History

Young & Rubicam was started in 1923 by John Orr Young and Raymond Rubicam in New York. Rubicam started as a copywriter at Armstrong Advertising Agency in Philadelphia and soon was offered a job at the lucrative N.W. Ayer agency. Young and Rubicam met at the Ayer Agency; where Young was an account executive and Rubicam was a copywriter. They decided to start their own agency when Ayer passed away leaving the business to his son in law. Y&R started out with nothing but enthusiasm but grew steadily through the 1930s with clients such as Travelers Insurance, Bristol-Myers, Gulf Oil, and Packard automobiles. Rubicam retired in 1944 while Y&R was the second largest advertising agency in the world. The agency grew to have 186 offices in 90 different countries and is one of the world’s largest advertising agencies today employing over 11,000 people. The company was acquired by WPP Group plc. in 2000.

Main Guys

With such a large company, Y&R has thousands of employees that their global leaders guide.

Global CEO: Harnish McLennan

Global Chief Creative Officer:Tony Granger

Global Chief Insights Officer: John Gerzema

International President: Stephan Forcione

Global Director of creative content: Kerry Keenan

Global Director of Creative Talent: Michele Daly

Global Director of Creative Operations: Paul Schulman

What they do

Young and Rubicam is a creative company with a mission to resist the usual. They are self-proclaimed anti-usualists. Their belief is that the unusual creates irresistible brands to consumers and track their brands irresistibility with a very in depth brand analysis, BAV. The BAV is a Brand Asset Valuator, the world’s largest database of brands. The BAV measures consumer’s perceptions of brands based on uniqueness, appropriateness, likeability, and awareness.

Work

Colgate

Sears

LG

UNICEF

Converse

Yellow Pages

Office Depot

Cadburry

Vigrin Atlantic

Bacardi

and the list goes on……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0rx1srLsh0

http://www.yr.com/

“I used to lie when people asked me what I did,” he says. “I told them I just worked in graphic design.”

But in this period not long after the golden age of advertising, Kennedy came to believe that the difference between art and advertising, fine and commercial art, high and low culture, was perception. Because everything was about selling something. “When you enter a profession and don’t buy into it, you can do something really interesting,” Wieden says. “So, this agency was founded on a gentle disrespect for the industry. We say we hate advertising, but we do it very well.”

david kennedy and dan wieden

Wieden and Kennedy

W + K

I started off researching Wieden and Kennedy with a little bit of knowledge of them in my mind already. Nothing too major, just standard pop culture info, like the fact that they came up with Nike’s famous tag line, “Just do it,” and that their Portland office apparently had a giant bird’s nest for people to chill in.

I figured, for this assignment, I would do the basic google searching, the wikipedia run down and all…but early on, I realized that plan wasn’t going to work. Why? Well, Wieden and Kennedy are unlike other agencies of their caliber, and thus listing facts isn’t enough. For someone to understand why Wieden and Kennedy is so great, they need to understand the people behind it…from the incredible characters Dan Wieden and David Kennedy who built it up from the ground, to the crazy bunch that help keep it fresh.

I hope you enjoy what I have posted and will take a moment to get to know W+K…they really are fun and inspiring

http://www.wk.com/

Oh, and the bird’s nest thing? Totally true. It’s sick, you have to check it out.

Introducing Dan and Dave:

David Kennedy: from the words of Wieden

“He must’ve wanted the hell out of Chicago is all I can figure. Because he was standing there in my office doorway wearing a three-piece pin-striped suit. It was the was the first time I ever laid eyes on David Kennedy and the last time I ever saw him in that suit. After he got the job, he must’ve burned the suit or given it to Goodwill, because for the rest of his working life, with only two or three minor exceptions, this man wore blue jeans and a blue work shirt. Period. “It simplifies things,” he said.”

“Simplifying the man is a bit more difficult. It would be easier to organize that rat’s nest of papers, photos, flags, buffalo skulls, woodblock letters and other artifacts he calls an office. But there are so many facets to Kennedy, arranged in no particular order, that you cannot get a complete picture of him even after 25 years’ exposure. He is completely centered, yet a mass of contradictions. For instance, he and I will be walking back from lunch trying desperately to find a way out of a particular business crisis, and I will be doing my damnedest to articulate the issue, break it down before it broke us down. He listens, challenges, takes another line of attack and then abruptly yells, “Jesus, Wieden, look!”

