provides digitally focused banking solutions to Farm Bureau members and their communities in over 44 states. Banking products and services include checking accounts, auto loans, and credit cards, as well as business and commercial services.
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Markham Yard has spent this summer working with long-time partner Beach Plum/Menemsha Inn, a landmark property situated on the western end of Martha’s Vineyard to create a unified visual Brand Identity, style guide and merchandising program.
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Agency obtains 16 ADDYs, including three Best of Show awards.
MIAMI, FL, MARCH 24, 2023: The American Advertising Federation hosted its annual Miami ADDY Awards last week at The Anderson, enjoying a three-hour presentation filled with snacks, jazz, and the best of the best in the South Florida advertising community.
As the night progressed, one thing was clear: Markham Yard emerged victorious.
Presented 16 individual awards, including three Best of Show categories, eleven Silver ADDYs, one Honorable Mention and one Special Merit, the Markham Yard team took home more awards (including the most top awards) than anyone else this year.
“So proud of our team, for being recognized by the AAF for our work at the 2023 ADDYS last night. And thank you to the local ad community for coming together once more to remind us what ‘community’ can mean.” said Markham Cronin, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Markham Yard.
“Thank you to our team for your passion and energy. Thank you to our clients and partners who recognize that to do something extraordinary, we need to trust the process and each other, and be open to the unexpected, the unprecedented, the new.
We celebrate this moment. And then we tear off the rearview mirror, because what is behind us, is behind us. The things in front of us are where we are focused.”
Awards include:
BEST OF SHOW, PUBLIC SERVICE:
“Save The Slime” Campaign, Bonefish and Tarpon Trust
BEST OF SHOW, PRINT:
“Serious Stories, Chapter 2” Campaign, Invincible Boats
BEST OF SHOW, ONLINE/INTERACTIVE:
“You Don’t Have to Be Good” Campaign, New York Blood Center Enterprise.
HONORABLE MENTION, CROSS PLATFORM:
“Save the Slime” Release Campaign, Bonefish and Tarpon Trust
MERIT IN ILLUSTRATION/PACKAGING:
Don Q Packaging, Don Q Rum
SILVER WINNERS:
“10 Items or Less” Digital Video, NYBCe
“Blood Drop” Digital Video, NYBCe
“Blood Drop” TV, NYBCe
Don Q Cocktail Packaging, Don Q Rum
“Eating In Bed” Digital Video, NYBCe
“Greater Lengths” Spread, Yellowfin
“Save the Slime” Release Campaign (Public Service), Bonefish and Tarpon Trust
“Save the Slime” Release Campaign (Social Media), Bonefish Tarpon and Trust
“Save the Slime” Release Campaign (Integrated Advertising), Bonefish Tarpon and Trust
“Serious Stories, Chapter Two” Campaign, Invincible Boats
“You Don’t Have To Be Good” Digital Video Campaign, NYBCe
INQUIRIES:
Markham Cronin: mcronin@markhamyard.com
ABOUT MARKHAM YARD, LLC:
Established in 2005, Miami-based, Markham Yard (MarkhamYard.com) is a full service advertising agency offering big brand thinking, strategy, design and creative in a concentrated form for both local and international clients. With eighteen years of experience with global clients across an array of industries, Markham Yard offers the creative power of big agencies in a streamlined and nimble form. Clients include: BurgerFi, Children’s Hospital of Richmond Foundation, Anna Griffin, Boyne Capital, Liebherr, Captains for Clean Water, City National Bank, Hell’s Bay Boatworks, IT’SUGAR, The New York Blood Center Enterprise, Invincible Boats , Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, the Miami Herbert Business School, Breakthrough Miami, Herman Lucerne Memorial Foundation, and Yellowfin.
Agency garners 22 Addys, including four Best of Show awards.
MIAMI FL MARCH 6, 2022: The American Advertising Federation hosted its annual Miami Addy Awards yesterday aboard the cruise ship Biscayne Lady, enjoying a leisurely four-hour brunch and presentation for a cross-section of the South Florida advertising community.
As the results unfolded, one agency stood out above the rest: Markham Yard.
Awarded 22 individual awards, including fourteen Gold Addys, four Silver Addys, and an unprecedented four Best of Show nods, including the overall Best of Show, the Markham Yard team enjoyed a banner day on the water.
“Winning awards is a great feeling. But more importantly, they are a good barometer of what we are accomplishing in our collaboration with our clients. It’s really hard to stand out in today’s noisy media environment, so we are focused on creating things that are disruptive, engaging, relevant and rewarding.” said Markham Cronin, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Markham Yard.
“I could not be prouder of our team’s focus, talent and energy, as we have had a challenging couple of years. Finding ways to continue to nurture our distinctive creative culture while at the same time figuring out remote working, the rapidly changing landscape of the business, and the demanding acceleration of timelines was a challenge this year. But we made a commitment at the beginning of 2021 to focus on producing work as aggressively as we could, and the results speak for themselves.”
