SXSW, ACL, and the Live Music Capital of the World. You’ll never forget where and who we are when thinking about our Austin-based agency. (After all, 97° W is the longitude of this great, creative town.) Our promise is threefold: to be a fully engaged partner; to deliver work that is remarkable for its creativity; and most importantly, to be purposeful in our relevance to our client’s goals.
We fulfill our promise to every client by first uncovering the core truth of their brand. And, because each brand is unique, we tailor our approach to telling the relevant audience about our clients in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary fashion that has an immediate impact.
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Agency Leadership
Vera Fischer
President/Founder
Bridging two worlds comes naturally to German-born, American-raised Vera Fischer, whose career has been marked by the ability to master the strategic nuances between clients and agencies, brands and consumers, strategy and execution, traditional and interactive media. Her professional life was jump-started at nationally renowned GSD&M and later honed her skills with T3, one of the largest independent agencies in the country. Vera moved to the client side as Vice President at Portaris and then as Director of Marketing at Forgent Networks, serving under the visionary CEO who had once introduced the world to the wildly profitable line of HP printers. After founding her own successful firm, Blue Shoe Marketing, the resourceful and engaging hybrid talent launched 97° West in 2008 to create the strongest links possible between people and brands through innovative research, global design, and unleashing the power of digital media.Vera is a gifted interviewer and inspirational team leader with an outstanding understanding of business and finance.
Linda Richey
Client Services Director
“Client service” is one of those overused phrases that often under-delivers on its promise, but for 97 Degrees West’s Linda Richey, building long-term relationships by serving clients well is the touchstone of a successful and satisfying professional life in strategic branding. Linda joined the fast-growing firm in 2009 as the chief liaison between companies and their creative partners. She is responsible for everything from brand strategies to media planning, ensuring that projects stay on time, on message and on budget. The fitness and research-oriented Trinity University grad started her career in San Francisco, before moving to Austin to work for Holt Reinhart and subsequently Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing. Linda brings insight, energy, wit and wisdom to the team, making her equally appealing (and effective) with clients and creatives from all walks of life.
Ruth Framel
CFO
Few accounting experts are comfortable at the junction of Creative and Cash but then, Ruth Framel isn’t the typical bean counter at the wheel. And while “financial discipline” aren’t the most musical words in the English language, to 97º West’s experienced and engaging CFO, they’re the essential base notes for successful companies, marketing agencies and their clients— and it’s what makes her heart sing professionally. (Go figure.) Ruth is a highly organized key player at the firm, overseeing budgets to make sure every client’s investment in their brand stays exactly on track and that the agency meets its own financial goals, too. The A&M Business School grad honed her skills at a Big 8 firm in Houston and served a multitude of corporate, entrepreneurial and non-profit clients during her 20+ year career in California and Texas, before joining 97º West to ensure resources flow intelligently and responsibly through transparent accounting practices– freeing agency creatives to deliver the most imaginative and productive work possible on budget and on schedule.
