Omnicom’s 180LA will soon move out of its longtime office in downtown Santa Monica after just over a decade.
The agency’s staff are getting ready to say goodbye to the Santa Monica Pier and hello to nearby Playa Vista’s Silicon Beach, which is one of several corporate “campuses” in the area. (It’s not to be confused with nearby Playa Jefferson, which also houses Omnicom and R/GA among other companies.)
An agency spokesperson wrote:
Our lease in Santa Monica is up and we’re moving to Playa Vista this summer where several agencies now reside. The move will allow 180LA to capitalize on better value and amenities. We are busy creating our new space, and look forward to moving the 180 culture a little further South.
The shop will now be much closer to certain competitors like 72andSunny and Ogilvy along with media agencies (Group M, Mindshare) and tech giants (Google, Yahoo, etc.).
As for the reason behind the move, 180LA declined to comment. But the parties that brought it to our attention noted the recent loss of the Adidas account and subsequent departure of some executives including creative directors David Povill and Dave Cuccinello and chief strategy officer/managing partner Mike Harris. The Amsterdam office’s Adidas co-leads also went to Joan in January. (Adidas has yet to comment on that review.)
180LA, which ECD Rafael Rizuto called “the best performing office in the entire TBWA network” less than a year ago, continues to produce the work. According to another source close to the matter, a team from MillerCoors traveled to Los Angeles this week to review forthcoming campaigns for Miller Lite.