Happy Medium, the Des Moines-based ad agency made their own version of “My Favorite Things” and had their team sing it. The agency also created an interactive website that hosts the video and allows the users to click on each member of our staff to learn their true “favorite things.”
DIVERGE talked to Happy Medium’s Creative Director, Nick Renkoski, and Katie Patterson, CEO and founder:
Where did the idea for this video come from?
Nick: The concept for this year’s ‘holiday greeting’ was born from wanting to taking something traditional and recognizable during the holidays but make it our own, allowing us to reflect on both our year as a business as well as the personal milestones of our employees. As Happy Medium continues to grow in size, singing seemed to be a great vehicle to combine stories and voices into one creative offering.
How hard was it to write/sing this song?
Nick: Changing the lyrics was not particularly difficult. Quite a few words rhyme with “things” so Rogers and Hammerstein did the real heavy lifting. The first half, focusing on our services, was more difficult because it was challenging to interweave our offerings and capabilities into the song structure while remaining entertaining. The personal highlights were a lot easier because it was more flexible. The only major change was that when the lyrics were originally written, the Cubs were down 3 games to 1 in the World Series. I knew I wanted to include some reference to them in the song because we have so many Cubs fans in the office so it was originally in the minor-chord, negative section, the “when the dog bites,” part. Then they came back and we had to work them into the positive side. Luckily, “World Series rings” nicely rhymes with “My Favorite Things,” although, as a Cardinal fan, I still wish they had lost.
What was the overall feedback you received from it?
Katie: The feedback so far has been extremely positive from clients, friends, family and our staff directly. We’ve also been thrilled to get some attention from national press from it, a great way to round out 2016 for the company!
What do you hope people get from this video?
Katie: We always love the opportunity to showcase the unique personality of our company. We are not just an agency, we consider ourselves a partner to our clients, and you should enjoy working with your partners. We wanted to put that on display while also highlighting the business side. We are capable of producing similar videos for businesses who want something extra special to push on social media for the holidays, milestones, and we would love to work on future projects.
What can we look for in 2017 from Happy Medium?
The sky is the limit for Happy Medium in 2017. We had such a great year of growth this year, and we have no intentions of slowing down. We are unique because we are a full-service marketing firm that works with clients across the country but, in the last year, we’ve also allowed a space for product development so our team can tap into their innovative side while creating solutions for our business among others. We have so much creativity energy and drive within our office walls, it’s a very exciting time to be at Happy Medium.
