Q: How does each role affect the other? What is similar and what’s different?
A: You’d be surprised how much they affect each other. For example, when I had to rebuild the website for my chocolate company from the ground up, I learned many things first-hand that informed my knowledge of web development and customer experience, which was very helpful in my advertising life. Conversely, many of the management challenges I face at the agency help me deal with similar situations that come up in my own company, but since Quigley is larger and more “corporate,” it helps me to make my own company more professional in its approach. I honestly feel that I’m a better advertising person, and a better chocolatier, because of my dual experience in both.
Of course, they are also quite different in many ways. When I’m at my chocolate company, I may have to fix a machine that’s not behaving, design new packaging, or taste-test a new flavor. And, of course, in advertising it can be everything from writing an RFP to presenting an advertising plan to a client. I have often thought that it would be fun to transpose the people I deal with in one world to the other, because I think they might get a kick out of seeing first-hand the different hats that I wear.
Q: What’s inspiring you today in your work or personal projects?
A: In my advertising life, I’m inspired by the people around me. They work incredibly hard to create work they are proud of, with the highest of standards. I’m also inspired to see the incredible advances in digital that are happening literally every day – we’re living in a marketing world that’s reinventing itself. And I also love the feeling of being part of a team that has solved something in a spectacular way – an amazing creative campaign, a new approach to media, a strategic breakthrough, whatever. These moments happen all the time, and it can be when it’s something big or something small. It doesn’t matter – it feels great regardless.
In my chocolate life, what’s really inspiring is to see my hard work come to fruition. When you own your own business, you have no choice but to move forward and to try things. You do your best, and sometimes it doesn’t work out. But when it does – it’s glorious. You feel you had an idea, you developed it, you funded it, you put in the time, you managed the people, you told the world about it through marketing – and it worked. But let’s face it – I work in chocolate, and literally everything is inspiring. We’re about to launch a box of six delicious truffle fudge bars infused with Knob Creek Bourbon. Who isn’t inspired by that?
Q: Where can we check out your personal work?
A: By all means check out our website, www.johnkellychocolates.com. And you can also see some fun media hits at https://www.youtube.com/user/johnkellychocolates. We’re also sold all over the country, including at Neiman Marcus, Whole Foods, Central Market and Bristol Farms. And please feel free to come to one of our stores to see all of our products in one place. If you come to Hollywood I’ll even give you a personal tour of the factory.
