BREAKTHROUGH.

Six Years In. We've Never Been More Excited About What's Next.

Dear Beth and Kimi,

Allow me to start with the one thing we feel most: gratitude. Six years with the Corning Museum of Glass has been one of the genuine privileges of running this agency, and our conversation a couple weeks back—candid, generous, and honestly a little energizing—reminded me exactly why. You don't have conversations like that with people you don't admire, and I walked away from it even more excited and optimistic about our partnership.

Here's why. Six years is a long time to get to know a brand—its collection, its people, its ambitions, its audiences. That kind of knowledge is a real asset, and I don't think we've been using it as fully as we might. Comfort has a way of creeping into any long partnership, ours included; the safer choice quietly gets easier to reach for than the bold one, for both sides, a little at a time. I'd rather name that plainly, and break some current processes and habits, than pretend it away.

Because, what's on the other side of it is thrilling to think about. We finally know this brand well enough to take real swings with it—work built for an 8, not a 6 (this will make sense when you see our scale on the pages that follow). A campaign platform built around what actually makes people say “I had no idea.” A process designed so the boldest idea in the room gets a real, fully-argued shot, not a quiet retreat to what's familiar.

On our end, that means presenting with more conviction, building a shared standard for what great work looks like together, and bringing you more candor, more often—not saving it for once a year. And I'd ask one thing of you in return, offered with real respect: a genuine openness to the calculated risk we're recommending, when we've made the honest case for it. We'll always make that case clearly, so it's an informed choice, not a leap of faith.

Six years gave us the foundation and the trust. I think what comes next could be the best work we've ever made together—and I'm genuinely excited for this next ‘breakthrough’ chapter in our partnership.

With real gratitude, and even more anticipation,

Thomas Mooney
Chief Executive Officer, FourthIdea

A proposal to deliver creative that changes the perception of what a museum can be.

FourthIdea.com