Sacramento-based digital agency BKWLD has been named Digital Agency of Record for Clif Bar, responsible for all of Clif's digital initiatives.
The agency will attend all Clif events, participate in editorial and brand activity meetings, and create content for the nutritional bar brand. There were at least three other agencies participating in the formal review. Clif Bar spent about $1.5 million on ads last year, according to Kantar.
"Our role for Clif is really more about provoking them to be them, not something new, or targeted at someone new," says Ryan Vanni, CEO, BKWLD. "Clif is a real-deal, values-based company through and through. Our role is to unearth true stories about their values and interests, and connect those stories — through creative and distribution — to real people who are wired the same way."
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This is a new direction for Clif. There was an incumbent web development shop, but the brand did not have a digital agency. Hence, Clif’s digital content strategy delivered through an integrated platform will present new opportunities for the brand, it said.
Still, BKWLD had an advantage going into this review process since they were already working with Clif. Earlier this year, BKWLD was hired by Clif for a website overhaul project. The resulting new platform and brand website was launched on June 19th. Now, under this formal arrangement, the agency has started working on several content, reporting, and analysis initiatives.
Meanwhile, this is a significant milestone for the 18-staff agency. Up until now, BKWLD has largely been involved with project work for brands and agencies. In fact, Clif is its first significant Digital AOR win.
The independent digital agency - founded in 2001 - specializes in digital development, brand strategy and content creation for consumer brands. The agency has worked with RePlanet, SkyBox Imaging, Samsung, McDonald’s, Equil and Tableu, in addition to Clif Bar.
Founded in 1992, the Clif Bar company is a leading maker of organic foods and drinks, including the Clif Bar line of energy bars, LUNA the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women; and Clif Kid.
This story has been updated to include client ad spending data from Kantar.