From the days of paper proofs and A/V tapes to today’s always-on digital campaigns, Merle’s had a front-row seat to the evolution of advertising—helping to shape Wendt’s story along the way. What was it really like working in advertising before everything was just a click away? How do you stay curious and adaptable across a 28-year career?
We asked the questions only Merle could answer, and true to form, she delivered. There aren’t many people who can say they’ve spent nearly three decades at the same company—much less at an ad agency that’s been around since sliced bread hit the shelves. Lucky for us, we have Merle. Officially, she’s our Media Buyer. Unofficially? She’s Wendt’s resident history keeper, snack drawer curator, and all-around low-key legend.
Merle is an extremely introverted person who still loves to learn new things. Any piece of information that crosses my attention span may send me down a research hole at any time. It could be a place, a historical event, some news event somewhere in the world in a place I’ve never heard of—it doesn’t take much.
My specialties are out-of-home, email marketing, and print planning and buying, but I also assist in our social media efforts—keeping track of social media budgets and, in some cases, scheduling posts.
I wanted to work in a creative environment. I took a lot of art classes both in high school and college, and although my artistic appetite waned after I graduated and entered the work force, I still wanted to continue to be inspired by the creative process, though not as an artist myself.
Everything! I think the biggest change has probably been the move from analog to digital. We used to have to send out multiple packages of creative to our vendors for advertising campaigns—print, radio, TV. Lots of paper and A/V tape! We had packages leaving the office nearly every day. That also meant a lot of physical filing and finding room for all of it to be stored. But now, we can email or upload everything to where it needs to go, and the filing and recording is digital, in the cloud and on hard drives.
Be willing to adapt to an ever-changing environment within your workplace. Be willing to learn new things, even if it’s out of your comfort zone. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m deeply attached to my comfort zone, and it takes a bit of effort, and maybe a bit of anxiety, for me to work my way out of it, but in most cases, I do manage to do so.
Having been here for so long, it’s been interesting to see how the culture has changed over the years, for the better. We work in an open environment that invites conversation, collaboration, and togetherness. That wasn’t the case when I started with Wendt in 1997. We understand that we all have lives outside of the office and can offer support and empathy when it’s needed. We also all have our quirks and that makes working with each other fun. There is never a dull day at the office.