“There, under a tree growing out of the sidewalk is a scrap of paper with an image I can’t quite make out. He bends, picks it up, brushes off the grime, flattens it out. “Isn’t that beautiful?” He gives his classic half-laugh, looks at me with a raised eyebrow. David Kennedy is addicted to beauty. It is this obsession with craftsmanship—coupled with his startling conceptual talent—that has guided Wieden + Kennedy from the backwoods of Oregon out onto the international stage.”

“He has contributed so much to this industry, so much to our agency. But of all the things he has given me, and they are many, the most enduring are those three simple words: “Jesus, Wieden, look.”

Dan Wieden on David Kennedy’s induction into the Art Director’s Hall of Fame

Cited from: http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/2003/?id=199

Dan Wieden

What makes W+K different

"These are the rules at Wieden + Kennedy. Famously found in a desk drawer by David Kennedy when clearing out his stuff to leave his old job and start the new agency. He and Dan Wieden said, ‘These will do as the rules for the new place.’ And it has been so ever since."

Courtesy: W+K London Blog

7 Reasons Why W+K is Different From Other Places

I stole these 7 bullet points from Russell Davies blog about the 7 things he’s learned from working at Wieden and Kennedy. This is my take on them and how they can apply to W+K’s uniqueness.

Below the list are quotes from his own personal experience, as well as a link to his blog in case you are interested.

1. Hire advertising people, you get advertising

W+K is more than just advertising people, they push their work further so it is not just advertising

2. The key to creative genius; work harder

The people of W+K understand how to make great work…and thus, they work their asses off

3. You can’t divorce the medium from the message

W+K believes it’s not only important what you say and how you say it, but where you say it. They value their media people and think of them as some of the smartest people in their industry.

4. Do good work, the money will follow

W+K knows how to prioritize and knows how to make work valuable. Good work comes first, and when it does, so does the success

5. Hold everyone to the same standard

Everyone is expected to do amazing work, no matter how big or small the job is

6. You can tell from the work if people enjoyed making it

W+K is full of energy and excitement, it’s a great atmosphere and thus great work can thrive and be created

7. Brands that influence culture sell more

W+K influences culture through brands, plain and simple

From the Blog of  Russell Davies:

“You’re only good to me after you’ve made three tremendous mistakes.”

Dan Wieden

Wiedenism:

“Fail Harder”

fail harder - click to watch video on this push pin mural

“I think we’re pretty comfortable with admitting that we’re not perfect. We make mistakes. We lose pitches. We make bad decisions.We have the words ‘embrace failure‘ written on a big illuminated sign in one of our meeting rooms. (Aptly, the illumination doesn’t work.) We recognise that if you’re going to test the boundaries then sometimes you’ll fail. But that’s OK. It’s not trying that’s not OK. You don’t achieve extraordinary results through ordinary efforts.”

cited from W+K – London Blog

History:

Wiedenism:

“Patience and progress are fucking hard”

Dan Wieden graduated from the Unversity of Oregon  in 1967 with a degree in journalism. His father, F.D. “Dukes” Wieden was the chairman of the Gerber agency in Portland, Oregon and was a very respected ad man. Initially, Dan had decided to go the Bohehiem route, and pursue a career in writing, one that did not fall into the world of advertising. He experimented with short stories and screen plays for a bit, but soon after, he accepted a job offer at the Portland based advertising firm, McCann-Erikson.

It’s a good thing Wieden decided to sell out…or well, put advertising over  his own artistary for the time being, because it was at McCann-Erikson that great history would soon be born. In 1980, Wieden met his future business partner, David Kennedy, who graduated from our very own alma matar, the University of Colorado, with a degree in art. Although Kennedy’s advertising career was more sophisticated and developed then Weiden’s at the time (having worked for Leo Burnett and Rubicam in Chicago), the two worked well together and both shared a strong dislike “status quo advertising.”  So, two years after meeting, they took a risk and their only client at McCann, Portland based Nike, and left to start their own agency, in the basement of a labor union hall.

Just Do it

Wieden and Kennedy did not design NIKE’s trademark “swoosh”; however, they revolutionized their advertising throughout the 1980s, with their  “irreverent humor, sophisticated film techniques, and hip cultural references into their ads for the shoe manufacturer.”

