The fire that John Leonardi
hoped to ignite in the advertising world was nearly doused after about a year.
>>>One of his agency’s biggest
clients, a national brand, declared
Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the end of 2000, leaving more than $400,000 in unpaid media bills.
>>>Despite the early adversity,
Leonardi and his agency, Brushfire
Inc., persevered. It held on to its other clients, kept its employees and even began pulling in new clients. Today,
Brushfire counts among its customers
the New Jersey Lottery and
the New Jersey Commerce, Economic
Growth & Tourism Commission.
>>>“No one agency has ever held
both pieces of business at the same
time,” says Leonardi, Brushfire’s
president and chief executive officer.
>>>Other Brushfire clients include
wood-care products maker Minwax;
dessert maker Kozy Shack; and Kiss
My Face, which distributes natural
and organic beauty products.
>>>Leonardi launched Brushfire
after buying out the partners of
Gilbert Whitney & Johns where he
had been president for nearly 12
years. Gilbert Whitney was originally
founded in 1969.
>>>Leonardi changed the agency’s
name to signal the arrival of a new“fire-breathing” player on the scene.
The agency added expanded creative
services and cultivated a strategic,
focused account staff.
>>>“We have great passion for our
work and enjoy each new day and
the special challenges it presents,”
Leonardi says. “We have an unwavering
commitment to our goals, our
clients and the tasks at hand. And we
live by the mantra that good is never
good enough.”
>>>Brushfire considers itself a
regional shop doing national and
international business, priding itself
on work that is comparable to thebest agencies on Madison Avenue.
Brushfire is the only New Jerseybased
agency on the roster of
Worldwide Partners, an international
network of award-winning, independent
advertising agencies.
>>>One of Brushfire’s clients has
been the State of New Jersey, which
Leonardi felt wasn’t being shown
previously in its best light.
>>>Brushfire’s first chance came in
2003 when it won the account for the
state lottery. The agency’s work has
led to rising lottery sales and the
successful launch of new games.
The agency’s work at the lottery
led it to seek work from state
tourism officials.
>>>In 2005, Brushfire pitched and
won the state tourism account, giving
the agency a role in a $36.3 billion
industry that affects businesses
of all sizes, from hotels to souvenir
shops and T-shirt stores. |
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Brushfire’s campaign for the
state included television ads accompanied
by the Jon Bon Jovi song,
“Who Says You Can’t Go Home.” The
campaign also featured a “beach in a
box” truck that traveled up and
down the East Coast and appeared
on morning news shows in
Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia
and elsewhere.
>>>Part of Brushfire’s pride in its work
for New Jersey is its effect on changing
perceptions about the state.
>>>Although the agency firm has
rebounded from its initial setback in
2000, it faced a new challenge in
2005. Leonardi’s business partner
and Brushfire’s president diedfrom a
heart attack.
>>>Leonardi, who had been serving
as chairman and chief executive officer,
assumed the role of president.
Brushfire also resigned from one
account. It meant a big financial
loss, Leonardi says. But, he adds, the
work was hurting the morale and
spirit of the agency’s staff.
>>>Indeed, Leonardi takes seriously
his responsibility toward the
agency’s employees and their families.
“They depend on me to run a
smart, sound company,” he says.
>>>Employees, in turn, enjoy access
to the best technology and equipment.
And, they report to a workplace
that encourages a healthy balance
between work and family.
Brushfire routinely converts threeday
weekends into four and shuts
down for the week between
Christmas and New Year’s.
>>>The only benefit employees don’t
get is a summer picnic. But, their
sacrifice is made for a good cause. In
lieu of an annual event, the agency
sends 20 children to camp under the
aegis of the Fresh Air Fund.
>>>Other charitable activities
include doing pro bono work for the
New Jersey Battered Women’s
Shelter. The shelter started as a paying
client. But Brushfire, moved by
the nonprofit’s work, decided to volunteer
its services.
>>>No matter who the client is,
Brushfire strives to deliver the best
possible service and results. “It is
tremendously important to be able to
look in the mirror each day and know
that you have tried to be the very best
that you can be,” Leonardi says. Visit Brushfire's Website |
