Meet the Team: Anna Sonntag

How long have you been at the agency?

About two months now. I started June 15th.

What's surprised you most about agency life so far?

How fast it moves. The turnaround time on our end can be so quick, and projects move along so rapidly. Sometimes, I’ll think back to a piece of a project I worked on that feels like ages ago, just to realize I worked on that piece only 2 days ago!

But honestly, the thing that surprised me most that's specific to Show and Tell is just how nice everyone is. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop in my first couple of weeks — like, are people just being this nice because I’m new? But no, everyone here genuinely works for the same team and has each other's backs.

What drew you to Show and Tell?

I knew for a while that I wanted to end up at an agency — that was always the goal, even before I knew exactly what role I wanted. My previous job wasn't in marketing, and I was certain I wanted to get back into it after my internship and extracurricular marketing experience throughout my degree. I wasn't exactly sure what my first marketing-related, post-grad role would look like, but an agency felt like the right next step.

I actually knew of Show and Tell because of a former employee named James. He was a coach of mine during business case competitions in school, and he always spoke so highly of his time here. He would always reference his experience while coaching my case competition team, and it sounded like he learned so much from working at Show and Tell. When I saw the Account Manager posting, I reached out to him again and he gave me a really candid rundown of what to expect, good and bad. The work environment and the role itself sounded right up my alley, so I applied, and here we are!

As an Account Manager, what does your day-to-day actually look like?

I don't want to say account management is just responding to client requests, because that makes it sound really reactive. It's more like you spend the whole day trying to be as intuitive and self-starting as possible — I know the client has this coming up, so what can we do in advance of that to make it happen? I work on small pieces of a large amount of projects in a single day.

I'd say it's a lot of relationship management and managing the client's goals and expectations, but there's a huge project management side to it too. You're making sure schedules stay on track, managing resources and keeping everything moving internally. Maybe it's fair to say it's about a 50/50 split between relationship management and project management.

What has been the most rewarding or exciting project so far at Show and Tell? Why?

A product branding project, for sure. I actually saw it starting literally my first day here. We had the creative brief already, and I came in about halfway through, but it was cool because I got to watch it being built from nothing. I watched the team go from creating names, to choosing one, to developing the logos, and even got to have some say in which ones were my favourites. It was really interesting to see something start from nothing and eventually build up to exist as an actual brand. I understand that the opportunity to participate in full branding exercises are rare, so I felt lucky to be involved in a project like this right off the bat.

What's your advice for maintaining great client relationships?

I think what I've tried to do so far, and what’s essential to do while you’re new to an account, is build rapport with clients as much as possible — have a relationship with them that's personal, not just professional. You're going to have hard conversations with clients, you have to manage their expectations, and sometimes you have to deliver bad news. So building that rapport is really the best thing you can do in advance.

The other side of it is that account management is a balancing act internally too. If I did everything the client wanted exactly when they wanted it, I'd end up upsetting teams internally because the reality is: all the other account managers want their own projects prioritized at the same time. So it's trial and error — you have to know when you can push people, and when you have to manage expectations instead.

You studied Marketing and Supply Chain at the University of Manitoba — how did you land on that combination?

I always knew I wanted to study marketing, no doubt about it from day one. What I admire most about it is that it's just as much an art as it is a science. It’s a pet peeve of mine that some people think marketing is just social media, when really there's so much more to it.

I did a co-op program with internships throughout my degree, and my first two were both in marketing. By the third one, I figured I had enough marketing experience already, so I was intentional about trying something unrelated. That's how I ended up in a supply chain role. Turns out I was actually really good at it. I was consistently top of my class in supply chain courses, even though I was more average in marketing. I liked it, but I never loved it the way I loved marketing. So supply chain became my backup, and I’m grateful to have built experience in that area — but hey, let's focus on marketing now.

You interned across a really wide range of areas — concert marketing, financial services, agriculture, supply chain. Was there one that stuck with you the most?

Honestly, my very first co-op, at Shortline, a local moving company — it's what solidified that marketing was the right path for me. Professionally, it was also the first time I got a real look at how a business runs from every angle, and I still think back on that experience a lot. Apart from that, one of my managers there became a genuine, lifelong mentor to me – I’m still in touch with that individual today, who continues to give great professional and personal advice.

How has your supply chain background ended up being useful in an Account Manager role?

There was a professor at the U of M who always said that in supply chain, when something goes wrong, you just have to go, go, go — fix it immediately. That mindset has genuinely carried over. Supply chain teaches you to be adaptable, almost like you're constantly in crisis-management mode. Something falls apart, and instead of getting stuck on it, you focus on what the solution looks like for the most people involved. That solutions-first mindset overlaps with account management more than I expected.

What's a recent ad campaign that really stood out to you, and why?

A Heinz commercial. I actually couldn't find it again when I went looking, but I swear it was real. I remember it showed restaurants getting "caught" pouring other ketchup into Heinz bottles, since the red label outline gives it away if it's genuine. Such a clever way to lean into their brand identity as the default ketchup.  I still buy French’s ketchup, but still, whoever thought of that deserves a raise.

You play in a beer league — how'd you get into hockey, and what position do you play?

My parents always put me in random activities as a kid, and unfortunately for me, the main one was dance — jazz and ballet, nothing competitive. When I was in grade 4, my younger brother started playing hockey and I decided I wanted to try it too. My parents were like, "are you sure?" but I quit dance immediately and never looked back. I played recreationally all through high school, took a break during COVID since there wasn't really an option to play, then joined my beer league about four years ago. I've always played forward, usually left wing these days.

Editor's Note: Anna's dance instructor was, in her words, "not messing around." We're not going to speculate further, but we fully support the pivot to hockey. 

I hear you're trying to perfect your golf swing — how's that coming along, and how often are you on the course?

Honestly, not great. I've only played a full 18 holes twice in my life. I can usually only handle 9. I did a ladies' league at Southside last year with a friend, but we didn't join again this year, so now I'm just out roughly every third week on my own. Every single time, I hit a point mid-round where I think, "I can't do this anymore," but then I get FOMO hearing everyone else talk about golfing, so I keep going back. I've tried lessons and everything, but it just hasn't clicked yet. Genuinely, I think it might be the hardest sport out there. It's wild that it doesn't require much traditional athleticism, but getting it right is unbelievably hard.

Editor’s Note: For someone who quits golf approximately once per round, Anna remains remarkably committed to the sport.

What's something your coworkers may not know about you?

I love to travel — I'm always thinking about the next trip and how to best use my vacation days. I've actually been to 20 countries so far!

Favourite Winnipeg restaurant, coffee shop, or hidden gem?

For restaurants, Nonsuch — I'm not really a beer drinker, but it's the one spot I'll make an exception for, and I think about their burger weekly. For coffee, I'm a big Empty Cup fan. Their shaken espresso is something I could drink on repeat.

What advice would you give to someone new at the agency?

Everyone here is genuinely open to questions and happy to help. Don't be afraid to speak up in a meeting and say, "Wait, what do you mean by that?" if you're not sure. People here seem to genuinely enjoy mentoring and find it rewarding, so don't be afraid to sound like a fool if you have questions. Just keep asking. People are really open to helping.

We’re happy to have you on the team, Anna! Keep an eye out for our next Meet the Team feature.