Tech-based startups continue to grow and mature, and with that momentum more are turning to advertising agencies to help spread the word about the innovative products and services they've created.
As a busy summer came to a close for BBH (the agency bought digital agency Domani in June), fall began just as briskly, with four new, tech-based clients joining its U.S. client roster.
Three of the new clients—smart-home technology company Nest, food delivery service Seamless and pharmacy delivery startup PillPack—signed on with the agency's New York shop, and home design platform Houzz went to its L.A. office earlier this year.
BBH North America CEO Pat Lafferty attributes this spike in marketing-focused, new-economy clients to growing competition in each of their respective fields, coupled with the rapid growth of some of these businesses.
"In the case of Seamless, Seamless was the first of its kind and did it amazingly well, but then everyone else looked at that and said, 'There's an opportunity there; people are flocking to this service.' So lots of competition started to bubble up," Lafferty said.
While the three companies working with the New York office are all in different stages of their business—Seamless making itself a staple for busy New Yorkers, Nest leading the smart-technology category and PillPack on the brink of taking off—they've each recognized a need to partner with an outside agency for some added help as they've really started to pick up in the market.
"These are awesome companies doing really transformative things in creating categories and then defining them and leading them. The great thing is we also can learn a lot from them as well," BBH N.Y. creative chairman John Patroulis said.
On both the Seamless and Nest accounts, Patroulis said the agency is partnering with each company's in-house creative teams.
"It's just a very different way than a traditional relationship where all their creative thinking, all the creative talent and strategic talent is coming from their agency partner. It's a different way of plugging in," Patroulis said.
Patroulis and Lafferty both attribute the agency's ability to work closely with the Nest and Seamless creative teams to its nimble and dynamic structure.
"It's really about the best work and the best ideas, and that's welcome from other places," Lafferty said. "That's the environment [John Patroulis and Ari Weiss] create. There's a whole team of creative folks that have that philosophy."
The agency's work for Seamless New York, a witty outdoor campaign, first popped up around NYC in September, while work for PillPack and Nest is still in the works. Additionally, BBH L.A. released the first ad campaign for Houzz in early September.
Take a look at a few of BBH L.A.'s Houzz spots below.