Running an independent ad agency is not for the faint of heart. You have up years and down years.  There’s no big holding company to bail you out when the going gets tough. And last year, Division of Labor was having an up year. (That’s not a humble brag cuz the previous year sucked balls.)

Things were humming along. We’d landed two big retainer clients to go with a steady stream of project work, social media production, commercial production, and a strong showing in the ad agency fantasy football league.

Then came the shit storm known as Covid 19. Blah blah blah, whine whine whine, bye-bye profits.

Given the enormity of the situation, we shouldn’t have been shocked when our two new, hard-won clients, along with several others, called to say they were slashing their marketing budgets, laying off their own staff, and putting marketing contracts on hold.

We usually have a 60 day out clause in our contracts, which gives us time to get our own house in order when clients leave. And, in normal times, clients are good with that and we adapt. 

But these aren’t normal times or normal clients. One of the greats, for example, is Keen Footwear. Besides the fact that they’re probably the most environmentally-conscious shoe company on the planet, I’ve known the GM for over 10 years and he’s a great guy. The whole company is hell-bent on doing good whenever they can and our relationship is a lot more important than a month of payment.

So, we got on a Zoom call, poured a cocktail, talked about it, and came up with an idea: Since they were long on product and tight on cash, why not get paid in shoes? And then we thought, “What the hell are we gonna do with all those shoes?” Then we realized we knew a guy who had the answer.

Rabbi Michael Lezak the staff rabbi at GLIDE Center for Social Justice since 2017. Yes, a rabbi works for the church. And if you’ve ever been down to GLIDE in San Francisco at mealtime, you know they’re doing God’s work no matter how you choose to pray. (GLIDE is one of the leading social service organizations, a social justice movement, and a spiritual community that has served those most vulnerable for the past 57 years in San Francisco.)

By the second cocktail, we had devised a plan: Roughly half our retainer fee would be paid in shoes and 220 pairs would go to GLIDE. The Rabbi and his team would oversee the distribution of men’s and women’s shoes to the people hit hardest by this pandemic. Another 40 pair of shoes would be donated to a local shelter in Marin county called Mill Street, run by the non-profit Homeward Bound. About 40 residents live at Mill Street at any one time and they’re working to get back on their feet, no pun intended. Free shoe codes were donated so each resident will be able to select the pair of shoes that works best for them.

It was a win for everybody. Keen is a values-based company that back in March donated 100,000 pairs of shoes to workers on the front lines and those hardest hit by the pandemic. And, more recently, after shifting one of their factories into a mask-making facility, donated 100,000 masks to frontline workers.

So donating to a worthy cause while conserving cash was instinctual for them. And, for us: Let’s just say it takes the sting out of being fired. Under normal circumstances, we don’t have the disposable income to make large donations like this one. But these are not normal circumstances. And when we take inventory of all that we do have, we know we’re more fortunate than most. Essential workers are out there risking their lives to keep society functioning, while all we’ve been asked to do is wear a mask and practice social distancing. So, facilitating a shoe donation makes us feel slightly less useless.   

It sucks losing business, and we know it’s only temporary, but this feels like a pretty good outcome, for us, for Keen, and for so many who will be grateful for the gift.  

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The Small Agency Blog is produced by Division of Labor; a top San Francisco ad agency and digital marketing firm that’s been named Small Agency of the Year twice by Ad Age. The award-winning creative agency services clients on a retainer or project basis. They also offer freelance services and fixed-rate projects for startups and smaller brands.