1983: NIKE moves most of its account to California-based Chiat/Day in anticipation of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles

1985, Nike returns to WK

1988, Wieden coines the phrase, “Just Do It,” winning fame for both NIKE and W K.

The firm put Lou Reed in a Honda commercial, used the Beatles’ “Revolution” as an insurrectionist version of a jingle for NIKE in 1987, and introduced a cinematic, storytelling approach to print and television ads.

1988: As the agency grew, Wieden and Kennedy spend less time on the creative aspects of their business; instead of producing ads themselves, they overlooked the work of their employees.

For Wieden, the shift was awesome.” I get very excited about other people’s work. I don’t have a huge need to do hands-on work,” he said in 1990. Kennedy, on the other hand, did not take so kindly to the change. “It’s been extremely frustrating for me. I’m basically a creative type, but I found myself sitting in more meetings than doing ads,” he said in 1993.

W K continued to grow throughout the early 1990s, but their growth included ups and downs, and most importantly failures.

In 1991, the same year Advertising Age chose W K as its Agency of the Year, W K won the Subaru of America account and watched their billings rise 65 percent to $165 million. In order to serve their new client, WK opened a new office in Philadelphia. However, the Phili branch wasn’t doing too hot, as the office and work was much more dull than that of Portland. The office was closed after Subaru fired the agency in 1993.

In the same year, WK also imposed “austerirty measure on upper manadegment and instituted layoffs,” for the first time in its entire 11 year history, due to the losses of about $11 million in billings over a six-month period. In response to this, WK cut its staff by about 15 people and reduced Portland’s staff by 10 percent.

“1995–2000: A Period of Tremendous Change”

1995: David Kennedy retires

Prior to 1992, fewer than a dozen people had left Wieden Kennedy, but in the later half of the 1990s,  especially after Kennedy’s deapature, the agency had a turnover similar to that of other advertising agencies, something very unusual for the “cohesive, family-like culture” of WK.

“It’s pretty well known when you talk to headhunters that we don’t pay very well and we border on being a sweatshop.” The company, thus held on tightly to its workers who stated true and put at WK and “communicated a sense of betrayal regarding those who left.”

1996: the agency adds more additional Microsoft products and Miller Genuine Draft to its roster, billings rise to $624 million.

1997: NIKE takes on more of its business to Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco, however, billings rise again to $877 million in the same year

1998, Miller leaves the agency

1999: NIKE returns to WK again.

(The events of Miller’s depature and Nike’s return lead to more layoffs, internal restructuring, and a focus on recruiting new business.)

In 1998, W K opened a London office (partly to win NIKE’s global business).  In addition to NIKE’s U.K. work, the London office took on local projects for Diet Coke, Virgin Interactive, and Flextech cable network, however, this was not until later on. For the first six months of its existence,  the London office was bound to an agreement with NIKE that they would not take on any other accounts. As a result, W K receieved a reputation for being standoffish in the London advertising community, and the office struggled with “high turnover,” having gone through three managing directors and four creative directors during its first two and a half years.

2000: With close to $780 million in billings, W K moves its  WK world wide headquarters to a new space in Portland’s trendy Pearl District, home a busteling metrapolotan city atmosphere. Wieden purchases a 22,000-square-foot cold-storage space and begins the building process of his goal “a creative institution, a synergistic hub where business, art, and community [would thrive],” as he explained in a press release in 2001.

In addition to offices in London and Portland, WK has family in Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, Delhi and Shanghai.

Citations are from:
International Directory of Company Histories, Volume 75 (2004) by Carrie Rothburd
,

Clients

Portland

American Indian College Fund, Coca-Cola,  Converse, Diet Coke, Dodge, Electronic Arts, LAIKA Studios, Levi’s, Nike, Nike Golf, Old Spice, Target, Travel Oregon

New York

ABC Television, Alberto Culver, Benihana, Delta Air Lines, Diageo, Disney Pixar, ESPN, Jordan Brand, Nike

Amsterdam

BASF, bwin, Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Delta Air Lines, Diageo, Electronic Arts, ESPN, Heineken, Honda, Nike, Noki, Turkcell,Women Win

London

COI Communications, Emeco, Fairtrade, Guardian Newspapers, Honda, Nestea, Nike, Nokia, Selfridges,Space NK, Visit Wales

