AGENCY PROFILE: ATMOSPHERE BBDO
Brandon Burns
12/1/2008
Copywriter, New York Correspondent
ihaveanidea
ihaveanidea
When you talk to the surprisingly no-chip-on-the-shoulder folks at Atmosphere BBDO, the first thing you notice is what you don't hear: mention of the agency upstairs. Save for a few accounts like AT&T and FedEx, Atmosphere BBDO has a client roster all their own. While they're one of the original digital shops, Atmosphere BBDO is now creating work that reaches far beyond the obligatory banners and emails. All the while maintaining a surprisingly chill vibe.
Started in 1999, Atmosphere BBDO is coming up on its ten-year anniversary; which is like 57 in interactive years. They got their start when a group of creative thinkers thought that some thing called the Internet was going to be “huge,” left their ad agencies, brand firms and design shops, and borrowed four famous letters to get a head start.
While they've spent the past almost-decade breaking away from the mold, the offices at Atmosphere BBDO feel pretty much like, well, an agency. (And a lot like the one upstairs... but I didn't say that.) There's a sparse reception area. With, you guessed it, a receptionist. Some people walking by, yadda yadda. But I think where they've one-upped most agencies is with the game room. There's not just a foosball table. Or table tennis. Or pool. But several of each. Not too many people actually taking advantage of the room but, hey, gotta work, right?
Right off the game room is the office of two senior creatives on the AT&T account, Julie Allard and Brad Mislow, both proud traditional converts who spent the previous 8 years at Ogilvy. Having honed their TV and print skills, they were looking for a new challenge. "Digital is more active. People spend time with our work -without us having to beg for it." They were fond of the words "play" and "poke" and "absorb." These words seem to make them giddy, especially compared to the disdain with which they uttered the less interactive words of "watch" and "look at." They definitely seem like happy campers.
While I didn't see much of Brad and Julie's work (full disclosure: I work on a telecom client at an NYC digital agency, so the mere sight of AT&T orange was making me uncomfortable), I did see some pretty cool work from a CD by the name of Cyrus Vantoch-Wood. At the helm of the Corona account (yeah, apparently they do Corona's global digital work -who knew?!), he and his team have crafted this nifty thing called "PhotoSlice." No, not a slice of lime but a "slice" of your life -via your Facebook or Twitter photos that are magically turned into a slick, well produced music video with the click of a button. I was thoroughly impressed.
Next, I was off to visit Creative Director Stewart Krull, a big fan of the work his team is doing, which is clear from the way he looks like he's about to absolutely burst to tell you about it. I took a seat in his office and told me about how they cooked up this little diddy that lets you jump into the shoes of Nickelback or Mary J. Blige (I have no clue how those two got paired up for this). There are some games, some messaging, and some fun stuff.
It was time for me to go, so I started heading towards the door... but as I was putting on my coat I was whisked into one last person's office. It was well worth the slight delay. Senior AD Jason Culbertson, has made what may be the most ad-geek-appropriate time-wasting Facebook application on the Internet: AdBattle. You can submit ads, have them "battle" others, and the top vote getters move up through the ranks to take on harder challenges. There's something seriously satisfying about pitting the Cadbury Gorilla against the Sony bouncy balls for a duel to the finish. It's seriously addictive.
As I finally exited the premises, I had to admit to myself that I was pleasantly surprised by how relaxed I felt. The place didn't look much different than that other agency upstairs, but it did feel different. Different vibe. Different work for different clients. And a different kind of laid back charm. I was actually quite relaxed. In an ad agency. In the middle of midtown Manhattan. Fancy that.
Started in 1999, Atmosphere BBDO is coming up on its ten-year anniversary; which is like 57 in interactive years. They got their start when a group of creative thinkers thought that some thing called the Internet was going to be “huge,” left their ad agencies, brand firms and design shops, and borrowed four famous letters to get a head start.
While they've spent the past almost-decade breaking away from the mold, the offices at Atmosphere BBDO feel pretty much like, well, an agency. (And a lot like the one upstairs... but I didn't say that.) There's a sparse reception area. With, you guessed it, a receptionist. Some people walking by, yadda yadda. But I think where they've one-upped most agencies is with the game room. There's not just a foosball table. Or table tennis. Or pool. But several of each. Not too many people actually taking advantage of the room but, hey, gotta work, right?
Right off the game room is the office of two senior creatives on the AT&T account, Julie Allard and Brad Mislow, both proud traditional converts who spent the previous 8 years at Ogilvy. Having honed their TV and print skills, they were looking for a new challenge. "Digital is more active. People spend time with our work -without us having to beg for it." They were fond of the words "play" and "poke" and "absorb." These words seem to make them giddy, especially compared to the disdain with which they uttered the less interactive words of "watch" and "look at." They definitely seem like happy campers.
While I didn't see much of Brad and Julie's work (full disclosure: I work on a telecom client at an NYC digital agency, so the mere sight of AT&T orange was making me uncomfortable), I did see some pretty cool work from a CD by the name of Cyrus Vantoch-Wood. At the helm of the Corona account (yeah, apparently they do Corona's global digital work -who knew?!), he and his team have crafted this nifty thing called "PhotoSlice." No, not a slice of lime but a "slice" of your life -via your Facebook or Twitter photos that are magically turned into a slick, well produced music video with the click of a button. I was thoroughly impressed.
Next, I was off to visit Creative Director Stewart Krull, a big fan of the work his team is doing, which is clear from the way he looks like he's about to absolutely burst to tell you about it. I took a seat in his office and told me about how they cooked up this little diddy that lets you jump into the shoes of Nickelback or Mary J. Blige (I have no clue how those two got paired up for this). There are some games, some messaging, and some fun stuff.
It was time for me to go, so I started heading towards the door... but as I was putting on my coat I was whisked into one last person's office. It was well worth the slight delay. Senior AD Jason Culbertson, has made what may be the most ad-geek-appropriate time-wasting Facebook application on the Internet: AdBattle. You can submit ads, have them "battle" others, and the top vote getters move up through the ranks to take on harder challenges. There's something seriously satisfying about pitting the Cadbury Gorilla against the Sony bouncy balls for a duel to the finish. It's seriously addictive.
As I finally exited the premises, I had to admit to myself that I was pleasantly surprised by how relaxed I felt. The place didn't look much different than that other agency upstairs, but it did feel different. Different vibe. Different work for different clients. And a different kind of laid back charm. I was actually quite relaxed. In an ad agency. In the middle of midtown Manhattan. Fancy that.
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http://ihaveanidea.org/articles/index.php?/archives/457-AGENCY-PROFILE-ATMOSPHERE-BBDO.html
http://ihaveanidea.org/articles/index.php?/archives/457-AGENCY-PROFILE-ATMOSPHERE-BBDO.html
