Advertising's Guns for Hire

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An Uncertain Life

"But even though Y&R were very supportive of the project, it was very apparent that they weren't in the business of making books—they were in the business of making ads," says Freedman. "It was quite a burden for them to have a creative team spend such a large amount of time doing that, however successful it was. So partly as a result of that, we set up the Glue Society so we could do precisely that type of project."

As far as Kneebone and Freedman were concerned, starting their own company has allowed them the latitude to do what they do best. And while both acknowledge that the hand-to-mouth nature of their approach makes life uncertain at times, the arrangement has so far proven successful. With around eight employees in the Sydney office (Freedman is currently the only full-time employee in New York), every member of the team is a creative in his or her own right—a writer, designer, or director who takes full responsibility for any project undertaken.

"Gary and I run New York and Sydney. We take individual responsibility for making sure we have the resources to fulfill all the various projects we take on, but we're as involved in our own projects as everyone else," explains Kneebone. "The company needs some management, but not so much that it prevents us from getting our hands dirty. In this setup, wanting to control your own creative destiny is a necessity, and being able to manage your own projects is something that takes a little while to get used to."

45 Cent Discount

And Freedman's move to Manhattan, prompted by a desire to be close to the industry's production and direction hub, prompted the idea that they might start similarly sized satellite offices in locations around the world—Kneebone mentions London, Tokyo, and South America as likely outposts. "The ability for people to move around those offices would make for a truly exciting and stimulating creative collective," he says.

Even as the future advertising landscape remains uncertain, clients and agencies are responding well to their concept. "We have had a very positive experience with them," says Dave Cain, Brand & Communications manager for Virgin Mobile Australia, for whom the Glue Society has created a range of work, including TV spots, viral campaigns, even a character called 5 Cent, a miniature version of rapper 50 Cent intended to promote cheap phone rates, since October, 2000 (three of their ideas subsequently won Lion awards—in different categories—at the prestigious Cannes Advertising Festival).

Work is created through Virgin's agency-of-record, Host, which has no creative department at all, in itself another business model shift. "The Glue Society remain much less likely to toe the line, and so there's even more healthy debate on what might be the best creative solution than with an internal creative agency," continues Cain. (Click here for a selection of recent Virgin Mobile TV work.)

That's Advertainment

In the case of Gamekillers, the Glue Society collaborated with production company, Radical Media (which represents them as directors and from whose offices Freedman works), agency BBH, and men's grooming brand Axe to produce a one-hour show for MTV. The spoof reality show depicts the trials and tribulations of the dating world, and while there were no references to Axe in the show itself, the breaks were stuffed with ads showing the product, while the Glue Society also developed a comprehensive surrounding campaign, as well as directing the program itself.

"The characters in the show are featured in the advertising, the art direction, and the craft of the show is in the ads," details Kevin Roddy, who describes the process of working with the Glue Society as "tremendous." "We wanted someone to do the show, the commercials, the Web site, the print—to do all of it. But we had to be careful. If at any point people felt like they were being sold to, they would shut down. If you want them to be involved with your brand for a whole hour you have to play by a different set of rules. And that's where the Glue Society played a model role: Everything had to link, and it did. That's the future of marketing."

Whether or not the Glue Society's business model will flourish as the advertising landscape continues to shift and evolve remains to be seen. One thing's for sure, however, as more and more types of screens and formats become available, the demand for compelling, appropriate content for all of them will only continue to rise. And that in itself can only be a good thing for the creative talents ready and willing to fulfill that demand.

Helen Walters is the editor for BusinessWeek.com's Innovation and Design Channel .