Shanhai

BASF, Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Converse, Heineken, iShares, Nike

Tokyo

Adlens, Delta Air Lines, Eli Lilly, Google

GYRE, Mori Development, Nike, Nike Golf, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Sony PlayStation, Tokyo Lab

Delhi

Budweiser, Chevrolet, eBay India, India Tourism, IndiGo Air, Nokia, Royal Enfield Motorcycles, The Park Hotels

Work

Wiedenism: ”The work comes first”

interactive store front for movie, Coraline

box sets made in wieden + k studio, mailed home to bloggers and other influencers of the movie, Coraline

limited edition Coraline Nike Dunks

Wiedenism:

“Dont Just Say It, Be It”  Fail Harder

Go Forth : Named one of W+K’s and 2009′s worst ads

Key People

Dan Wieden – CEO and Partner

Claudia Valderrama – CFO and Partner

Dave Luhr – COO and Partner

Bill Davenport

Susan Hoffman

John Jay

And the two newest additions in 13 years ( and the first partners from an office outside the US): Tony Davidson and Kim Papworth,

More People: Wiedenism: ”Find people who make you better”

W+K is about family; each person contributes to making the agency great. Click the film strip to see more people.

When you walk in the agency doors, you’ll see an Asian restaurant on the left, complete with hanging rubber chickens. And on the right is a completely white room containing solely white objects, including a white grand piano and white busts of random famous people. As you walk further into the agency, you’ll run into a life-sized grizzly bear with a cigar in it’s mouth, standing amongst a real and usable golf course. The “recording studio” consists of an old RV/trailer inside the building with picnic tables and umbrellas outside of the RV.  Upstairs is a futuristic room where presentations and client meetings take place. You’d think that this crazy environment would serve as inspiration for their crazy work, but for them these surroundings become routine.

History and Important People

Ian Cohen and Cal McAllister founded Wexley School For Girls in 2003. Before founding Wexley they both worked at traditional agencies such as Wieden & Kennedy, Wongdoody, and Publicis in the West.  Wexley, however, is not a traditional agency like these others. Much of their work are crazy and “out there” ideas that might not be published elsewhere, but in many senses of the word, Wexely is brave.  The majority of their large campaigns

Wexley’s Clients

• Nike
• ESPN
• Washington Mutual
• Microsoft
• Yamika
• The Seattle Times
• Sprite
• msn
• Photo Works
• American Red Cross
• Tmobile

www.wexley.com

Style

When Ian and Cal founded Wexley, they said they believed that advertising is everything.  To these two brilliant minds, advertising is: “traditional media, design, packaging, PR-generating ideas, video games, branded environment, short films, guerilla tactics and events, and even squirrel races.”  As you can tell from this quote, Wexley has a unique personality that is, as they say, “funny.”  They have a great sense of humor with an edge and attitude that shows throughout their website, blog, twitter, and advertising work as well.

Work

A Profile of the “Advertising and Design Factory”

Names You Should Know

-       Alex Bogusky- Co- Chairman, Adweek’s Creative Director of the Decade (2009)

-       Tony Calcao: VP Group Creative Director

-       Dil-Domine Jacobe Leonares: “Creative Mad-Hatter”

-       Bryant King: VP, Group Media Director

-       Andrew Keller: Partner/ Executive Creative Director

What Sets Them Apart

Creativity Magazine has said that CP+B is “perhaps the leading creative force in advertising,” and they are known the world over for their edgy, clever vision. They are pioneers in the area of viral marketing (perhaps you have seen the Subservient Chicken?), and the amazingly talented Alex Bogusky firmly believes that great ideas and concepts need to permeate each advertising medium, from traditional print and television to viral marketing and public relations.

Their clients

-       American Express OPEN

-       Best Buy

-       Brammo

-       Burger King

-       Coke Zero CP + B

-       Domino’s

-       GAP

-       Microsoft

-       Old Navy

Awards

-       Named Agency of the Year twelve times in the trade press

In 2009:

- Advertising Age Magazine’s Agency of the Decade

- Board Magazine’s Agency of the Year

- Clio Awards, Agency of the Year

- Won Grand Prix at the Cannes International Festival in five separate categories

More of Their Work

www.bk.com/en/us/campaigns/subservient-chicken.html

Not delicious. In fact, quite poisonous.