Awards include:
BEST OF SHOW, OVERALL:
“Things that Hurt More” Integrated Campaign, New York Blood Center Enterprise
BEST OF SHOW, INTEGRATED:
“Things that Hurt More” Integrated Campaign, New York Blood Center Enterprise
BEST OF SHOW, TV/VIDEO:
“Things that Hurt More” Video Campaign, New York Blood Center Enterprise
BEST OF SHOW, PRINT:
“Serious Stories” Campaign, Invincible Boats
GOLD WINNERS:
NYBC Things That Hurt More :30
NYBC Things That Hurt More
CHoR: The Wonder Tower
NYBC Things That Hurt More Videos
Things That Hurt More: Drive-thru
Things That Hurt More: Airplane
Things That Hurt More: Car Keys
Things That Hurt More: Ice Cream
Things That Hurt More: Phone Screen
Things That Hurt More: Toy Brick
Things That Hurt More: Meditation
Things That Hurt More: Radio
Invincible Boats: Serious Stories
CHoR: The Wonder Tower
SILVER WINNERS:
City National Bank, We Grow Florida
Medicine Mamas, V-Magic Social
Costa, 5 Rivers Logo
Anna Griffin Social Media
Inquiries: Markham Cronin: mcronin@markhamyard.com
ABOUT MARKHAM YARD, LLC:
Established in 2005, Miami-based, Markham Yard (MarkhamYard.com) is a full service advertising agency offering big brand thinking, strategy, design and creative in a concentrated form for both local and international clients. With sixteen years of experience with global clients across an array of industries, Markham Yard offers the creative power of big agencies in a streamlined and nimble form. Clients include: BurgerFi, Children’s Hospital of Richmond Foundation, Anna Griffin, Boyne Capital, Liebherr, Captains for Clean Water, City National Bank, Hell’s Bay Boatworks, IT’SUGAR, The New York Blood Center Enterprise, Invincible Boats, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, the Miami Herbert Business School, Breakthrough Miami, Boyne Capital, Herman Lucerne Memorial Foundation, and Yellowfin Boats.
MIAMI FL November 8, 2021
Children’s Hospital Foundation of Richmond, VA launches an integrated campaign today to celebrate children’s healthcare solutions made possible through philanthropic support for the ongoing development of the Wonder Tower, a stand-alone world-class inpatient facility devoted specifically to the healthcare needs of children. The Wonder Tower is the new home of the an integrated part Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.
“Working with Markham Yard on this incredible project has been so gratifying. We have gone from many in our region not realizing that a children’s hospital existed, to now a community understanding and rallying around our hospital and this important building project. The work has made our hospital stand out in the hearts and minds of our community and provided us the all-important platform of awareness that enables our asks for philanthropic involvement to be positioned for success,” said Lauren Moore, President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We are really excited about the way this campaign highlights the solutions that are made possible through the development of our new facility, as well as the possibilities it unlocks for the children in our care, their families, and the larger Virginia community.”
The campaign is comprised of :30 Television running both locally and digitally, Print, OOH, Programmatic Digital, and Direct Marketing.
“Children’s Hospital Foundation has been an incredible creative partner” said Markham Cronin, Founding Partner at Markham Yard. “Working on their mission has been immensely fulfilling, and together, we have enjoyed crafting really unique creative solutions to bring this mission to life, in a category where that is really challenging to do. It’s really powerful when you hear the stories firsthand from the patients, families and staff, and it gives us vital perspective on how important this work truly is.”
This “Wonders Within” campaign breaks locally today, and will run in the greater Richmond area for the next eight weeks. Digital media will continue to run through March 2022.
Inquiries: Markham Cronin:
mcronin@markhamyard.com
ABOUT MARKHAM YARD:
Based in Miami, Markham Yard (MarkhamYard.com) is a full service advertising agency offering big brand thinking, strategy, design and creative in a concentrated form for both local and international clients. With sixteen years of experience with global clients across an array of industries, Markham Yard offers the creative power of big agencies in a streamlined and nimble form. Clients include: Children’s Hospital of Richmond Foundation, Liebherr, Captains for Clean Water, City National Bank, Hell’s Bay Boatworks, IT’SUGAR, The New York Blood Center Enterprise, Invincible Boats, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, the Miami Business School, Breakthrough Miami, Boyne Capital, and the Herman Lucerne Memorial Foundation.
ABOUT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION:
Children’s Hospital Foundation is dedicated to funding and advocating for pediatric initiatives that improve the status of health care and the quality of life for children in our region. The Foundation provides support for the programs and initiatives of Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and the more than 70,000 children and families it serves each year. Children’s Hospital Foundation depends on the support of individuals, businesses and other organizations to help us continue our mission of supporting excellence in health care for children.
CAMPAIGN CREDITS
Chief Creative Officer: Markham Cronin
Group Account Director: Katie Coffey
Account Manager: Salomé Berrebi
Associate Creative Director: Michelle Azzi
Senior Copywriter: Karina Bagdadi
Art Director: Sofia Olarra
Art Director: Laura Suescun
Senior Producer: Alec Lopez
Digital Director: Brent Carlin
Animation Studio: Lobo
Production Company: Colorbars
Original Music/Sound Design: Tonal Chaos
Photographer: Doug Buerlein
Paulina Aquino is the Chief Financial Officer at Markham Yard. Born in Santiago, Chile. She has resided in Florida since 1979. Paulina is a team building and financial professional with more than 20 years of experience within the Advertising industry. As a mother and grandmother Paulina strongly believes in a work/life balance, increasing productivity, happiness, and reducing stress. Paulina is also a firm believer in the power of positive thinking; it has made it possible for her to reach new heights in her career and help others do the same. On a personal level, Paulina enjoys family time, shopping and is obsessed with shoes! She also enjoys dining out, good wine and of course, coffee.