Latest AGENCY PROFILES articles

Agency Profile: Captains of Industry

Boston is one of the oldest cities in North America, and it’s evident nearly everywhere you go. No fancy grid system for the oldest parts of town, that’s too newfangled 18th century for most folk. The streets seem to careen in whatever direction they wish, and smack dab in the middle of them all is Union Street, said to be the oldest continuously used street in the US. On that small, unassuming lane you’ll find the Bell In Hand, the oldest tavern in the US; The Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the US; and the original location of the Green Dragon Tavern, “the headquarters of the Revolution.”

Agency Profile: Leo Burnett Toronto

Many of ihaveanidea’s longtime followers know that although we are currently headquartered in the eclectic city of Montreal, Canada, we were “born” in Toronto (literally, in my case). We started our careers on the Toronto ad scene, and thus we have always been pretty familiar with the various shops in town. But we have been in “la belle province” for a number of years now, and everybody knows that a few years in the ad biz can see an eternity of changes.

Agency Profile: GSD&M

For many people, their “glory days” or “discovery years” came went they first went away for college. Some people wish they could go back to those days, and a precious few, well, they enjoyed their college town so much that they never left.

Such was the case when a number of graduates of University of Texas at Austin decided that they loved working together and living in the state capital so much that they didn’t want to leave. Instead, they took their new-found school smarts and in 1971, the team did the most logical thing they could think of — they started a little advertising agency.

Agency Profile: Saatchi & Saatchi Toronto

The Toronto offices of Saatchi & Saatchi have always held a special place in the hearts of us at IHAVEANIDEA; Nat Salguiero, IHAVEANIDEA’s editor, had an art director internship there, and one of the site’s earliest, most ardent supporters was the agency’s CD at the time, a crazy-in-a-good-way Argentine named Mariano Favetto. The Saatchi office was located in King James Place, a strip of 19th century buildings near King and Church Streets. This locale put them away from most of the multinationals, not just in physical geography, but in architecture. No gleaming office tower for the Saatchi of old, but rather a structure that some liken to the innards of an old battleship, with many small, compartmentalized offices

Agency Profile: Grip Limited

For those who are unfamiliar with how Grip Ltd. came into being, it is a tale that turned a lot of heads and dropped a lot of jaws in the Canadian marketing and advertising scene, and surprisingly it goes back much, much farther than most people realize.

While Grip Ltd. the agency opened its doors in 2002, the name of the shop has a much longer history, stretching back to the late 19th century. Grip actually started out as a company that produced an eponymous weekly humour magazine back in the 1870s.

Agency Profile: 160over90

Way back in the ancient, olden days of the advertising industry (“ancient and olden” meaning ten or so years ago) a ‘branding agency’ was seen by many as just a fancy way of saying “we design logos and packages and other print stuff.” Nowadays, advertising and design has changed so dramatically that few people know where the branding ends and the ads begin. What is the difference between a traditional agency and a branding agency in 2011? You’d be hard pressed to come up with a good answer.

Agency Profile: Ogilvy Toronto

We are sitting in the offices of OgilvyOne, the direct, interactive and social marketing division of Ogilvy Toronto… only it’s not much of a ‘division’ these days. “This is a very transformational time here at Ogilvy,” says Nancy Vonk, Co-CCO of Ogilvy. “Not too long ago, we, like most agencies, were very siloed.” Ignacio concurs. “Wow, back when I was here in 2003, none of the divisions really worked together,” he reminisces. “We never even really talked to one another. It was as if traditional advertising was king, and interactive and DM and pharma and so on were on different planets.”

Agency Profile: Zulu Alpha Kilo

You only really hear about Zulu Alpha Kilo when they rebrand a client, win an award, or pick up new business. A few months back, the agency won one of the most coveted pitches of 2010 — Coca-Cola Canada — with barely a whisper. And you almost never hear from Zak Mroueh, the suddenly reclusive creative genius.

Until now.

Here is IHAVEANIDEA’s exclusive look into one of the most mysterious agencies around.

Agency Profile: LatinWorks

“Van a haber tacos?”

“Ahhh si mi amigo! Tendremos tacos!”

It’s a beautiful, sunny day in Austin, the capital of Texas, both politically and in the advertising world. Austin is home to the famous SXSW Festival, which seems to draw more agency creatives and techies than music fans these days. Last year when I attended the festival, Sergio Alcocer, President and Chief Creative of LatinWorks, invited me over for some tacos at a social the agency was holding.

Agency Profile: Sid Lee Toronto

In most cities, ad agencies tend to cluster. Toronto is no different. There’s both comfort and credibility in the familiar. Years ago, a lot of the big Toronto ad agencies seemed to cluster in midtown. They all dotted Yonge Street, coincidentally in and around the Summerhill liquor store. Countless Creative Directors have roamed the halls of the many agencies at Yonge & Bloor and The Pilot is all the richer as a result. The turn of the century ushered in migration to King West. Agencies and post production houses alike invaded the old warehouses once occupied by garment makers. That is, the ones not already occupied by a high-end bar or lounge.

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