User:Smith, jones and johnson

Two men and their dream. The year was 1962. The Yankees were on top of the world. Men were mourning the loss of Marilyn Monroe. The beer tap was invented. And Madison Avenue was where people like Bernbach, Ogilvy and Wells were all the rage. Two young Texans, Steve Smith and Jim Johnson, inspired by few too many pints of Bavarian brew, decided one day in the garden of Schultz’s in Austin that they were going to bring their own flair of advertising to the world. Texas style.

It didn’t go as planned. Five years later, budget struggles and lackluster growth brought on complete desperation for Steve and Jim. Lucky for them, they happened upon a young graduate from the University of Texas named Judy Jones. She changed the agency—and their lives—forever. A spunky redhead with a creative wit as bold as her enthusiasm, Judy gave their business a make over. The otherwise drab agency became the new darling of the industry. Smith, Jones & Johnson was in business.

It was better than they ever imagined. Business boomed. Awards flooded in. The limelight was theirs. With Jim at the helm, Steve closing the deals and Judy leading their ingenious creative spark, SJ&J created a buzz throughout the nation. The years flew by, the client list grew exponentially and satellite offices sprung up around the country. Hot off the critically acclaimed launch of Bull Durham® Tobacco and the U.S. launch of the Betamax, SJ&J moved their headquarters from Austin to New York City in 1980.

The beginning of the end of an era. Leaving their roots behind, the trio lived lavishly, spent hard and partook in the cliché three-martini lunches of the time. Overwhelm set in. Steve, growing frustrated by subways and people making fun of his boots, retired in 1985, moved back to Texas and bought an old chicken ranch outside of LaGrange. Judy and Jim, both on their second marriage, found solace in the arms of each other and had a brief but torrid affair. The agency became the backburner of attention. Client after client left and billings plummeted. Feeling beaten down, SJ&J downsized their remaining accounts and crawled home in 1998. Unfortunately, the taint came along with them. Once a powerhouse in the industry, SJ&J was suffering. Their status was revoked by the AAAA's. Their work was shunned at the shows. And the remaining partners contemplated closing the agency’s doors altogether. The dotcom crash and unpaid media costs lost in the Enron scandal were the final straws. A new start. In 2003, a frustrated creative, also on his way home to Texas from the East Coast, was contracted by SJ&J for some creative freelance pitch work. Chemistry erupted instantly. They won that pitch. And the next. And the next three as well. Feeling their legacy was now safe and on the rebound, the partners sold controlling interest to the new guy, Craig Mikes.

Smith, Jones & Johnson, present and future. Smith, Jones & Johnson is now a creative boutique that services companies near and far. SJ&J is headquartered in a quaint, unassuming, rustic building on the edge of downtown Austin. An old faded Bull Durham mural covers one wall, music is always playing and from the 2nd floor a dog can be heard barking from time to time. SJ&J continues to provide attention-warranted work on a daily basis with absolutely, positively, undoubtedly no plans of relocation. Ever.

To be continued...