This New York Agency Focuses on Purpose-Driven Campaigns

Oberland works with The Nature Conservancy, Juice Press and others

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February 13, 2017
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February 13, 2017
Drew Train and Bill Oberlander
Patrick J. Miller

Founded in May 2014, New York-based agency Oberland’s mission is to create purpose-driven campaigns for each of its clients. As Oberland founder and executive creative director Bill Oberlander explained, he and managing partner Drew Train “felt that purpose—very much like digital—is here to stay as a trend.” The agency’s clients include the Blue Man Group, The Nature Conservancy, New York Institute of Technology and Juice Press.

In December, Oberland created an awareness campaign for The Nature Conservancy, “New York Depends on Us,” which was designed to show harried New Yorkers just how vital nature is to their everyday lives through out-of-home, broadcast, print and radio ads. One print and broadcast ad, “Good Mornings Depend on Us,” focused on clean water. Without clean water, the ad noted, New Yorkers wouldn’t have their morning coffee—a staple for many.

Oberland also infuses the shop with a purpose-driven culture—paying interns $15 an hour, hiring a diverse team of 15 staffers and ensuring equal and fair benefits. “We want to make sure we aren’t being hypocrites so we can have the credibility or moral high ground to talk about this stuff in public to our clients,” Train added.