Creative

Cases

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  Santa Fe: Margarita Trail

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  SierraNevada_Oktoberfest

News

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  Women Leaving the Workforce: Where’s the Opportunity?

  The rise in women leaving the workforce calls for a shift in perspective on what the numbers represent and how we should respond.

  Vladimir Jones, 02/02/2022

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  Life-Changing Service Dogs for Veterans.

  Since 2010, more than 65,000 veterans have died by suicide. Freedom Service Dogs is a nonprofit organization helping to improve the lives of veterans and active-duty service members across the country.

  Vladimir Jones, 11/11/2021

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  “We Were Ready.” Behind the American Indian College Fund’s Impressive Fundraising Surge — Inside Philanthropy

  The American Indian College Fund raised a record amount this year by showing how the pandemic is impacting Native American students. But fundraising head NancyJo Houk explains that fund’s success was years in the making.

  Inside Philanthropy, 10/07/2020

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  COVID-19 is battering tourism but Santa Fe comes out swinging with new campaign | Campaign US

  The TOURISM Santa Fe marketing team and its AOR Vladimir Jones rewrote an initiative in the face of a global pandemic.

  Campaign, 04/08/2020

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  Colorado Springs Utilities Pivots To Animation In New Campaign 06/18/2020

  Earlier in 2020, Colorado Springs Utilities and advertising agency Vladimir Jones (VJ) story-boarded the creative to cast and film educational videos with live actors using on-set crew. Then this strategy became impractical in light of Colorado's stay-at-home and social-distancing restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Colorado Springs Utilities and VJ analyzed several alternatives before VJ proposed the creation of animated videos for broadcast TV, connected TV, and social media.

  MediaPost, 06/17/2020

Clients

About

We are Vladimir Jones. Founded in 1970, we are a proudly independent, women-owned, full-service integrated advertising agency. At VJ, we believe in brilliant brands. And that means that we view the relationship with the brands with whom we partner to be based on a deeper connection. Your agency should be more than just a partner, they should become a true extension of your marketing team, one that speaks your language, and sits with you at the table to solve hard problems. A partner that is willing to push you to make work great, listen when obstacles arise and work together to overcome those obstacles.

Our client approach is centered around the concept of Brand Altruism, which you’ll see manifested in every strategy, execution, and element of our work. This philosophy means that we view the relationship with the brands with whom we partner to be based on a deeper connection. It’s our way of working and a form of success that requires an elevated and emotionally invested bond with our clients, and it is how we work.

Our size is a benefit to our clients. There are no layers to wade through which makes us scrappy. And agile. And, though we are small, we can make a huge impact.

People

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  Meredith Vaughan

  CEO, VJ Partner

  Every business that is built for the long haul needs a growth engine, and that is the role that Meredith plays for Vladimir Jones. Meredith joined Vladimir Jones in 1999 after spending most of the ’90s working for powerhouse agencies such as TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles and Goldberg Moser O’Neill in San Francisco. Between 1999 and 2008, when Meredith became VJ’s president, she grew agency billings by more than 600% through new client acquisition and retention strategies. Meredith became CEO in 2014 and continues to ensure that VJ brings to life our focus on building meaningful relationships that last, as well as ensuring that VJ is a place where our team is fulfilled and has a sense of purpose. Meredith’s current and previous client work covers a wide range of industries, including extensive work in the retail, nonprofit, health care, sports marketing, travel and tourism, and Native American gaming categories. Meredith currently sits on the board of directors for the National Advertising Review Board, the American Indian College Fund, the Myron Stratton Home and Ent Credit Union.
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  Debbie Frickey

  President, VJ Partner

  Debbie joined the agency in 2002, starting as leader of account services before becoming president in 2014. She now leads all work for the agency’s accounts, driving realization of client brand potential and business goals. During her tenure with the agency, Debbie has helped acquire national and international clients such as the Colorado Tourism Office, United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum and Hall of Fame, Xcel Energy, Black Hills Energy, Western Union and Centura Health. She provides strategic support to the agency’s broad array of advertising clients and her varied background includes extensive work in tourism, attraction and hospitality, as well as energy and health care industries. A partner in Vladimir Jones, Debbie is responsible for the day-to-day business operations of the company and leads the agency’s investment in quality ideas. She ensures that the agency’s reputation is well positioned for long-standing client relationships and future growth. Debbie sits on the 4A’s Women’s CEO forum, is a board member for National Charity League and provides strategic support to the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association.
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  Trudy Rowe

  CFO, VJ Partner

  Trudy joined Vladimir Jones in February 2008 and oversees the company’s finance, legal, human resources, IT operations and contracting functions. Trudy is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 20 years of experience in accounting and financial operations. Prior to joining the company, Trudy worked in managed health care with ValueOptions, Inc. and Magellan Health Services, and in public accounting with Deloitte & Touche. Trudy is a graduate of the University of Wyoming and has an MBA from the University of Colorado.
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  Jim Morrissey

  Executive Creative Director

  Enthusiasm is Jim’s secret weapon. It helps him create and build human connections for brands. His creative approach is to always keep iterating and constantly honing his chops in the art of simplification. He has written and created noteworthy and award-winning work for a diverse group of clients like Ford Motor Company, Procter & Gamble, Tri-State Energy, Odell Brewing Company, and the Colorado Lottery. From social media platforms and branding to integrated marketing, Jim’s able to guide clients through the ever-changing landscape of digital and traditional channels, balancing creativity with strategic rigor.
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  Cody Gore

  Director of Account Services

  Cody has been with Vladimir Jones for more than 13 years, managing regional and national accounts of all shapes and sizes, and in all industries. Over his time at the agency, he has supported category-breaking work for each of his clients, exceeded his clients’ business goals, mentored strong account teams and led some of the agency’s largest clients’ brands including Otter Products, Xcel Energy, Colorado Springs Utilities, Snowmass Tourism, Black Hills Energy and the Nebraska Tourism Commission. In the utility category, he’s helped shift consumer perceptions from apathetic to engaged, and transformed brands into trusted partners, rather than transactional commodities. In the tourism space, his clients have seen record-breaking visitation and their brands elevated from ‘places on the map’ to ‘places in the hearts’ of consumers.
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  Jon Bross

  Director of Media Services

  The marriage of message and medium is the challenge, passion and focus for Jon. With more than 25 years of media planning and buying experience, Jon leads VJ’s team of multimedia planners and buyers through media strategy, technology convergence and campaign efficacy in our world of data-driven marketing. Since joining Vladimir Jones in 2003, Jon has worked on accounts including Xcel Energy, Centura Health, Colorado Tourism, The Broadmoor and Otter Products, among others. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Jon began his career at Hoffman York learning the planning processes on accounts such as KFC, The Dow Chemical Company, Wisconsin Lottery and Yamaha water vehicles. He is a sought-after keynote speaker on the subjects of media innovation, channel convergence and ad tech, and has been featured at publishing industry conventions, ad clubs, Kantar Media’s Product Advisory Panel, the Colorado American Marketing Association and NPR’s coverage of political advertising. His experience in strategic planning, the evolution of buying and platform convergence keeps him focused toward the next big thing in our dynamic media landscape.