The Award Winning “Hump Day” Writer Joins Firehouse as they kick off 25 years in business and Ad Age Best Place to Work win.
Firehouse, a highly creative and unconventional independent advertising agency, has hired powerhouse creative, Wade Alger as Chief Inspiration Officer. Alger was behind the Geico ads Unskippable, Happier Than (hump day), and Did You Know that helped the brand go from ninth to the number two auto insurer in the country. He also co-wrote the “The World’s Biggest Asshole” for Donate Life – which led to a more than 600% increase in organ donation registrations. In addition, Alger helped create the award-winning site We Chose the Moon and Clouds Over Cuba for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
This strategic new hire kicks off Firehouse’s 25th year in business and recent industry recognition from Ad Age as one of the Best Places to Work in 2022. Alger will add to the firm’s momentum and talented creative roster as he helps lead and inspire the team of creatives, blazing a trail in the brand-building space.
“There’s a reason why big agency talent like Wade is migrating to smaller shops. There’s less bureaucracy, fewer barriers to creativity and greater access to clients”, said Tripp Westbrook, President and Chief Creative Officer, Firehouse. “Wade’s arrival shows our intent to continue punching above our size and being a highly valuable, highly creative resource for clients of all sizes.”
“I really do think small is the new big. Clients are looking for agencies like Firehouse – with more transparency, more creative engagement on their business, and most important, they’re looking at agencies to see who exactly will work on their business. When you’re a smaller, independent agency like Firehouse, the people in the room are the ones working on your account. That level of focus and firepower is hard to ignore, which is why we’re seeing even large clients take notice,” said Alger.
Firehouse is an award-winning advertising agency founded on the idea that unconventional thinking leads to transformative ideas and that relationships, character and trust will always trump buzzwords, politics and bravado. Key clients include Lennox, Trupanion, Stryker, Coinstar and Mary Kay. In this newly created role, Alger will be a creative catalyst across all clients and look for opportunities to amplify the ideas and the work wherever possible.
“The year is off to a great start and we have a lot to celebrate. Wade is an amazing writer with fresh ideas, and he joins our talented team of creatives as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the firm in addition to being named among the top 10 agencies on Ad Age’s Best Places to Work 2022 list,” said Steve Smith, CEO, Firehouse. “We’re able to draw incredible talent like Wade because we have a people-centric approach to agency culture, and we treat our staff as our most valuable assets. I really believe that smaller, independent agencies drawing national caliber talent like Firehouse are the future of creativity.”
Alger’s work has won 57 Cannes Lions, 38 One Show pencils, nine D&AD pencils and countless FWA and Art Directors Club awards. His work also won several industry AICP awards and multiple ANDYs, Webby and CA awards as well as two EMMY nominations and one EMMY win.
Creativity Magazine named Alger one of the Top 10 most awarded writers, and Business Insider named Alger one of the 25 most creative people in advertising.
