The summer of accolades continues for NIMBUS, a strategic multicultural marketing firm headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Last week, they were named the Southeast’s Silver winner of the 2021 Small Agency of The Year Awards presented by Ad Age—an industry-leading global media brand and focused on curated creativity, people and culture. In June, NIMBUS was named Ad Age’s 2021 Multicultural Agency of The Year.
Ad Age’s Small Agency Awards recognize excellence, marketing effectiveness, strategic thinking and overall performance for agencies with 150 or fewer employees.
In announcing the honor, Ad Age noted NIMBUS’ ability to translate the relationship between culture and brands as a leading success factor. Specifically, they referenced NIMBUS’ role as multicultural agency for Papa John’s being a significant part of the pizza chain’s comeback. Also in the spotlight was the agency’s work with Brown-Forman including a dynamic campaign for Jack Daniel’s Apple during Hispanic Heritage Month in 2020 as well as a ‘beautifully filmed series’ featuring multicultural bartenders called “Culture Shakers.”
Stacey Wade, NIMBUS CEO & Executive Creative Director, launched his agency in 2002 as a sole-proprietor. Over the past 20 years, he’s guided NIMBUS to be the impressive full-service creative, experiential and strategic marketing communications powerhouse they are today. At the same time, Wade leveraged his unique position as one of the few minority-owned agencies in the region to fine-tune NIMBUS’ capacity for connecting brands with diverse audiences through strategic multicultural marketing initiatives.
That agency’s impressive portfolio of local, national and global clients testifies to the talent of Wade’s team, individuals reflecting a diversity of experience, insights into market trends and cultural perspectives. NIMBUS client relationships include: Brown-Forman, Humana, KFC, Louisville Metro United Way, Papa John’s International, Swisher International, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and Toyota North America.
Award wins are gratifying and an affirmation that NIMBUS is doing work that’s matters. But the bigger story for Wade is his agency’s reputation for fearlessly breaking barriers and elevating the stories of those too often unheard.
“We look to local legend—and my personal hero—Muhammad Ali for inspiration at NIMBUS. He built his fame from scratch, literally taking every hit along the way to make him stronger,” notes Wade. “Ali once said, ‘Impossible is Nothing’ and that’s exactly the mindset we embrace every day. We’ve made it to where we are today thanks to the dedication of our team members and an unwavering support system of family, friends and advocates.”
“Here’s our reality: we live and work in an increasingly multifaceted culture and NIMBUS adeptly helps our clients navigate through those complexities,” says Dr. Dawn Wade, NIMBUS Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Partner. “We lean into data and research to make informed strategic decisions, but also respect the humanity necessary to create the magic of authentic emotional connections between people and a brand.”
So, what’s next for this multiple-award-winning force of nature? Really big things. NIMBUS will soon open their new downtown Louisville office while also pursuing additional client relationships, expanding their team and continuing agency expansion into the Atlanta market.
For more information about NIMBUS and a peak at why their award shelves are filling up quickly, visit them online at hellonimbus.com. Friendly hint: sound up when you do!
