California Ad Agency Opening Office Downtown

**BrushStart** · October-22-10, 12:40 PM

From Crain's: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...detroit-office#

I think Quicken's move is causing others to follow suit... Kind of like encouraging a kid to jump off the diving board for the first time, "It's okay, you can do it. I'll catch you."

**ghettopalmetto** · October-22-10, 12:47 PM

Or, you know, this:

In May the firm picked up the $600 million Chevrolet advertising account.

**DetroitUA** · October-22-10, 12:48 PM

a pretty awesome move. they'll hopefully pick up a lot of other Detroit future business.

**Detroitnerd** · October-22-10, 12:49 PM

GM insisted that they locate downtown. But the employees there don't seem to be grumbling, and, as professionals relocating from the West Coast, aren't at all averse to working downtown. I've met some of them and they feel it makes sense.

**BrushStart** · October-22-10, 12:51 PM

Responding to ghettopalmetto: True, but I don't think they needed to open an office here to handle the account. Advertising is one of those things you can do from a distance. Im fairly certain the big ad agencies in Manhattan do a lot business with companies who aren't based in New York. Or, at least this is what Mad Men has led me to believe....

Detroit could sure use a few Don Drapers. Perhaps a few more Bruce Waynes as well.

**iheartthed** · October-22-10, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

Responding to ghettopalmetto: True, but I don't think they needed to open an office here to handle the account. Advertising is one of those things you can do from a distance. Im fairly certain the big ad agencies in Manhattan do a lot business with companies who aren't based in New York. Or, at least this is what Mad Men has led me to believe....

Detroit could sure use a few Don Drapers. Perhaps a few more Bruce Waynes as well.

The autos are the largest advertisers in America. They usually demand Detroit area offices as a stipulation for handling their accounts.

**Gistok** · October-22-10, 12:55 PM

Well since Chevrolet dropped Campell-Ewald of Warren as their long time Ad Agency recently... it's at least nice that the out-of-state replacement is moving here to handle the business.

Actually this is a win-win situation in a "Schadenfreude" sort of way! Jim Fouts, mayor of Warren is probably having a fit right about now.... not only didn't he get the GM Headquarters moved to his city... but the replacement Ad Agency isn't going there either!

Also, I wasn't aware of how little office space the 12 story Francis Palms Building had... only 80,000 sq. ft. But then again all of the downtown movie palaces that are built into office buildings that have a shallow office portion. Even the larger downtown office buildings with theatres have no more than 150,000 sq. ft. of office space.

**jt1** · October-22-10, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Actually this is a win-win situation in a "Schadenfreude" sort of way! Jim Fouts, mayor of Warren is probably having a fit right about now.... not only didn't he get the GM Headquarters moved to his city... but the replacement Ad Agency isn't going there either!

I bet this would cause all the blood to rush to his head, if he wasn't the undead.

**gumby** · October-22-10, 01:52 PM

Couldn't they have taken a newer picture of the building. It hasn't been the State Theater for a few years now.

**Mind field** · October-22-10, 01:56 PM

Keep them coming! Downtown has a LOT of space to fill up.

**Detroitnerd** · October-22-10, 01:59 PM

"The idea of technology and creative companies being in Detroit is obviously something we've been targeting," said George Jackson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. "An urban center is very attractive to employees in these industries, and they're going to enjoy the amenities we have here in the city. For several years now, we've been knocking down most of our downtown so they can enjoy parking lots, 'green space' and freshly graded parcels filled with trash instead of ugly old, obsolete, Beaux Arts buildings. Nobody in Detroit wants to look at any that crap. We call it urbanity without all the urban buildings, and our friends at Adamo agree that it's going to help us redevelop Detroit -- somehow, eventually."

**esp1986** · October-22-10, 02:15 PM

Not only does GM typically insist on them being in the area, they have recently become insistent on the company locating downtown [[Maybe Obama's way to revitalize Detroit?). This was an easy sell as the company hadn't even set up shop in state yet. I read a couple weeks ago, after this Goodby deal was announced, that another GM contractor had been convinced to move downtown, and actually took up space in the RenCen. I think it was in one of Daniel Duggan's previous articles from Crains.

