Tiny Rebellions That Matter Most

What does rebellion look like at a marketing agency? Sometimes it’s smaller than you'd think.

We Don’t Use Oxford Commas

Is this a hill to die on? Probably not. But it's a choice we made deliberately, and we stick to it even when clients, editors and the AP Stylebook are giving us side-eye.

It’s a small thing. But it’s also kind of the point. We don’t do things a certain way just because “that’s how agencies do it.” We make deliberate choices, even about punctuation.

That mindset shows up in bigger ways, too.

We Skip the Corporate Theater

We try to keep process from getting in the way of good work. We trust our people to move quickly and make smart decisions without layers of approval slowing things down.

And in client meetings, we prioritize honesty over polish. If something doesn't make sense or a timeline feels off, we say so. It's not always the easiest path, but it's usually the most productive one.

We Refuse to Be Boring

A lot of the work we do lives in spaces that tend to play it safe. Buttoned-up. Conservative.

We push for bolder.

Just because you’re marketing to educators or donors doesn’t mean your creative has to look like every other higher ed brochure. Just because it’s B2B doesn't mean it has to be bloodless.

We push our clients to be bolder. To take creative risks. To trust that their audiences are smarter than they think.

And when clients want to play it safe because “that's just how we’ve always done things,” we ask: Why? Who decided that? What if we didn’t?

Why This Matters

These aren’t quirks. They’re choices.

Pushing back means choosing honest partnership over easy agreement. Challenging norms means being willing to do things differently. But our clients don’t come to us because we say yes to everything. They come to us because we’re effective, honest, and focused on solving the right problem — not just checking boxes.

So yeah, we’re the kind of agency that doesn’t use Oxford commas and occasionally tells clients they’re wrong. And we wouldn't have it any other way.