This horrific pandemic does have its upsides. It’s made collaboration with our clients better. The walls are down. The curtain is wide open. All our flaws, mess, horrible pajamas and lack of showering are on full display. And that all makes sharing ideas and being honest, easier.

As a small San Francisco Ad Agency we’ve been figuring out new ways to adapt and change since we started in the last economic meltdown. Today is bizarre and sad and pretty damn scary, but we still have to adapt.

This new adaptation is happening right alongside our clients at KEEN. The brand launch we’ve been planning for months (%$#@ mutha $%#kers!) was shelved as we started from scratch to figure out the best way forward.

So every day, we get together on Zoom. They’re scattered around Portland, some within a few blocks of each other, we’re scattered around San Francisco, some within a few blocks of each other. But we get on every day, often multiple times a day, often in the clothes we slept in, to write, think, design and produce content together. Not as an agency for our client. But together.

We use the platform as the production space. KEEN employees are the actors, artists, illustrators and photographers. 

We write, screen shot, motion capture and mix it all together, into gifs and video that captures what we’re living right now and puts on display where we hope to be living soon.

KEEN started this pandemic by giving away 100,000 pairs of shoes to front line workers and people in need. And the process was a labor of love that kept us busy and occupied helping others so we didn’t have a free moment to panic about the state of the world.

Then we settled into this stay at home culture and started coming up with ways to promote shoes as KEEN continued to figure out ways to distribute and discount them.

Every agency is doing it right now. We’re not special in that way. Virtual Easter Egg hunts from Cutwater. A gorgeous rip video from Droga5. We’re all using the same tools, drawing from the same F%5@ked up reality. But the way we’re able to work more closely together, even though we’re further apart, is the inspiring thing.

Who knows how long this all goes on for. But it’s helping shape how Division of Labor evolves. We’ve thrived through the changes in the industry because we keep finding new ways to do things. Today, while very different, is no different.  Thanks, KEEN. Stay healthy everybody.

The Small Agency Blog is produced by Division of Labor; a top San Francisco ad agency and digital marketing firm that’s been named Small Agency of the Year twice by Ad Age. The award-winning creative shop services clients on a retainer or project basis. They also offer brand consulting services and hourly engagements for startups and smaller brands. Click here for a free consultation.