• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, September 13, 2016

When an ad agency loses a client, it's not usually cause for celebration or the genesis of inspiration that leads to the creation of a full-on farewell video but that's exactly what Maine and Maryland-based agency, Rinck did when it lost the Gorton's Seafood account after handling it for ten years.

For over nine years, Rinck handled the Gorton’s website, social media, public relations, promotions and digital media and prides itself on an average agency-client relationship of three years. Of note, the agency, now in its sixteenth year, still does business with its very first client.

In June, when the client team would have otherwise been in Gloucester, Massachusetts, at a Gorton’s planning meeting, nearly every member of Rinck’s staff of 38 gathered inside the Bates Mill – a supplier of blankets to the Union Army during the Civil War – in Lewiston, Maine, and filmed their own rendition of “We’ll Meet Again” with live instruments. The song, with music and lyrics composed and written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, was made famous by Vera Lynn in 1939 and was covered by Johnny Cash in 2002 for his final album “American IV: The Man Comes Around.”

Of the performance, Rinck President Laura Davis said, “We wanted to honor a relationship and collaboration that we had for nearly a decade, and the friendships that came along with it, with not just the client, but agency partners, vendors, and others. The split was due to agency consolidation and completely amicable. I wanted to use the opportunity to set an example on how to end a business relationship well and leave the door wide open.”

The three-minute music video features Neal Jandreau, Rinck’s Director of Digital Content and Strategy, on lead vocals and guitar. Outside his agency role, Jandreau is a professional musician who plays in the
acoustic duo, Stealing North. Davis and Director of Dynamic Integration Kristy Phinney were featured in the video with spoken word solos, and Public Relations Director Katie Greenlaw led a female a cappella verse. Rinck CEO Peter Rinck played violin and Production Artist Melissa Simmons played ukulele to accompany Jandreau.

What have you done following the loss of a client?

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