StrawberryFrog’s name is a reflection of its work. It is unique. Named after a small poisonous frog, StrawberryFrog is a small shop, but puts out campaigns that understand global culture and how large brands fit in. The work is a reflection of the Melting Pot that creates it. The following ad for Asics’ Onitsuka Tiger brand shows exactly how the agency understands culture and how this underdog can beat out the agencies with 300 global offices.

“Made of Japan”

StrawberryFrog is born in Amsterdam. 0 pounds, two ounces.

Scott Goodson started StrawberryFrog in 1999. StrawberryFrog was born in the age of conglomeration, where profits and size were causing agencies to lose sight of creativity. Goodson opened shop in Amsterdam with the idea of having a small agency with a global perspective and a highly creative team. A second branch opened in New York and by 2005, the offices combined had only 100 employees. StrawberryFrog, however, was able to land big-name clients such as Diet Coke, Old Navy, and Heineken. Today, the agency has four offices in Amsterdam, New York, Sao Paulo, and a new branch in Mumbai.

Canadian goes to school in America and starts agency in Amsterdam…?

The main guy is Scott Goodson, a Canadian whose travels led to what has been described as the “United Nations of StrawberryFrog.” The agency hires people from all over the globe, and such decisions are reflected in the ability of a small shop to take on global brands. Goodson held the position of Creative Director at the New York office for many years. Additions to the staff have included Al Kelly of Goodby Silverstein and Partners, and Richard Monture of TBWA/Chiat/Day. Uli Wiesendanger, of TBWA, signed on to partner with Goodson, and brought some more experience to the young agency. Kevin McKeon of Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Heather Fullerton were also partners in StrawberryFrog.

Global Agency (even when it only had one office)

StrawberryFrog strives to instill their brands in culture. They take a big-picture view of the products and brands, calling themselves a “Cultural Movement Agency” rather than an advertising agency. Furthermore, StrawberryFrog works without borders. They specialize in creating brands that are universal. A result of the global identity and staff of StrawberryFrog is that many of their campaigns can translate into many cultures across the globe.

BBDCPBO+M

Finally an agency that didn’t name themselves after…themselves. StrawberryFrog was surprisingly not the last name of the founder. The agency was instead named after the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, and is meant to denote the fun, unique nature of the agency. The name also shows their clear departure from a traditional agency, which is the other thing that makes them unique. StrawberryFrog is a relatively small shop, but has won big clients while up against some of the largest agencies in the world, leading to its underdog mentality. This same dynamic is represented in “frog versus dinosaur,” one of the only things you will find in the “About” section of StrawberryFrog’s website.

Clients

StrawberryFrog’s clients include:

Frito-Lay

Morgan Stanley

Heineken

Asics

P&G: Pampers

Scion

Mahindra

The Work

Note the global nature of the work. StrawberryFrog makes it clear that they are all about CULTURE in the following ads:

Heineken:

Champions Planet for Heineken

Asics – Japan

Check out: http://www.madeofjapan.com/

True North:

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History in the Ad Biz.

Carmichael Lynch was started in 1968 by Leland Lynch and Jack Carmichael in Minneapolis.  Focusing on making their mark in the growing Minneapolis community, Carmichael Lynch quickly became a well-known independent ad agency.  By 1984, they had won the agency of the year award along with many other awards.  By 1987, the agency was billing over $70 million a year. Throughout the 1980′s and early 1990′s, Leland Lynch continued to expand the business by purchasing several smaller agencies.  In the late 1990′s, Carmichael Lynch was best known for their recreation-related ads. In 1998, Interpublic Group purchased the company.  At the time of purchase, Carmichael-lynch was one of the largest independently owned agencies in the United States.

Head Honchos.

CEO: Mike Lescarbeau
COO and CFO: Mark Feriancek
Managing Partner; President, Public Relations: Douglas K. Spong

What they do.

Carmichael Lynch offers creative development and campaign management services for brands.  They work primarily with mid-size companies, although they do have some large clients such as Porsche, Hasbro, and Progressive.

Carmichael Lynch is different.

Carmichael lynch works to create deep emotional connections between consumers and products.  The help companies grab new consumers through passionate, and compelling ads.  Carmichael lynch understands the importance of forming a long-term emotional relationship with consumers. As an excerpt from their website states, “People don’t just buy the brands we work with, they lust after them”.