**ghettopalmetto** · October-22-10, 02:18 PM

No, it just makes good business sense. If you have to have a meeting, it's a hell of a lot cheaper to pay for your vendor's 5-minute cab ride than for them to drive 45 minutes each way and pay to park.

**jt1** · October-22-10, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

From Crain's: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...detroit-office#

I think Quicken's move is causing others to follow suit... Kind of like encouraging a kid to jump off the diving board for the first time, "It's okay, you can do it. I'll catch you."

Although they didn't consider OC, LBP has gone as record as being outraged over the city poaching a business from OC.

**Detroitnerd** · October-22-10, 02:36 PM

What? I thought sprawl meant growth. You know, just lay down the concrete and the prosperity follows. You mean it doesn't work that way anymore? Huh ... how about that?

**Gistok** · October-22-10, 02:39 PM

... and since the Francis Palms Building is only 2 blocks from the GCP People Mover station [[a 2 minute walk)... plus a 1/2 cicuit PM ride to the RenCen... that's about 10-12 minutes between locations for only 50 cents [[each way).

**Detroitnerd** · October-22-10, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by artds

I don't know how they can "seem" like anything to you given that none were quoted in the article.

Read on, artds, and you'll find that I posted this last line:

"I've met some of them and they feel it makes sense."

So there you go! Reading is fundamental!

**BrushStart** · October-22-10, 03:16 PM

There's something to be said about the gain to a company' ethos by headquartering in the city. It makes a statement. Being downtown means being in the wheelhouse. People feed off the energy of others. Cities are stimulating. This cannot be said of the suburbs. People want to be "near the action." They want to feel like they are "plugged in" to the pulse of the greater world. Many people crave the fast pace of the city, where information moves quickly and there is constant interaction and exchange of ideas. You are inundated with creativity. Cities are where the big decisions are made, and people want to feel like they're apart of that process. Cities are places of centralized power and influence, so companies want to be associated with them. Being in the city also highlights upward mobility. You see people with a better job, a bigger salary, a nicer office, and it feeds your ambition. That's inspiring.

The suburbs don't offer that. They don't have that ethos. The suburbs are predictable and mundane. There is limited interaction. The pace of life is slow. You feel totally disconnected to the greater world. Diverse ideas are constricted by the sterility of the environment. Office buildings are isolated and removed from the mix of other businesses, culture, news, and art. The suburbs cause people to become very introverted because people are not exposed to a broad range of stimuli. There's a lack of venues to experience the creative things in life. Everything is pre-planned, and often "canned," right down to the restaurants you eat at, the stores you shop at, the house you live in, and the cubicle you work in. I always find it funny how chain restaurants attempt to create "the look of uniqueness." They attempt to capture the vintage feel of places you would usually only find in a city, then they mass produce it and pepper them all over suburbia. It's an oxymoron, and everyone realizes that it is not genuine... A company locating in the suburbs doesn't make a statement. It merely blends into the background and becomes forgettable. Most companies want to advertise that they're in "NY, NY" for a reason. The same is still true of Detroit.

LBP will never understand this, which is why his dream for Oakland County will never work. The suburban construct will never be the standard because people will always desire to be part of the the "shining city on the hilltop." We're social creatures, and cities deliver the ability to socialize in abundance.

**artds** · October-22-10, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by gumby

Couldn't they have taken a newer picture of the building. It hasn't been the State Theater for a few years now.

haha I was just going to post the same thing. Also, notice that all the cars in the photo are late-80s to mid-90s models.

**Gistok** · October-22-10, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

LBP will never understand this, which is why his dream for Oakland County will never work. The suburban construct will never be the standard because people will always desire to be part of the the "shining city on the hilltop." We're social creatures, and cities deliver the ability to socialize in abundance.

