MONOGRAM was founded on Jan. 8, 2024 as a subsidiary of full-service marketing organization The Harkey Group. Though also a firm specializing in advertising services, MONOGRAM operates in the niche of luxury lifestyle companies, the cornerstone of consumerism and, naturally, memorable experiences.
One year into business, Vendelux sat down with MONOGRAM’s executive director, John Schadler, for a reflective interview that continually came back to establishing brand identity and community.
Going back to the beginning, MONOGRAM was born out of a “belief that clients want agencies with industry expertise” in this increasingly competitive high-end sector. “The learning curve is drastically reduced,” Schadler said of hiring a niche agency like his. “And our team loves the hospitality business,” he added.
And even with a career that spans three-plus decades, Schadler said he’s learned the importance of “establishing our new set of offerings and properly defining our brand proposition” in the past year. One “huge area of focus” has been “getting the word out about MONOGRAM,” Schadler said, noting that as a result, the firm has been “sought after and very busy” in its first year with a clientele that’s undoubtedly luxurious, with brand names spanning Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Wynn Resorts, Mandarin Oriental, and a soon-to-be-launched boutique hotel outside of Atlanta, just to name a few.
Among its highest-profile projects in 2024: developing innovative marketing strategies for Marriott International and the Chéri Rooftop at Paris Las Vegas on behalf of its owner, JRS Hospitality.
Also in the past 365 days—as MONOGRAM’s team has grown from five key leaders to 15 members—the firm has honed in on the goal of being a master of one rather than a jack of all trades. How? Having a team that’s “composed of people who are unwaveringly passionate about hospitality,” according to Schadler, who noted that aside from a full-time workforce, MONOGRAM has “a cadre of freelance talent available.” Additionally, the young company adds value to its clients via “a fresh perspective.” It helps that MONOGRAM is an external marketing firm, per Schadler, since it can contribute to initiatives “authentically and objectively”
Event profs rejoice—live events have been key to the firm’s business strategy.
“I don’t think I need to emphasize the importance of fostering community. It’s a 101 in building a strong business, and with that as part of our foundation we’re able to deepen our knowledge even further,” Schadler said.
When asked about the role of events at MONOGRAM, Schadler’s response was two-fold: that they’re “hugely beneficial for our team to attend […] to keep ourselves abreast of what’s going on in the industries we serve,” and that they’re key in tapping into marketing’s foundation of human emotion.
“Strong marketing is able to evoke emotion from anyone who experiences it. Events are a chance for people to interact with one another face-to-face and build connections in ways that you can’t always do virtually,” Schadler said on the topic.
As MONOGRAM looks to its second year, Schadler said it wants “to continue doing more outbound marketing and getting our brand more firmly established among potential clients.” The first order of business is to accomplish this: “launching a new website, attending trade events and most importantly, taking care of our existing clients,” Schadler said.
To conclude, Schadler offered up advice to fellow marketers looking to be more entrepreneurial in 2025. “Expect long hours and be 1,000% committed during the good times and bad. Drive quality. Build a great team of people who are smarter than you. You own it. You control it. There’s something liberating about that.”