Work

Subaru Ads

Harley Davidson – Live By It

http://www.carmichaellynch.com/#0,1,2

Borders Radio Spots

http://www.carmichaellynch.com/#0,5,7

Razorfish is one of the largest interactive agencies and one of the largest buyers of digital advertising space. Jeff Dachis and Craig Kanarick founded it in 1995 with the motto in mind “solutions to hard problems.” Razorfish is a New York born agency with it’s original headquarters at Jeff’s apartment in Alphabet City in Manhattan and a few quick months later moved in to an office on Broadway with 3 other employees. Razorfish now has over 2,000 employees worldwide with offices currently on four continents: North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. Razorfish was acquired by Microsoft as part of its acquisition of AQuantive Inc., but functioned as an independent company. Recently, in 2009, Publicis Groupe bought Razorfish from Microsoft.

Razorfish provides services including digital advertising and content creation, media buying, strategic counsel, analytics, technology and user experience. Their philosophy is to combine consumer insight, technology and creativity to produce “consumer experiences that are as dynamic, elegant and interesting as the people using them.” Digital Media is in it’s nature, in fact, Razorfish was one of the first companies to have an animated homepage, utilizing the “server-push” capabilities of the latest version of the Netscape browser.

Razorfish has won over 75 creative awards including 10 Webbys, 16 WebAwards, 3 OMMAs, 2 ADDYs, and 3 Create Awards. The Nike “Sweet Spots” campaign produced by Duke, a Razorfish Company (located in France), was recognized on the 2008 Cannes Cyberlions shortlist. Other clients include Mercedes, AT&T, Best Buy, Carnival Cruise, Ford Motor Company, Kraft, Adidas, Williams Sonoma, and the Economist.

Recently, Razorfish has entered the realm of healthcare with, Razorfish | Health. They have developed a user friendly website for healthcare companies. This website gives tips and an overall glance as to how Razorfish can help a company build a relationship with their patients and clients interactively through digital media.

Social Networking Websites:

Razorfish|Health

http://www.razorfishhealth.com/#/home

Carnival Cruise: Funville

http://www.carnival.com/funville/

Redbull Energy Drink: Fusion

http://63.80.5.16/cai07/redbull/

AT&T: Digital Lifestyle Center

Awarded:SXSW Interactive Festival Web Award in the Motion Graphics category

http://www.modeproject.com/work/att-digital-lifestyle-center/

HISTORY

The Publicis Groupe began as a print advertising company in 1926 by Marcel Bleustein.  It expanded into an agency that utilized radio advertising and began operating a chain of cinemas.  After 1946, Publicis expanded into the UK and Germany before it began acquiring existing agencies in the United States.  In March 2002 Publicis, BCom3, and Dentsu announced agreement about merger of Publicis and Bcom3 to create the fourth largest advertising group in the world. The expectation for the expanded group was that it would gain 49% of its US$4 billion revenues from North America, 37% from Europe and 14% from Japan and the rest of the world.  This would make it the largest advertising group in Europe and the third largest in the United States.  It is one of the big four global advertising holding companies.

KEY PLAYERS

Maurice Levy - Lévy joined in 1971 as its IT Director.  One of his most important feats was putting in place a data security policy, which involved backing up all of the company’s data on magnetic tape. A fire in the company’s office proved the success of his backup and restoration strategy, as the company was back on its feet one week later. He then became the anointed successor of the company’s then owner and Chief Executive, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, who made him Chairman of the Management Board, and Chief Executive Officer in November 1987.

Richard Pinder – Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Worldwide – Obtained this position in October of 2006 and has 20 years of experience in the advertising industry.  He has been a part of Publicis Groupe since their merger with Bcom3 in 2002.

Olivier Altmann - Chief Creative Officer – Began as a copywriter in 1987.  In 2004, he joined Levy as Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Director of Publicis Conseil.  In 2008, Publicis Conseil was named “Most Creative Agency” of the year.  Altmann was also named “Best Creative Director” of the same year.

WHAT THEY DO

advertising programs involve television, magazines, newspapers, cinema, radio, outdoor, electronic, and interactive media. The company’s SAMS services include direct marketing/customer relationship management services; sales promotion, healthcare communications, multicultural and ethnic communications, corporate and financial communications, human resources communications, public relations, design services, interactive communications, events marketing, sports marketing, and production and pre-press services. Its media services include media planning, media buying, and media sales.

