Woodbine Account Director Janele Marek was recently honored as one of The Business Journal’s “40 Leaders Under Forty,” an award given to the 40 most influential and emerging leaders under 40 years old in North Carolina’s Triad area.
l to r: Kris, Ashley, JANELE, Jen, Peter
Janele was selected in a year that saw a record number of entries. According to The Business Journal president and publisher, Douglas Copeland, the award is designed to recognize “the best and brightest leaders this region has to offer.” The “40 Leaders Under Forty” award is given to those who are a leader within their organization, have made a significant career achievement in 2009, and have substantial community involvement outside their day-to-day job.
As the youngest member of Woodbine’s leadership team, Janele heads strategic efforts for many of Woodbine’s largest clients. In 2009, she successfully kicked off the brand revitalization efforts for new client High Point Regional Health System. For client Ekornes, she developed a program that will nearly triple its domestic advertising over the next five years. Janele also leads the Lowe’s Home Improvement account and last year spearheaded the development of the company’s 2010 Patio Guide, a large cross-merchandising undertaking and the first in-store book on that scale for Lowe’s.
For Janele, the day does not end when she leaves the office. As a passionate athlete (she used to slide skeleton in Lake Placid, N.Y.) and someone who values community involvement, in 2009 Janele donated over 450 hours as the Assistant Cross Country and Basketball coach at Salem College.
Congratulations to Janele from everyone at Woodbine!
Hi, I’m Libby, Senior Marketing major at Wake Forest and Woodbine’s newest intern! (Kris is posting this for me – hoping to earn my own posting privileges soon.) While many seniors in college see their last semester as a time to “live it up,” take six hrs of class and only show up for three, I’m the kind of gal that craves a challenge, and saw Woodbine as the perfect opportunity to learn the ins and outs of working at a creative agency.
Let’s just say it was love at first sight. My first visit to the three-story, renovated Victorian house was like watching the season premiere of the Real World. Every room I entered exuded personality through its edgy furniture, vibrant colors and eclectic art. When Account Director, Kris Kriofske, offered me the position, I couldn’t wait to join the Woodbine team; and as I sit here this morning at my desk on the creative floor, I can fully attest that Woodbine life trumps Senior Slump.
My first two weeks at Woodbine have revealed a couple of things. First off, that Woodbine is bigger (figuratively, not literally) than your typical ad agency. They specialize in brand revitalization, a philosophy about breathing new life into brands that requires strategic insight, collaboration and long-term thinking, and when done effectively, serves as a rite of passage for companies in realizing their business objectives. This underlying concept has been ingrained in the minds of Woodbine’s talent and lies at the heart of every conversation, whether it be a new business pitch, a strategic name recommendation for a student art contest, designing a new website, or what drinks to serve up at the weekly cocktail hour on Fridays. Here at Woodbine, creative energy beams through the glass windows, permeates the hardwood floors, and radiates through the pictures on the walls prescribing an atmosphere that inspires and ignites fresh ideas.
So, what can I bring to Woodbine? Let’s start with a little blog revitalization. Insights from a college senior on which brands are effectively engaging our fast-paced, internet crazed, multi-tasking, category segment, and providing a momentary hiatus from our busy lives and the reality that graduation is a mere three months away. My entries will serve as a forum for reflection and discussion on how brands can keep up in our media-crazed society, and what it takes to remain relevant and memorable amid the clutter of our everyday lives. So, I invite you to sit back, relax, agree, disagree, and see for yourself how the Woodbine philosophy challenges convention and opens doors for brands seeking revival.
