Elevator speech in the world’s tallest building

Jan 8, 2021

3 min read

During business conferences, we deliver the S&A elevator speech more than a few times. Tight spaces, tight timeframe. Always wishing we had more time to tell our story. Which got us thinking. What if we had the chance to get in an elevator in Burj Khalifa and push the button for the top floor? Talk about a vertically integrated opportunity.

1st Floor

"Top floor, please."

After exchanging hellos and "What brings you to Dubai?", we get to the so-what’s-your-story portion of our upward-moving dialogue.

3rd Floor

"I’m a Creative Director at a branding agency called S&A."

It’s a really fun and interesting way to make a living. (Thanks to depictions of ad agency life in Mad Men and movies, it’s a great way to conjure up an image.)

Floor 17

"No, we haven’t done any Super Bowl ads, we actually specialize in business-to-business marketing."

We’re not a giant consumer agency. We built our agency around the philosophy of working closely with a select number of clients so we can do a deep dive into their business challenges.

Floor 33

"We call ourselves The Brand Whisperers®."

Years ago, we listened in on a renowned horse whisperer sharing his philosophy on the approach he uses to connect with horses and change their behavior. Observe the horse in its natural surroundings. Gentle persuasion is more powerful than force. The full language of communication is clearly expressed if you know how to interpret it. Tap into emotions. It’s not about how much pressure you put on; it’s about how much you take off. We realized his principles and techniques are very much the same as those used in effective branding and communication. It inspired us that day and it still inspires everything we do to this day.

Floor 52

"We’re all in."

We believe branding is business, so we don’t just want to make things, we want to make a difference. We do our best work when we get to know every part of your business or product. If you’re getting coffee in our office, you’ll overhear some unexpected conversations – the molecular weight of an active ingredient, the complexity of the pet food global supply chain, the finer points of loan amortization. The other day one of our clients actually said, “You’re so much more than an ad agency.”

Floor 61

"We know animal health and pet care better than anyone."

Over the last 40-plus years, we’ve helped launch, reposition and redefine a lot of brands and companies in the animal health space. We’ve worked on products for dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs – even bees and orcas. It’s a wonderful reason to come to work every day. Chuck Stephens, the founder of the agency, grew up on a dairy farm so he’s been around the animal health business long before we were a business.

Floor 77

"Did you know there are only a handful of billion-dollar animal health brands out there?"

We've been here since before they were "blockbuster" brands. It's been amazing to see the growth of the industry, and we're excited to be part of its future.

Floor 82

"We also know health and beauty, specialty financing and doctor/patient relationships."

It’s funny. Through client referrals, account expansion and strange twists of fate, our expertise has grown – we understand everything from what drives men with hair loss to insurance agents wanting to buy a book of business. It’s a diverse mix, but they share the same marketing challenges. You’ve got to understand their decision-making process, identify their spheres of influence, know their pain points, tap into their emotions and deliver relevancy. It’s so much fun to figure out.