We do it inside and outside of what we call our jobs. We make things, we write, we paint, we film, we sing and dance, sometimes very poorly. But those are some of the best times. This is a sample of who we are, and what makes us, us.
BETTER CAMPAIGN LOVE
We love a well-crafted spot as much as anyone. And hey, we love industry love too. But all the more meaningful when it’s with a brand you’ve been working with and taking chances with for years.
Better.com bts
making stuff for better.com is usually fun, but when we really lean into the comedy it doesn’t feel like work at all.
NETFLIX
TOP 10
Congrats to ButterCo Producer, Bo Butterworth on the newest doc he produced, “Bitconned”.
Five millions streams and cracking the Netflix Top 10, not bad. Not bad at all.
we’re big in ireland
Butterco’s new campaign with kpmg Ireland features olympic hopeful, rhasidat. She’s pure joy. here’s some of our work showing up in the irish times.
amazon book sale
This last week ButterCo helped bring the first annual Amazon Book Sale to life across an expansive ad campaign, from tiny web banners to Penn Station and Times Square billboards to the Amazon.com homepage header placement, which means billions of daily views when it's Amazon.
Working on a brand as powerful and iconic as Amazon, and doing so in the arena that started it all off for them, books, has made our partnership with them feel all the more meaningful and impactful.
Bringing campaigns of this size to life is never easy, especially when the words "First Annual" describe the project, but man, what a rush.
Thanks to the ButterCo team, Joy Leslie, Sarah Hudson, Thomas Schambach, Gabrielle Nicoll, Jack Prigel for all the hard work and keeping your eye on the ball til the end, and of course the Amazon Books team, for being an excellent partner and making us feel like part of the team from the jump.
Here's to the wins, you gotta celebrate them when they come, and to the continued partnership with Amazon.
kpmg shoot
A peak behind the curtain into a recent ButterCo shoot for KPMG with rising track star, Rhasidat Adeleke.
KPMG Ireland has been a real joy to work with, as have our production partners at CamLock Films.
Who would've known - working with good people on good things, can be...good.
SOME FOLLOWS
CATCH YOUR ATTENTION
MORE THAN OTHERS
BUTTERCO’S RADVERTISING ACCOUNT IS POPULAR. BUT DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT, JUST ASK JOHN MAYER.
Road trip colorado
HOW DO WE SPEND OUR TIME AWAY FROM WORK? STILL CREATING.
taste matters
The more years I spend in advertising, the more I notice the importance of one thing - your taste level matters immensely.
Having a good eye, ear, and just an all-around feel for what good work looks like becomes crucial.
Moreover, knowing how to create/produce good work is a straight-up superpower.
This isn't just for creatives either. The best Account, Media, Social, and Production folks I know have good taste. In fact, I'd rather take a top-flight crew at those positions with mediocre creatives than the other way around. Getting to good work doesn't just appear at the end. It's a true process to get there.
And you could argue, more important than all the agency personnel combined, is the Brand Partners themselves. Their eye, their gut, their confidence in making good choices and seeing them through is often times the difference between really good work and just...work.
So, take the time. Develop your eye. Gain some experience, some know-how, and some confidence. Accept that it's a process. But trust that it's worth it.
fear not
I recently got a LinkedIn message.
It was from a Creative Director in Austin, visiting from Maine. He was tagging along for his wife's seminar and played pickleball earlier that day, he started talking to a woman he was playing with, and upon finding out he was in advertising she said, "Oh, you should hang out with Jeffrey Butterworth while you're here."
He explained this in the LinkedIn message. I was actually free the next afternoon, so I said, "Absolutely, let's hang out."
We met up, had some beers, got along well, and in the conversation, he mentioned Rick Rubin's podcast. I love Rick Rubin, but didn't know about the podcast. I started listening the next day. In our first hang, we talked about career paths, life stories, and even grief over a recently passed friend.
It was an experience Rubin himself would've been proud to play a part in. About keeping open. Allowing conversations, experiences, and even the willingness to shoot over an email, or agree to that, all to take place.
Whether in art, career, family, projects, or impromptu meet-ups, the desire to create must be greater than the fear.
sibs day
One of the greatest achievements of my life is building ButterCo with the people that I love most.
Four out of five Butterworth Siblings currently work for ButterCo, and Jesse, who is a Marketing Executive himself, once pitched in on ButterCo too.
There are plenty of other folks outside of our bloodline who make ButterCo what it is, but to have the people that I know best, who know me, that we all share genuine love and support with be at the core of making the company what it is, is truly special.
