Momentum, Vayner Media, Taxi

On the fourth day of agency tours, our group visited Momentum, Vayner Media, and Taxi.  I felt really comfortable at each of these agencies and enjoyed learning about their different approaches to advertising campaigns.  I was so fascinated by the employees who spoke with us at the first agency of the day, Momentum.  They were all young, motivated, passionate people who really encouraged us to take risks and move to NYC.  Momentum is an experimental marketing agency under the McCann Worldgroup and adopts a “phygital” philosophy.  They are known for sports and event marketing, but they really do everything that a typical advertising agency executes.  I was particularly interested in one of Momentum’s subgroups, Momentum powered by Shopper Sciences, and hope to learn more about this department when I follow up with some of the agency’s members.  The second agency of the day, Vayner Media, really opened my eyes to mindset of startup business entrepreneurs.  Vayner Media is co-owned by Gary Vaynerchuck, a prominent figure in the media world.   He is the author of several books including “The Thank You Economy,” which the agency bases many of its principles off of.  Vayner Media focuses heavily on social media, which was evident by the employees tweeting and facebooking away during our meeting.  It was really exciting to see individuals at work, enjoying what they do, and sharing their viewpoints with us.  Some of our hosts, Sami, Evan, and Mitch, offered a list of qualities that they look for in potential employees.  I will definitely take their suggestions (including passion for social media, creativity, teamwork, grammar skills, and organization) into consideration when entering the advertising industry.  The last agency of the day, Taxi, is a holistic brand creative boutique that operates out of Canada, Amsterdam, and New York.  Our host, Dave Clemans, has a lot of experience in the industry and spoke with us about some of the campaigns that he has worked on, including Mio and Truth.  Dave explained that Taxi uses an unconventional approach and attempts to please their target audience even if they displease others.  I admire this agency’s ability to take risks and go against the norm.  Dave sent us off with some valuable advice: “Don’t chase the money, chase the work.”  This was particularly useful because, as I have learned, New York City is an exciting, active, beautiful place but it will definitely leave your wallet empty.