For Immediate Release:

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Touring Ad Council NYC

This article is part of a series from the Ad Council, touring interesting office spaces around the country and taking AdLibbing readers inside the workplaces of some of the most innovative companies in the US.
Ad Council is known as the place where creativity and causes converge – but that doesn’t just speak to our work with purpose driven marketing. Having been in the same office space, largely untouched since before we moved here in 2006, we underwent an extensive renovation of our headquarters, committed to having Ad Council’s office space become a physical manifestation of the creativity, passion and impact that’s been core to our efforts over the last 75 years.
The highlights:

• Company: Ad Council
• Office Location: 815 2^nd Avenue, New York City
• Employees in Ad Council NYC: 120+
• Square Feet: 24,400 square feet, 3 floors
• Moved In: 2018
• Architecture: Gensler
• Design: GHD Partners

Thanks to the global architecture firm Gensler and design agency GHD Partners, Ad Council employees and guests now get to walk into a space that not only reflects our new brand, but showcases our rich legacy of using communications to address the country’s most pressing issues.
Enjoy your private tour below:

Entering our office, visitors are first greeted by inspirational words from Ad Council’s manifesto – the organization’s north star that guides all the work we do – paired with a custom installation paying homage to ursine icon, Smokey Bear. Full of hats inspired by the one Smokey wears, it even includes 10 that can come off the wall for guests to try on. Remember, #OnlyYou can prevent wildfires!

Through the design process, it was always important for us to illustrate the history of Ad Council but considering all the exciting things we have in the pipeline we didn’t want to limit ourselves with a traditional timeline. It’s New York City and space is at a premium, how would we find the room to fit the next 75 years of innovations?! So instead, we created what we lovingly call the “non-timeline timeline” of hand painted campaign taglines linking the 9^th and 10^th floors. And of course, there’s room at the top for future campaign slogans.

The “Move Society Forward” neon sign was inspired by the sign in our Buzzed Driving Prevention “Neon Signs” TV spots. In our version, the “Move in with Mom” warning is replaced with the manifesto text “Move Society Forward.” It points to the restrooms.

Spread throughout the office are wall collages that celebrate specific campaigns or issue areas – this one depicts our Diversity & Inclusion creative for Love Has No Labels. Whether it’s the inaugural skeletons imagery, the photo of Jeannette McCoy from “Fans of Love” or the important reminder that “love is love is love,” diversity and inclusion plays a major role in our company and its workspace.

Drawing yet again from our advertisements over the years, conference and meeting rooms throughout the office have glass walls adorned imagery and text pulled straight from two different campaigns’ TV, print, out of home, or magazine ads, bridging past and present. What’s more, each of these rooms contain a sign inside to explain what campaigns are being represented and from when. It’s our very own Ad Council museum!

With offices in New York and DC, Ad Council employees are no stranger to Amtrak – especially the “Quiet Car” where passengers can ride in peace and quiet. We may not be taking the train every day, we but do have our own quiet car which comes in handy when folks need to hunker down and focus without interruption. The photograph displayed on the wall shows our “Loose Lips” creative being viewed by the public during World War II. The campaign encouraged Americans to be discreet in their communication to prevent information from being leaked to enemies during the war – a fitting display for a room intended for silence.

For those seeking a bit of exploration, placed in unsuspecting locations throughout the office are some “Easter Eggs,” or hidden icons representing an Ad Council campaign. We’re sworn to secrecy and can’t say how many there are or where they’re located, but this is one Easter Egg. A throwback to our Seatbelt Safety campaign, the mini seat belts go from unbuckled to buckled when looking from left to right.
So what do you think of Ad Council’s new digs? Want to submit your office for an AdLibbing tour? Let us know!
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