Oct 14, 2021

Meet the bosses that give Launch its boost.

It’s 2021, and Launch has made its way into Uptown, nestled in an office building overlooking the bustling shops and restaurants below. It outgrew its location in Carrollton, TX, and has found a new home in the heart of Dallas. Years of expertise, successful campaigns, and busy days have molded the agency into what it is now.

National Boss’s Day is coming up this weekend, and we figured there was no better time to dig into Launch’s history and learn more about the people who created it. We can trace our culture, workflow, and success back to the founding Launchers and principals – Diane Seimetz, David Wilgus, and Michael Boone.

Prior to Launch’s formation, these three were off on their own, making a name for themselves in the ad industry.

Diane was working on brands such as Frito-Lay, American Airlines, and Match.com. Dave worked at TracyLocke, where he met Diane. He completed work for Bank of America, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, as well as many others. Michael, who previously worked at TracyLocke, Puskar Gibbon Chapin, and The Maxfield Group, came into the picture once Dave and Diane moved to Temerlin McClain, and the rest is history!

They formed Launch in 2000 within Temerlin McClain, and GroceryWorks was their very first client.

Some of the projects completed by Launch for GroceryWorks

These OG Launchers gave some insights into their passion and the work they do:

What was your mission when first starting Launch?

“We wanted to take our experience working on big brands at large advertising agencies and apply it to launching startups and relaunching brands that needed help gaining momentum. In 2003, we left the world of big agencies and holding companies to start our own ‘startup’ and reshape what an ad agency looks like. We adopted the characteristics of the startups we were working with – lean, scrappy, creative innovators.”

What’s a source of inspiration for you?

“Our local arts community helps feed my creative spirit. Austin seems to always get the center stage, but Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Denton offer a wealth of talented artists, musicians, photographers and filmmakers.”

At the agency, what is one major thing that has changed over the years?

“Embracing technology and leveraging consumer insights resources to help level the playing field for our clients and the agency. We’ve been using Slack, for example, since 2015 – less than two years after it launched. We also invest in several enterprise-caliber research tools to help understand our clients’ customers better and inform the work.”

What’s a source of inspiration for you?

“People-watching ???? I love to observe how consumers think, shop, express themselves – it’s a wellspring of great ideas. I also like to immerse myself in creativity in many forms, whether it’s fine art, podcasts, crafting, music. The more diverse, the better.”

What do you think is the biggest contributor to your or the team’s success?

“For Launch, it’s been a three-pronged approach. Start with talented professionals passionate about doing a good job, infuse a collaborative and creative culture, and finish with trusting clients.”

What’s a source of inspiration for you?

“I’ve always loved advertising. As a kid, I was impressed by unique, compelling ads and almost equally fascinated by terrible ones (what was that?). I first learned of ad agencies – and that they could be a career choice – from watching the old Bewitched TV show. In fact, I referenced that when I got my first agency job. I’m not sure whether they hired me in spite of that comment or partly because of it!”

When starting the agency, Michael mentions his desire to “create great work […] and have fun doing it without layers and bureaucracy to muddle the message.” This is the reason there is an air about Launch that asks people to notice it – to ask why it stands out. It’s more than an agency. To Diane, this is due to the “special culture of people who genuinely care about our clients and each other.” Because of this, the agency and those within it have made a name for themselves in this big Texas city. “The strong entrepreneurial spirit and business culture of Dallas is a perfect fit for Launch and it’s at the heart of who we are,” Dave writes.

These specific characteristics and elements have come together to forge a small-sized yet mighty advertising agency with equally tough team members.

Jan 24, 2020

Can’t Launch without a Boost

Recognition in the workplace comes in many forms, a high-five or simple thank you. Here at Launch, we show our appreciation by giving “boosters” with our own Bonusly program that invites team members to give each other booster points whenever they’ve created outstanding work, had a great presentation or simply helped to do something outside the norm. When Launchers post a Bonusly booster “shout out” via Slack, everyone in the agency sees it and piles on the praise.

Account Supervisor, Megan Lucy, thanking her team for their hard work.

Principal Diane Seimetz tells us how the program was introduced to the agency and what it has done for the culture.

What gave you the idea to introduce Bonusly to the agency?

My daughter was working for a company that offered a similar program. I could see how excited she was to receive appreciation from her peers and management, and I started looking into something similar for us.

How many different options did you look at before deciding on Bonusly?

Three different programs were considered. The one we ultimately went with was a start-up at the time, and I’m always drawn those. I reached out to the CEO, and we had a really good conversation about the company mission, and his vision for the organization. They aligned closely with our own, making us a good fit.

What do you like most about Bonusly?

The ability to customize is a great feature. We were able to name the program, “Boosters,” in keeping with our rocket/Launch theme. The company offers a catalog of rewards (Starbucks cards, big-box retailers, specialty stores, etc.), but we are also able to modify to include local favorites as well as charities, where employees can donate their points. The program also integrates perfectly with Slack, our collaboration software platform.

Use Boosters to redeem Australian Red Cross donations, Starbucks and Amazon gift cards, and more.

What do you think Bonusly has done to the culture at Launch Agency since being introduced?

Launch is already a family culture; people genuinely care about each other and want to make the agency a better place together. These small tokens – “micro-rewards” – have cultivated the practice of “noticing” extra efforts or a job done especially well and providing the opportunity to show meaningful appreciation for them. It also allows leadership to recognize those who go above and beyond in real time, versus waiting months (or years!) for a performance review.

A last-minute scramble to get our work submitted to the ADDYs resulted in several Bonusly shoutouts.

Apr 28, 2017

Launch Featured in the 2018 Graphis Poster Annual

Work for two of our clients was recently featured in the 2018 Graphis Poster Annual, including a poster series for the 2016-2017 Dallas Winds concert season and a poster series for Chapps Burgers rebranding. Read on to learn more about the process behind each project. Chapps Burgers Chapps Burgers is a family owned and operated business with 7 restaurants in the Dallas area and a 34-year history of making big, great-tasting hamburgers. Our goal was to create an engaging, cohesive brand using in-store posters and other elements to attract new customers and ultimately franchise investors. The simple traits that made Chapps successful became our inspiration to create a brand that embodied their strong work ethic and passion for making delicious burgers. We started with a graphic look and feel we call, “Blue Collar Cool.” Classic and industrial in tone, the design direction takes its cues from an era of vintage craftsmen. Check out the poster series here. Dallas Winds The Dallas Winds is one of the most accomplished wind bands in the world. Our assignment was to promote their 2016–2017 season and the unique programming for each individual concert. Because each Dallas Winds performance is an original masterpiece, we wanted to capture that energy and craftsmanship in ten original works of art. From chalk and cotton to rhinestones and tissue paper, we gave visual expression to their musical expression. Then we brought it to Dallas Winds fans and soon-to-be-fans with a season brochure, posters, digital animations and more. To view all of the winning work for Dallas Winds, click here. Since 1944, The International Journal of Visual Communication has been publishing significant and influential work of fine artists, illustrators and advertisers in the Graphis annual publication.