Dome HK
Company: Dome HK, Chicago, Illinois
Company Description: Dome HK is one of Chicago's most unique and creative boutique public relations and marketing communications agencies. Founded by Doug Dome and formerly known as Dome Communications, Dome HK was acquired by Hill & Knowlton in 2004. Although Dome HK utilizes H&K’s resources on a daily basis and collaborates on projects when appropriate, Dome HK has kept its boutique agency culture intact.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Creative Person
Nomination Title: Doug Dome, Best Creative Person
1. Tell the story about what this nominee achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
If you've ever seen Doug Dome prepare a new business pitch, you need little convincing that he deserves the 2006 American Business Award for Best Creative Person. Leveraging 22 years of experience, Doug's creative thinking, sharp strategizing and communications expertise benefit more than 20 accounts Dome HK represents.
As President of Dome HK and US Creative Director of Hill & Knowlton, Doug is anything but a traditionalist. Doug believes in immersive marketing, preferring to build programs that rely on guerilla tactics, viral marketing and full integration rather than depend on media relations alone to drive his clients' messages.
Clients respect his business knowledge and experience, as well as his ability to produce measurable results time and time again. Doug‘s creative reputation is well-known and highly regarded within the industry. Even competitors respect Doug and see him as an asset to the Chicago marketing community and the PR industry as a whole.
Doug’s shows his creativity by going big and thinking outside the box. More accurately, he likes to think that the box does not even exist. Doug encourages outlandish ideas. In fact, several core plans have been generated in this manner, most notably, the recent groundbreaking “Chicago for Everyone” pitch for General Motors.
On September 8, 2005, Toyota, General Motors biggest competitor, held a large, employee-only event in Chicago’s newest landmark and tourist attraction, Millennium Park. GM retained Dome HK to steal the show.
Doug likes to provide clients with multiple plans within each pitch, and the GM pitch was no exception. Doug and his team decided to present one plan with three tenets - a safe idea, a creative idea and a risky idea- all applicable, executable and with a budget to back each element. While the risky idea was never intended to be chosen, it demonstrated Dome HK’s creativity and willingness to push the envelope.
While many would frown at the notion of presenting a rebel submission, it was Doug’s belief that while the last program would never be implemented, it would show an insight into the agency’s creative thinking. He was right. The presentation, including the third extreme idea, was applauded by the GM executives the entire way out of the boardroom.
Doug’s inventive brainstorming won Dome HK the GM business, and the resulting “Chicago for Everyone” program was regarded by the Chicago Tribune as “GM’s PR Event of the Millennium”.
However, what’s most important to Doug is that his employees respect his willingness to roll up his sleeves and work in the trenches alongside them. Doug leads by example. He is a model PR practitioner who combines vision, business sense and the determination to take risks that put his firm and employees on top. The result is a creatively-charged environment where individuals have the power and opportunity to achieve personal goals, celebrate one another’s unique strengths, productively channel each other’s weaknesses and bring a fresh, creative perspective to every project. Doug's motivational skills inspire his teams to new heights, and his innovative vision is unparallel.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
http://www.holmesreport.com/holmestemp/story.cfm?edit_id=5651&typeid=2
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/community/news/chicago_090905.html
http://www.domehk.com
http://www.hersheyfoods.com/news/release.asp?releaseID=784327
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:
Doug Dome serves as President of Dome HK, an award winning creative marketing communications boutique agency, while also serving as the US Creative Director for Hill & Knowlton. Doug earned a Master of Management degree in Marketing and International Business from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and History from Alma College. Doug currently teaches graduate-level Integrated Marketing Communications at the University of Chicago, is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and serves on the boards of several Chicago-based children’s charities.