Zimmerman Unveils More Pics from New FTL Space (Updated)

By Kiran Aditham 

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As we briefly mentioned two weeks ago, Omnicom-owned, Fort Lauderdale-based agency Zimmerman is opening up a new, 130,000 square-foot space, and now we have a bit more info and visual representation of what to expect from the unveiling this Friday, March 28. While we won’t be back in our old FTL hometown for the unveiling, we’ve been sent some images above and below of what to expect from what’s being dubbed Zimmerman 3.0. We’re still awaiting a couple of quotes from self-appointed “maverick ad man” Jordan Zimmerman, he of sizable portrait below:

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In the meantime, though, here are some takeaways from the new office:

-Open office concept and design to encourage “collaboration, appealing to the average employee age of 26” (1,100 full-time associates are in the mix nationwide, 750 in the Fort Lauderdale corporate HQ). Well, it is all the rage these days in the agency world.

-Zimmerman occupies the second, third and fourth floors with some employees also on the fifth floor and plans to eventually take over the entire building the goal being to transform the first floor into an “incredible Z Bistro fueled by a 24/7 Chef, providing fresh and healthy gourmet meals daily.”

-Floor-to-ceiling writeable walls in every office to facilitate creativity.

-Customizable color lighting in elevators to embrace national clients, and finally, what we feel is the coup de grace…

-Departments organized as “neighborhoods,” each portraying a Zimmerman value — i.e. the “Fearless” neighborhood is lined with punching bags (below).

Fearless Speedbags

This might be the first such type of agency office accoutrement we’ve seen and maybe it’s just a way to take out one’s aggression at times. Or, hell, we’ll just say it’s installed for the symbolism. And finally, here’s one more shot from the new FTL space, which was designed by architectural/design firm, Gensler.

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Over the years, Zimmerman has worked with clients ranging from Office Depot and Papa John’s (the latter of which moved to Grey last month) to CBS and White Castle.

Update: Check out quotes from Zimmerman himself on the new space after the jump.

1. Why the change to an open office design?

The new design is focused on fostering collaboration. Constant collaboration breeds creativity and integration — key components of successful campaigns. An open office design allows associates across all disciplines to easily work together creating stronger ideas born in synergy. Collaboration naturally happens in the agency’s free-flowing departments called “neighborhoods” connected by an agency wide “collaboration ribbon” and more than 22 meeting spaces.

When you see the space, your first reaction is how cool it is. How modern. How dynamic. But the truth is form follows function, and this space reflects our values. We need to be collaborative, and that’s why the space is all about the openness, allowing our people to be integrated. There are also no dark spaces. We are surrounded by natural light because natural light is an incentive for good energy and productivity. We wanted a work space that was invigorating and inspiring to all our creative minds and that is exactly what we got.

2. How will collaboration improve operations? 

Zimmerman has a wide range of associates from recent college graduates to executives.  Working side by side allows younger employees to learn from their seasoned counterparts while veteran team members are constantly exposed to fresh perspectives on what’s trending today. The collaborative atmosphere creates a mutually beneficial environment where ideas are created in unison by all departments including account service, social media, creative, etc.

Agencies no longer can be function specific. We do omni-channel work and we wanted an environment that was conducive to providing client solutions in a 360º fashion.

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