As much as we like to bash Oakland and Macomb County on occasion.... when LBP looks out his window at the Oakland County Office Park campus... his view is of..... across Telegraph Rd. at the quickly fading Summit Place Mall....

Even Oakland County offices are a sprawling "suburban style" campus... on the fringes of the county seat, far from the downtown center of Pontiac. At least Macomb County offices have some semblence of a "city center" in Mt. Clemens where they form a vertical downtown of sorts, although on a less grand scale than Detroit.

In the county seat of Macomb County, you don't have to guess where the county government operates from... it's the most prominent part of town. But in Oakland Countys seat... one is at a loss without a map.

**jt1** · October-22-10, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

As much as we like to bash Oakland and Macomb County on occasion.... when LBP looks out his window at the Oakland County Office Park campus... his view is of..... the quickly fading Summit Place Mall....

Even Oakland County offices are a sprawling "suburban style" campus... on the fringes of the county seat, far from the downtown center of Pontiac. At least Macomb County offices have some semblence of a "city center" in Mt. Clemens where they form a vertical downtown of sorts, although on a less grand scale than Detroit.

In the county seat of Macomb County, you don't have to guess where the county government operates from... it's the most prominent part of town. But in Oakland Countys seat... one is at a loss without a map.

Agreed. I would also go so far as to say that Mt. Clemens has a pretty charming little downtown. I haven't been there in years but it was set up really nice.

**bailey** · October-22-10, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

There's something to be said about the gain to a company' ethos by headquartering in the city. It makes a statement. Being downtown means being in the wheelhouse. People feed off the energy of others. Cities are stimulating. This cannot be said of the suburbs. People want to be "near the action." They want to feel like they are "plugged in" to the pulse of the greater world. Many people crave the fast pace of the city, where information moves quickly and there is constant interaction and exchange of ideas. You are inundated with creativity. Cities are where the big decisions are made, and people want to feel like they're apart of that process. Cities are places of centralized power and influence, so companies want to be associated with them. Being in the city also highlights upward mobility. You see people with a better job, a bigger salary, a nicer office, and it feeds your ambition. That's inspiring.

The suburbs don't offer that. They don't have that ethos. The suburbs are predictable and mundane. There is limited interaction. The pace of life is slow. You feel totally disconnected to the greater world. Diverse ideas are constricted by the sterility of the environment. Office buildings are isolated and removed from the mix of other businesses, culture, news, and art. The suburbs cause people to become very introverted because people are not exposed to a broad range of stimuli. There's a lack of venues to experience the creative things in life. Everything is pre-planned, and often "canned," right down to the restaurants you eat at, the stores you shop at, the house you live in, and the cubicle you work in. I always find it funny how chain restaurants attempt to create "the look of uniqueness." They attempt to capture the vintage feel of places you would usually only find in a city, then they mass produce it and pepper them all over suburbia. It's an oxymoron, and everyone realizes that it is not genuine... A company locating in the suburbs doesn't make a statement. It merely blends into the background and becomes forgettable. Most companies want to advertise that they're in "NY, NY" for a reason. The same is still true of Detroit.

LBP will never understand this, which is why his dream for Oakland County will never work. The suburban construct will never be the standard because people will always desire to be part of the the "shining city on the hilltop." We're social creatures, and cities deliver the ability to socialize in abundance.

apparently not one of any other ad agency in SeM shares your opinion.

With San Francisco-based advertising firm Goodby Silverstein and Partners moving to Detroit, it marks the first significant presence by an advertising firm since Team Detroit moved to Dearborn in 2006.

bartock · October-22-10, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by BrushStart

There's something to be said about the gain to a company' ethos by headquartering in the city. It makes a statement. Being downtown means being in the wheelhouse. People feed off the energy of others. Cities are stimulating. This cannot be said of the suburbs. People want to be "near the action." They want to feel like they are "plugged in" to the pulse of the greater world. Many people crave the fast pace of the city, where information moves quickly and there is constant interaction and exchange of ideas. You are inundated with creativity. Cities are where the big decisions are made, and people want to feel like they're apart of that process. Cities are places of centralized power and influence, so companies want to be associated with them. Being in the city also highlights upward mobility. You see people with a better job, a bigger salary, a nicer office, and it feeds your ambition. That's inspiring.

