The latest installment of this ever-popular series, which is proceeding in no particular order.
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BBDO
In short: One of the oldest ad agencies, founded in 1928 with the merger of Barton, Dustine, and Osborn with Batten Co. With employees in 77 countries around the world, BBDO is one of the largest agencies out there. BBDO is so big in fact, that on three separate occasions (1930, 1968, and 1992), it attempted to declare itself an independent nation, but in each case the movement failed do to the relative small size of BBDO’s arms stockade.
Are the people who work their crazy: In a global kind-of way, yes.
Policy on drinking beer in the office: Not encouraged, but sex okay (see below).
Agency nickname: Ole’ Oldy.
If you want a job there: Ask them about the BBDO sex tape scandal of 2008, where a video of two employees having sex in the agency went viral. They love talking about it!
Fun fact: Over the first ten years of the agency’s existence, they went through several iterations of possible names, from BDBO, ODBB, OBDB, DOBB, BBOD, OBBD, DBBO, B-squaredDO, BBDO (with the Bs reversed), before finally deciding on BBDO.
Absolutely True Story: I worked there in the last days of a collapsing department, which was awesome, but before I got the job I had the strangest interview ever. Normally, when you interview at an agency, the HR person is all nice and sweet, then you meet the team and they start hammering you. But in this case it was the opposite. The HR Manager was a total dick, and refused to indulge in even the most benign small talk.
Me: Oh, this is a really great office. I love the design.
HR DICK: It’s actually pretty dated.
Me: Well, at least you have a great view of the city.
HR DICK: Yeah, but you get used to it.
Me: Okay, I guess.
HR DICK: So, you’re wearing a tie huh? Interesting. (as he rolls his eyes).
Me: I’m really excited about this opportunity.
HR DICK: You haven’t got it yet. So don’t be excited.
And it got worse from there.
Later, in my last week there, this same HR guy cornered me in the break room and said, without any sense of irony. “I gotta tell you Brian, of all the interviews I’ve ever conducted, you were the best. You nailed it.”
Tags: BBDO