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Conversations with the Inspiring D’Arcy Toffolo

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Today we’d like to introduce you to D’Arcy Toffolo.

D’Arcy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story has two facets to it – the first as a working professional and the second as a long-time endurance athlete. A double-major in Economics and Studio Art from Boston College, I fell into a first job as a marketing coordinator. My exposure to the agency life early on has fed my passion for marketing and ad agencies alike. My early career was spent in Chicago at Digitas working on brands including KitchenAid, Kaiser Permanente and Taco Bell. My husband and I moved to Denver in 2012, where I’ve worked for a variety of agencies big and small including creative shop Crispin Porter & Bogusky (on Best Buy), shopper marketing agency, Integer and now Moore, a full-service agency. I’ve served in a variety of roles including business development, marketing, and account leadership. At Moore, I am an Executive Managing Director. I oversee the agency’s advertising and website practices and lead the Denver office (a team of 8). As a marketing generalist, I’m focused on using data to reach consumer’s right time, right place – with ideas that resonate and build emotional connections.

I give back to the advertising and marketing community through my board position with Ad Club Colorado. This club is committing to celebrating the local work of agencies and individuals while providing networking opportunities for all – whether they are freelancing, full time, just starting out, or established. I’m in my 4th year with Ad Club.

In my personal life, I’m a life-long athlete. I was competitively swimming by age 9 – and swam through college at Division 1 school, Boston College. Following graduation, I got into triathlon as a means of staying fit and it turned into a 20-year career including eight Ironmans (4 of these the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii). I’m a big believer in finding opportunities to push your limits mentally and physically. Last Summer, I did a solo 20-mile swim in Lake Michigan “just because.”

As a new mom in 2011, I found myself asking other athlete moms how they “balance it all.” They were asking the same question of me! So I launched an event in 2015 called the “Wonder Women Elite Athlete Panel” that brought together top athletes across a variety of disciplines to talk about issues related to training, racing, equality in sport, staying mentally tough, etc. Athletes include Katie Compton, US National Champion in cyclocross, Sarah Thomas, world record holder for longest unassisted swim, and Junko Kazukawa, endurance runner. The third-panel event took place last year at Rapha in Boulder and we had over 100 in attendance. I partnered with World Bicycle Relief for the event – all proceeds benefitted the organization committed to providing new bikes to underserved communities around the world.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
While the journey has not been smooth, I have learned a great deal, particularly in the seven years I’ve been in Denver. While in Chicago, I was fortunate to work for agencies where senior leadership was strong: there was mutual respect regardless of what level you were at, transparency in the performance of the agency (which led to a more empowered, more committed team and culture), and opportunity to chart your course. Denver is a much more unstable market for advertising agencies, and this has manifested itself in various forms here. There was a time where I considered retiring from agency life – until I found Moore. Frankly, I am still pinching myself today. A women-owned agency, Moore has a 90% retention rate with its staff – and I can see why. The senior leadership team welcome and thrive on collaboration from all – they want the big thinking and innovative ideas. For boss’s day last year, my boss, Terrie Ard, President of Moore, invited all staff to share ideas with her. That was the only gift she wanted. Team members regardless of tenure, position, or role felt empowered and excited to share their thoughts and ideas for how to shape the agency in 2020. This is the kind of culture I thrive in; it translates to happy team members which in turn benefits the clients we work with. Our client retention? 95%.

In my pursuit of launching a Wonder Woman panel, there have been some challenges as well. Since conceiving the idea, I believed strongly there was a need in this market for “busy athlete moms” to hear from other female athletes. But in year two, the pricing model and location drew only 20-25 attendees. I was dismayed: we weren’t able to donate that much to World Bicycle Relief, and I was not as fulfilled as I’d been in the inaugural year. Then in year 3, getting the support and sponsorship of Rapha Boulder ensured we had the traction with the local market and the physical footprint that was both convenient and visible. We had well over 75 in attendance in year three and raised enough money to build ten new bikes.

My advice to young women starting their journey: write down on a piece of paper your values. What is important to you? What do you hold to be true? When you’re interviewing with companies, pressure-test their values with yours. Ask a lot of questions. Hold firm to what you believe you are worth, and what you want to pursue. If you come in the face of adversity – weigh the pros and cons of pushing through it. I’m a big believer in never quitting, but I’m also a believer in never settling. If you feel you are pinned in a situation where there is no way out, consider seriously another path. Your happiness – whether you are raising children, with someone, or solo – is paramount. A job is just a job at the end of the day.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Moore, Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
The thing that gets me out of bed in the morning (besides a cold swimming pool) is the belief that we are helping our clients build lasting, emotional connections with their audiences. This is no easy feat today when consumers are bombarded with messages from all angles – and choosing to interact with brands on their terms. How do you break-through in an authentic way? I help brands, our clients, use data and insights to connect. To effectively do this, its a combination of powerful creative rooted in an insight combined with media that uses data to reach audiences right time, right place. This is what I am known for at the agency. I am most proud of the fact that as an agency, we don’t take on every opportunity that comes our way: we run it through the “is it work that matters” meter first. We don’t want to be the agency that blasts messages out on behalf of self-serving brands looking to make a buck. We’re better than that (said in the most humble way).

As a personal brand, I am most proud of the fact that I was able to bring the Wonder Woman Elite Athlete Panel to life – and have it benefit a non-profit organization I care a lot about. I’m also proud of my contributions as President of my children’s school, and committee chair for the Good Works initiative of Ad Club Colorado.

I think what sets me apart, particularly in working with teams, is my collaborative spirit. I want – and welcome the partnership of others, recognizing that we all have something to contribute to our clients or our peers. I believe in integrity, mutual respect and creating an open-door culture where there is no penalty for mistakes made (only opportunity to learn from them). I also believe that with all of the support I’ve received from mentors, I have a responsibility to mentor others – through Ad Club, in the Denver community, and at my agency.

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
Given that a lot of the discrimination in the workplace is perpetuated by women, our greatest opportunity is to equip other women with the tools they need to overcome challenges while finding fulfillment and growth in their career. We as women have a responsibility to call out the mean girls as we see them and stand up for equitable treatment and opportunity.

I am inspired by the recent founding of collective/collaboration hub, Luminary in New York. They are building a community of women that inspire, empower, educate each other! They invite women to collaborate and connect through programs and networking opportunities. It’s incredible. I’d love to establish a collective like that in Denver.

I think women are positioned for any opportunity they see for themselves!

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