Getting Psyched Up

What happens when advertising and psychology collide? In Valencia, Calif., the result has been a new strategic planning and creative marketing agency, Driving Force.
The agency is led by former EvansGroup strategic planner Keith Zivalich, who says the idea is to generate “creative that is [more] relevant to the target audience.” Also serving as agency principals are creative director Dan Long, communication-psychologist Barbara Beebe and vice president of client services Patty Haft.
Beebe, who has a degree in the psychology of communication, will help bring together clients, focus groups and agency staffers to discuss how consumers’ life experiences relate to the use of a client’s product or brand, according to Zivalich.