THE CULTURE BOOKO&B:101

Most of our clients make their living cultivating the land, but we make ours by cultivating creativity. We seek to provide our clients with strategic communication plans that will provide the best yield for their business and farm customers. It is our goal to become agricultural and rural America’s greatest advocate. Not familiar with agriculture? No worries – you’ll learn more about this fast-paced field every day.

YOUR NAME HEREYOUR POSITION HERE

WELCOME TO THE URBAN EXTENSION OF THE FARM.

Our company was created when advertising manager Steve Barr and creative director Joe Osborn joined forces in 1988. Our fearless leaders recognized the needs and expectations of early clients and were able to translate them into effective, strategically focused programs. As other companies failed to adapt to an ever-changing agricultural market, our company grew from four employees to a staff of more than 100, including offices in St. Louis, Kansas City and Des Moines.

Many agricultural companies have come and gone, but our use of integrated market research, advertising in traditional and new media, public relations and media planning has helped the agency stay ahead through the faltering economy and heavy competition.

YOU’RE PART OF A CORPORATE SUCCESS STORY.

What you see on the outside is an agriculture-focused advertising agency. What lies within our doors is something far more intricate and complex than you could have ever imagined. At O&B we do pride ourselves on the relationship between the company and the agricultural world, but we are, in actuality, a complex mix of agriculture, association, government and channel marketing. Our clients are as diverse as the country we live in. We’ve dealt with crops, tires and seeds, not to mention nearly every type of livestock. You name it, we’ve probably dealt with it (except penguins…we don’t do much with penguins).

AGRICULTURE,ADVERTISING AND...

Still your heart, soldier. This isn’t anything you didn’t already know: We do have meetings. They always seem to drag on, lasting well into other scheduled meetings and taking up time you could be using to write up that pitch that needs to get out in…well…five minutes ago. Meetings happen, but they are very important. Some departments have more meetings than others, but you are guaranteed to attend plenty. After all, meetings at O&B are important sources of information and discussion. Sometimes the best way to get points across isn’t via e-mail, but face-to-face discussion. We don’t have meetings unless something vital needs to be brought up, so just keep in mind that they aren’t there to steal your time – they exist so you don’t have to lose time later.

AND NOW, THE BAD NEWS...

We have the capability to do anything and everything: public relations, graphic design, accounting, business development, human resources and more. It can be easy to only focus on your department and responsibilities. Sometimes though, it’s important to stop and take a look at the work of the agency as a whole. That’s why every new employee starts by taking advantage of our job shadow program. It helps to get you up to speed on the who, what and why of

the work done here at O&B. Over the first couple of weeks, you’ll be job shadowing someone from every department, so you can get a good view of what exactly goes on in the various parts of our agency. You may not often interact with some of these departments, but you’ll be grateful to know how to talk to them and where they are if you need their help.

TAKE A STEP BACK.

You know all those companies that have pictures on their Web sites of people in matching ties and cubicles all plastered with that same fake smile on their faces? Well, not all companies are really like that. Individuality, as previously mentioned, isn’t just encouraged here, it’s required. Don’t be afraid to let go and be your creative self. If you have an idea and think it’s bad, spit it out anyway. It may just be the spark needed to come up with an even better one. One thing you might not want to get too creative with is your clothing. Though we’re fairly laid

back (you’ll see jeans and polos, dress pants, the occasional suit), we’re still very aware of the fact that, at any point in time, a client might be walking around. Maybe outside of O&B you wear ragged jeans and “I’m with stupid” t-shirts, but we ask you to keep some sense of professionalism here. No uniform necessary. Just use your head.

LOSE THE CREATIVE RESTRAINTS.

We know you know what sexual harassment is, and we know that you know it’s bad. It isn’t tolerated here at O & B. Neither is stealing, discrimination or pretty much anything else you wouldn’t do in front of your mother. Common sense says you know how to behave in a professional environment, and we expect you to do so. Just because we’re relatively laid back doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to violations. So don’t harass or steal, or trip an old person crossing the street. You represent more than yourself now. You represent O&B.

THE BALANCING ACT STARTS NOW.Part of coming into a company as successful as ours is entering a world of multiple projects. Think of it as working on a farm: you have to milk the cows, bale the hay, clean the barn, harvest the crops and you have to get it all done now. Maybe in a previous life, you only did one thing at a time, but now you’re a trapeze artist – you’re going to be swinging from project to project, balancing multiple things at once. It may take some getting used to, but we believe you’ll succeed. Perhaps you are well trained in the art of balance, but if you aren’t, remember that every O&B employee is also part of a division, or team that works together to get the job done. You didn’t think we expected you to do this high-flying act all on your lonesome, did you? Of course, a lot of your own development will still come from the successes (and the failures) that occur while you are working on your own, but, hey, that’s how you learn.

A COUPLE IMPORTANT RULES.

Yes, you want to make a good impression and

all, but even the smartest of people need to ask

a question every now and then. There’s a big

difference between pretending like you know

what’s going on and actually knowing what’s

going on. Pretending to know how to plant seeds

will lead you to bankruptcy in farming. Knowing

how to grow them leads to success. We don’t

have a problem with answering questions. In fact,

we want you to ask them. It’s how you learn and

it’s how you stay on the same page as the rest of

the agency. So I know it’s a roundabout way of saying it but…

Welcome!

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS.

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GETTING AROUND.Take a right turn at the bathroom, a left down the third hallway on the right…

It’s not that difficult to get around. Really, it isn’t. Our space is a lot more open than it is narrow corridors and endless hallways. Still, we thought giving you a map might be a good idea. Just in case.