The suburbs don't offer that. They don't have that ethos. The suburbs are predictable and mundane. There is limited interaction. The pace of life is slow. You feel totally disconnected to the greater world. Diverse ideas are constricted by the sterility of the environment. Office buildings are isolated and removed from the mix of other businesses, culture, news, and art. The suburbs cause people to become very introverted because people are not exposed to a broad range of stimuli. There's a lack of venues to experience the creative things in life. Everything is pre-planned, and often "canned," right down to the restaurants you eat at, the stores you shop at, the house you live in, and the cubicle you work in. I always find it funny how chain restaurants attempt to create "the look of uniqueness." They attempt to capture the vintage feel of places you would usually only find in a city, then they mass produce it and pepper them all over suburbia. It's an oxymoron, and everyone realizes that it is not genuine... A company locating in the suburbs doesn't make a statement. It merely blends into the background and becomes forgettable. Most companies want to advertise that they're in "NY, NY" for a reason. The same is still true of Detroit.

LBP will never understand this, which is why his dream for Oakland County will never work. The suburban construct will never be the standard because people will always desire to be part of the the "shining city on the hilltop." We're social creatures, and cities deliver the ability to socialize in abundance.

Years ago, after moving to the city for a while I felt somewhat similarly, even though I was in the city, but not downtown. With time, I've come to realize that it is a self-loving, stereotyped, one-sided way of things to rail the suburbs as boring, bland, etc. [[a de facto statement about its inhabitants, too, counselor).

Out of a [[US) region of 4-5 million [[depending whose counting) you are in an 80,000 person downtown during the day, with less than 7,000 at night and comparatively speaking, next to no retail, especially at night.

Good for the company moving downtown. Best part is that they are "new jobs" coming in to the region [[although the "old jobs" from C-E were not lost all that long ago). The snickering, "don't be afraid" statements are condescending, illogical in many ways, and hypocritical given the fact that the LBP criticisms are rooted in his same mentality, locale different.

There seems to be a predictable demographic of people who spend their lives in the suburbs, move to the city, then find the nearest soapbox to yell from and crucifix to hang from.

I don't want to see the suburban office centers of Southfield, Troy, etc., become shells, just like I don't want to see downtown Detroit as a shell. Empty buildings, generally speaking, suck. Many metro areas have city centers along with healthy satellites around their region. It doesn't have to be one way or the other, and to concoct one "villian" as the culprit in an area and a history of this complexity is ridiculous. Glad for any jobs coming into the region, and hopefully filling the empty space.

**Detroitnerd** · October-22-10, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

apparently not one of any other ad agency in SeM shares your opinion.

So, since no advertising agency has moved to metro Detroit and that's a failure for Detroit? I don't understand. We've had two agencies move to metro Detroit in the last four years, one in Dearborn and one in Detroit -- and this is somehow evidence of an Oakland County on the rise? What exactly is your point?

bartock · October-22-10, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

As much as we like to bash Oakland and Macomb County on occasion.... when LBP looks out his window at the Oakland County Office Park campus... his view is of..... across Telegraph Rd. at the quickly fading Summit Place Mall....

Even Oakland County offices are a sprawling "suburban style" campus... on the fringes of the county seat, far from the downtown center of Pontiac. At least Macomb County offices have some semblence of a "city center" in Mt. Clemens where they form a vertical downtown of sorts, although on a less grand scale than Detroit.

In the county seat of Macomb County, you don't have to guess where the county government operates from... it's the most prominent part of town. But in Oakland Countys seat... one is at a loss without a map.

Agree that Oakland County has a sprawling, ugly campus, and that Macomb's is much better in Mt. Clemens.