Happy Sibs Day.
BUTTERCO
TURNS 4
ButterCo is 4 years old!
With another year under the belt, I want to pause to note some lessons we've learned on the road from our helpless newborn era into our pull-up era, and now learning to use a big potty on our own.
Man, that sounds so good just saying that out loud.
1. "Fake it 'til you make it" will only get you so far.
Although starting anything means you won't know much about a lot at first, you have to learn fast. You have to get good at those things you didn't know. And you have to provide utility to be of use.
2. Honesty has proven to be a superpower.
Along the same lines of the previous point, we've found taking down our guard, being vulnerable and staying dumb enough to ask the questions that everyone else is wondering too, turns out to be very smart. Honesty met with know-how is both appreciated and allows for a human connection when posturing can get in the way.
3. Winning is easy. Losing teaches you so much more.
We were lucky enough to start our company off with a bang four years ago. It was a couple years in when we were met with a harsher reality. Luckily, we had built up the savings account in the high times, so we never took investment or a loan, then we took that downtime to restructure, get smarter, build out a plan that looked beyond riding another wave and got us into propelling forward sustainably. When things don't seem to be clicking it's harder to stay high, but ya gots to. Attitude is everything.
4. "Who you are" shows through, whether you want it to or not.
Character matters, how you treat people, work ethic, respect of a deadline, your actual talents, what you bring to the table, your clothes, your smile/judgy looks/confusion/laugh/ah-ha moments, all of this stuff is on display whether you think it is or not. SO, hone that shit. Get it right. Make sure your talent is out there to be seen, but also be mindful of your character, and your respect for others. Ensure that you're not only reflecting the best version of yourselves but that you're asking more from those you do business with. It won't be fun if you're in business with folks who don't respect that. Trust me.
Cheers to another year, and always getting better. Huzzah.
Stand for what you believe in.
I live in Texas. With a wife. And three daughters. Women’s Rights have become a growing issue, beyond concern and into action. Whether you’re speaking on behalf of a brand or for yourself, it’s important to support what you believe in. Read the article here.
Nolan ryan beef: Bts
Making stuff with our friends at nolan ryan beef was great. Here’s proof.
Journaling: Not just for angsty teens anymore.
Years ago I become a Moleskine Guy (Field Notes, love you too) and it changed my life. Whether it was working through a problem, making To Do lists, or just getting in touch with my inner-seven-year-old, I had a place for it. Read the article here.
Support ukraine
It’s easy to feel powerless when you see a country getting invaded across the globe. I certainly was. That’s when I called the ButterCo team in to try to do something to at least answer the question, “how can I help?”
we good
Do you remember life before remote work?
I used to think when I got into my first job post-college job in 2003 that showing up to an office every day just didn't add up. I'm sure I wasn't alone on that thought either. It was a topic my generation would have amongst each other, but we were assured "working from home" would never happen. Mostly due to the uncertainty of the people in charge. Not just at my job, but everywhere.
Walking from (fill in the blank) has become such a way of life that it tends to beg the question - where do you WANT to live?
I'm originally from California, lived in Vegas for a couple of years, and have now been in Austin for nearly 10 years. It's a nice feeling to like where you live. To know you can pull up anchor and go wherever, but you choose the place you're at.
I'm not so naive to say I'll be anywhere forever, but it's also a healthy thing to ask where you actually want to be. And if your answer is "right where I am" then all the better.
hard at work
butterco is no stranger to self promo. this is the latest video that touches on the taboo subject of…hard work.
8th Grade.
In middle school I took a lot of pride in the sheets I created to house my friend’s phone numbers. Recently I re-imagined what that sheet might have looked like.
neighbor
we recently shot a creative campaign for neighbor. And the clients turned friends lived up to the name of the brand they represent.
funny is subjective
I swear, there are certain comics, certain movie franchises, certain jokes that a large group of people find absolutely hysterical...and I don't get it. At all.
But hey, I'm not alone. Humor is best when it's specific, so getting into that thing, that group, that "one time", that voice, that prop, whatever it may be, getting to it is what makes it so good. BUT it's not for everyone.
So, when using comedy in advertising it's always best to level set and get a sense for what the people you're working for, that are working for you, that you are reporting to, that you're expecting gold from, that you all have an idea of what you think is funny.
At the very least, it'll save everyone some incredibly awkward meetings.
Texas: Part 13
Since moving to Austin in 2014 I’ve been making old-school home videos of my friends, family, and doings in my new home. This is the latest: