“When an agency can combine eye-catching creative with researched marketing strategies, the sky is truly the limit.“

At NMCO, we’ve celebrated many milestones,  from winning our first award, to landing our first national gig, to purchasing our first commercial building. But this year marks one of our most meaningful chapters yet.

We are honored to celebrate legacy, continuity, and partnership through the merger of NMCO Studio and Wilson Binkley Advertising & Marketing. When longtime partners Ken Binkley and Rob Sharp began planning the future of their agency, they knew they wanted to transition their life’s work to a team that shared their values, vision, and commitment to excellence. That shared foundation is what brought our companies together and will guide the exciting new chapter ahead.

In this Q&A, we sit down with Ken and Rob to hear their reflections on Wilson Binkley’s journey, what this merger means for their clients, and the insights they’ve gained over decades in the industry.

Q. What inspired the original vision behind Wilson Binkley, and how has that legacy shaped the company over the years?

A. What was to become Wilson Binkley Advertising & Marketing began with a young, steely-eyed advertising man named David Wilson, who worked for some of the largest agencies in El Paso in the late ‘80s into the early ‘90s. Given his extensive experience in automotive advertising, David came to work as the in-house marketing director for the Borman Autoplex. As the in-house marketing department was separated from the dealership to become a full-service advertising agency, David established a standard of creating award-winning creative with a rock-solid marketing foundation. This philosophy has guided WBAM ever since.   

Q. What are you most proud of when you look back on Wilson Binkley’s impact? 

A. It’s amazing and gratifying for me to look back on all the lives we have impacted, whether through helping agency clients grow their businesses or by the successes of all the extraordinary and talented professionals that we have had the honor to work with. I am proud that WBAM never lost sight of the science of marketing that made the art so damned impactful.   

Q. What values or philosophies from Wilson Binkley are most important for you to carry forward in this next chapter? 

A. We have often urged our team to “spend a client’s money like it’s their own.” It’s a simple philosophy that inspires each of us to do the best job possible for our clients in every area of advertising and marketing. When we “spend a client’s money like it’s our own,” we make sure that we are providing the best market research, the best media recommendations, and the best creative concepts to our customers. If we were on the other side of the equation, we wouldn’t want it any other way.  

Q. Why did NMCO feel like the right partner to continue the Wilson Binkley story? 

A. The team at WBAM has watched the work produced by NMCO Creative Studio for many years! As a business competitor, we knew that the quality of work being produced by NMCO represented a high bar and encouraged our creative team to think outside the box more. In addition, the reputation of NMCO within the community is very positive. People speak favorably of the agency’s work, and we couldn’t help but agree. NMCO has a vibrant, enthusiastic, creative team led by forward-thinking owners who strive for an ever-greater degree of quality that the owners of WBAM couldn’t help but admire.

Q. How do you see Wilson Binkley’s legacy evolving within NMCO Creative Studio? 

A. NMCO has a great reputation within the community as a provider of national-quality creative campaigns. By incorporating the professional strengths of the WBAM team into NMCO, the agency will be able to perpetuate WBAM’s reputation for engaging proven marketing principles and third-party research into their media services and creative strategies. When an agency can combine eye-catching creative with researched marketing strategies, the sky is truly the limit.  

Q. What message would you share with clients who have been part of your journey from the beginning? 

A. That’s an enormous responsibility! Where to begin? Simply saying “thank you” isn’t even remotely enough to express our gratitude!  

This agency has always been an organization based on relationships and trust, and many of our clients can measure their journey with Wilson Binkley Advertising & Marketing in years, if not decades. We like to think that all of our clients have come to rely on the agency’s professionalism, responsiveness, and quality of work throughout the years, and that every time they pick up the phone or open a new email window, the team at Wilson Binkley Advertising & Marketing has met and exceeded their expectations.

We are forever grateful for our clients who place their trust in our recommendations, research, and creative concepts, and feel confident that these qualities are bound to continue as we merge with the team at NMCO Creative Studio.     

– Robert Sharp and Ken Binkley

This milestone moment sparks excitement for NMCO Co-Founders Tina Ballew and Lucky Gonzalez as they pave a new way for the creative scene in Southern New Mexico. By merging Wilson Binkley’s decades of advertising expertise with NMCO’s award-winning approach to design, storytelling, and digital media, together we’re building a stronger future for local brands and the creative industry. 

The legacy of Wilson Binkley lives on in every project.