Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Laughlin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jon. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2001, I was sitting in an Apartment Leasing office thinking to myself there has to be more. Turns out there was. After spending a Labor Day weekend on Madison’s Lake Mendota and having a conversation with a friend who was in advertising portfolio school I figured, why not? So I enrolled at Brainco, the Minneapolis School of Advertising and started writing fake ads. The fake ads got better and better and before I knew it was working at a real ad agency. A small shop in Minneapolis. I was there for a cup of coffee. And then I moved on to Laughlin Constable. My father finally caved and decided to give me a job. I’ve been working with him and my brother ever since.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being creative in the ad industry is always full of disappointment. Probably 99% of your ideas are dismantled and dismissed. And while it’s not brain surgery or astro physics, it does take a strong constitution to stay inspired.
Laughlin Constable – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Laughlin Constable is a full-service advertising agency. What really sets us apart is our independence. Being family owned allows us to do what we’re supposed to do, provide a totally unfiltered opinion to our clients. As true agents, we’re able to be of service without having to worry about some corporate entity pulling our strings. On top of that, we’ve invested in our technological capabilities since the internet was a whisper. It’s paid off, and today we can offer the ideas and creativity on par with some of the best agencies in the country, but we can also bring the technological ideas to the table. It’s a balanced approach that works well for us.
We Take Brands from Now to Next. We work best with brands that are at a fork in the road.
Typically, they’re looking for a spark to help them leap into a new space. By offering services both creatively and technologically engaging, we’re able to bring their businesses forward.
I think we’re most proud of our history, we’re 40 years old and we keep getting younger every year.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Continuing to fulfill the vision my father set our 40 years ago with my brother.
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