HOW THEY DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES

Worldwide Planning Director John Woodward of Publicis Worldwide says,  “It’s no longer possible to ignore that people are talking to each other.  In the real world or in the digital one, this is the most powerful foce in marketing.  We help marketers listen to the conversations, create powerful points of view for the brand and change the conversation through Contagious Ideas.”
WORK YOU MAY RECOGNIZE

Through exploiting every medium possible, world leading digital advertising, and an understanding that WE need to go meet the consumer, Sapient has become a world leading agency. Their strategy of full brand immersion is what separates them from other agencies. Sapient has been showered in awards, they have clients ranging from Coca-Cola to the United States Government, and they strive to create awe inspiring interactive creative. This is the kind of agency that will define the future of advertising; creating the connection with consumers in that non-intrusive way, and it is definitely a firm that we all need to keep our eyes on.

Get the overview of the agency and their work in the video below.

Once you wet your appetite I know you’ll have to learn more about these guys.

Introduction/History

Sapient is a leading interactive design and consulting agency, operating out of twelve offices scattered across the country. Started in 1991 as an IT consulting company, with the arrival of the Internet the firm shifted direction and began to function more as an advertising agency. In 2009 Sapient acquired the highly regarded creative advertising network Nitro, adding this sector to their already renowned interactive division. Today Sapient is compromised of three business groups; Sapient Global Markets, Sapient Government Services, and Sapient Nitro.

Three Branches of the Tree

Sapient Global Markets

A leading provider of services to today’s financial and commodity markets. Offices can be found in Boston, Chicago, New York, Calgary, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Geneva, Munich, Zurich, and Singapore. This sector claims to focus on “analytics, advisory, technology, and operations” support.

Sapient Government Services

A leading provider of consulting, technology, and marketing services to a wide array of governmental agencies. The goal of this sector is to help agencies become more accessible and transparent. Some of the government agencies that Sapient works with are; The United States Department of Homeland Security, F.B.I, National Institutes of Health, and the Library of Congress.

Sapient Nitro

The newest and possibly most relevant division of the company to us aspiring creatives. SapientNitro specializes in digital work, but also demonstrates considerable skill in traditional advertising. The approach that Sapientnitro takes is to not just explain the consumer behavior to their client, but the emotions they feel behind those behaviors. Below is the process the agency claims it uses to fulfill these objectives. The Agency offers  strategy, creative, media, and technology services, with digital advertising and web development permeating through all of these.

Point of Difference: Sapientnitro stands apart from other agencies because of its ability to use digital and interactive media to heighten the involvement of the consumer and thus better ensure that their attention is gained. The agency describes itself as being able to “create the kind of deeply immersive, customer experiences that brands need and consumer demand”. To do this Sapientnitro follows a multi-channel branding strategy to reach what they call the “informed, empowered consumer”.

Key People

CEO: Alan Herrick

Prior to his appointment as President and CEO, Herrick served as Executive Vice President in charge of Sapient North America and Europe. In that role, he headed three of the company’s four business units and was responsible for 90 percent of its revenues.

Herrick joined Sapient in 1995, and was instrumental in top- and bottom-line growth for the aforementioned business units, including Sapient’s Trading and Risk Management business. He also headed the Energy Service business and helped launch the company’s industry groups in 1998. In addition, he led our European business while living in London from 2000 to 2002.

Prior to joining Sapient, Herrick held key management positions at PSE&G, Prudential, and Home Holdings Inc. He earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Rhode Island.

Chief Creative Officer-SapientNitro: Chris Clarke

At the tender age of 23, Chris founded Pure Creative,  which quickly expanded into seven offices, becoming one of Asia’s hottest  creative agencies. Pure Creative housed a blue-chip client base that included  Mars, Inc., P&G, Australian Tourist Commission and Coca-Cola. In late  1999, Chris sold Pure Creative to Bcom3 (Leo-Burnett – D’arcy). Chris   then founded Nitro. Nitro’s first office was in Shanghai and then  subsequently  opened offices in Melbourne, London, Moscow, Sao Paulo,  Tokyo and New York.   Chris oversaw Nitro’s recent merger with Sapient, becoming CEO of  SapientNitro.

Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: Gaston Legorburu

Gaston has been  a driving force in the evolution of the interactive marketing business since  co-founding Planning Group International (PGI). Under his leadership, PGI  became the largest privately held interactive agency in the United States and  was acquired by Sapient in 2006. Throughout his career, Gaston has spearheaded some of the most  successful online campaigns in the history of the Internet. He has partnered  with clients in industries ranging from financial services and travel and  leisure to technology and food service. He has helped these clients gain  unparalleled insights into effectively marketing their products and services  in today’s increasingly complex marketplace. Gaston continues to provide  clients with forward-thinking answers to overcome their critical business  challenges.

Awards/Recognition

Recently Sapient (and SapientNitro especially) have been receiving large amounts of recognition. Ad age ranked it number two this year for agencies to watch. mUmbrella named it creative agency of the year. Oracle named it partner of the year.

Even more significantly, SapientNitro won nine awards at the Cannes Advertising Festival, including an unprecedented Three Grand Prix. The “Best Job in the World” campaign (shown below) and the “Interactive Vending Machine” for Coca-Cola collectively won six Gold Lions and Three Grand Prix.

Clients and Work

Here is just a sample of the different clients that Sapient caters to:

• Coca-Cola
• Foot Locker
• Volvo
• Apple Corps
• Barnes and Noble
• Powerade
• Singapore Airlines
• Target

Below are some samples of Sapient’s most famous and most recent advertising.

“Best Job in the World”

“Powerade Channel for World Cup”

http://www.youtube.com/powerade

“Twix, Need a Moment”

Written by Tim Kelly

Inspiring people to have fun every day.

History

Ned Doyle, Maxwell Dane and Bill Bernbach founded DDB (Doyle Dane Bernbach) in New York in 1949. In 1954 they opened their first branch in LA and their creative reputation was already extremely well known. In 1958 Time Magazine called DDB the “fastest growing ad agency on Madison Ave”. In 1959 DDB landed the Volkswagen account and produced one of the most influential campaigns of all time entitled, “Think Small”.

DDB continued to create groundbreaking work for VW throughout the years withVW Lemon, VW “Snowplow”, VW “Keeping up with the Kremplers”, and VW “Funeral” among others. Simultaneously, DDB created innovative work for many other prestigious clients like American Airlines, Chivas Regal, Avis, McDonald’s, Poloroid among others.

In 1986 DDB merged with Needham Harper Worldwide while, at the same time the holding company Omnicom formed, bringing together DDB Needham, BBDO and Diversified Agency Services, the worlds largest 3-network conglomerate.

DDB continued to create groundbreaking work and continued to win awards the most noteable being; in 1998 DDB was named Advertising Age’s first “Global Network of the Year”, in 1999 VW “Snowplow” was named TV’s number one top commercial of all time, in 2003 DDB was honored by the International Advertising Festival at Cannes for having won more Grand Prix then any other agency network.

Today, DDB is still one of the most successful and innovative advertising agencies in the world, employing over 14,000 people in over 100 countries.

What makes DDB unique?

DDB is the largest consolidated advertising and marketing services global network in the world. According to a DDB press release, DDB believes that creativity is the most powerful force in business, building enduring and powerful brand experiences that create talk value, influence social communities and drive results. In response to being named Agency Network of the Year by Campaign DDB Worldwide Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Bob Scarpelli said, “This recognition is a tribute to our network, its creativity, humanity and passion to push the boundaries and be the best”.

Agency Leaders

Bill Bernbach

William Bernbach was legendary in the advertising world. Called the most influential creative figure in advertising history, Bill Bernbach had a major role in making advertising what it is today. He has been named number one on Advertising Age’s 20^th century honor roll of advertising’s most influential people and has received innumerable awards and honors. Bill Bernbach was not only a leader of DDB but a leader of the advertising industry.

Keith Reinhard

In 1986 Keith Reinhard became Chairman and CEO of DDB Needham Worldwide. Reinhard is well known for being the creator of one of the most successful jingles of all time, “You Deserve a Break Today” for McDonald’s.

Notable Work

Selected current clients

• Budweiser
• PHILLIPS
• Clorox
• McDonald’s
• NZ Lottery
• IKEA
• FedEx
• Henkel Plastic
• Lipton
• Hasbro Monopoly