Dynamic Collaboration in a Remote World
July 18, 2023
Madden has been a fully remote agency since March 2020, when companies across the globe halted business to protect their employees from COVID-19. We had not planned to make the virtual shift so soon, but we pivoted and found that we are stronger for it. At present, we are proud to boast a company of fully remote professionals.
Our teams at Madden have never been so geographically diverse, with exceptional employees located all across the United States. The ability for hiring Maddenites to select from a wider pool of candidates—and not just out of Tucson, where we are headquartered—allows for the most suitable prospect for each team and their clients to be brought on board. Our flexibility increased, too—with Maddenites in every U.S. time zone, we’ve adapted to communicate more effectively and utilize digital tools to keep projects running smoothly.
Where We’ve Been
Prior to embracing the remote realm, we thought we produced our most creative, top-performing campaigns when we were able to collaborate in person in a traditional office. That’s fair, as that was all that we knew. Madden’s teams have always prioritized highly collaborative workstyles, and accomplishing that through a computer screen was untested at that point.
The professional world changed as a result of the pandemic, with the number of people working from home tripling between 2019 and 2021, according to the United States Census Bureau. Fast-forward to 2023, and about 35% of U.S. professionals now work remotely, per the Pew Research Center.
Where we are
Looking toward the new frontier of working at home and on the move, Madden seized the shifting landscape and found opportunities to embrace the evolving space with curiosity and thoughtful preparation. In the time since, we’ve shown that we don’t need to be together physically to collaboratively craft award-winning work.
Across a range of clients, our work has been recognized and honored through awards from organizations such as Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, U.S. Travel Association, American Advertising Federation and more.
Where we can go
Even though we’ve found remote work to be rewarding, we know it is not without challenges. That’s why we do our best to address issues like feelings of isolation or decreased collaboration by promoting mindful practices and effective digital communication tools. Employees are encouraged to strengthen their relationships with peers in their focus area through regular meetings and employee resource groups to connect on commonalities, as well as space for bonding within their own teams via immersive retreats and virtual events.
We also know that a strong work/life balance is important to effective remote work, and want to help foster a space where employees can take time for themselves with responsible paid time off and travel incentives. The teams at Madden have honed in their communication with designated digital spaces for asking questions and relaying updates, daily check-ins in a variety of formats, and planning tools like Trello to deliver project information. We are determined to continue to discover and utilize the tools that will help our company and benefit our clients.
How a Remote Agency Benefits You
Taking our team remote has led to many benefits in work-life balance and increased use of digital collaboration tools, but one of the most important results of this change is how it has enhanced the services we provide to our partners.
Prior to going remote, Madden managed to share the stories of our destination marketing organizations through a network of freelance writers, photographers, and creators who are familiar with their locations.
Now, it’s easier than ever for us to tap into what exactly makes your destination special. Why? Because we’ve grown our company by 52% with qualified marketers who live across 37 states. Not only that, but 20% of Maddenites have prior DMO experience. With this built-in network of national tourism experts, we have a pulse on the true personality of each of our partners’ destinations and can illustrate that benefit through content that resonates with your target audiences in a meaningful, authentic way.
