The Glue Society

The Glue Society is a unique and flexible alternative to the traditional advertising agency. The Glue Society is a creative collective of freelance art directors, designers, writers and film directors whose work stretch across media and incorporates graphic design, sculpture, installations, art exhibitions, live events and books alongside more traditional print and television advertising (The Glue Society 2007). The structure of The Glue Society confirms Castells’ theory that in the new informational organisation, a flattened staff structure provides the creative freedom in the ‘research and development’ and ‘applications and specifications’ sections of implementation of new and adaptive production.

The Glue Society was established in Sydney in 1998 by former Young & Rubicam art director / copywriter team Jonathan Kneebone and Gary Freedman (Advertising’s Guns for Hire 2006). They reject the title ‘agency’ and the idea of having retained clients, preferring to be referred to as a ‘creative collective’ or ‘creative enterprise’ (Bridging the Divide 2005). They provide creative content and work on a project-by-project basis for brands, agencies and individuals around the globe without the traditional long-term account management, planning and media buying associated with advertising agencies. However they are able to deliver much more creative variety than the individual creative person or team employed by an advertising agency (Advertising’s Guns for Hire 2006).

There has been a shift in organisational units from being capability oriented to being project oriented (Geof 2005). Resources are brought together to work on projects and then dispersed again when the project is complete. This new environment requires flexible and skilled workers. Unskilled workers who have nothing to offer the network are excluded. According to Zygmunt Bauman (Liquid Modernity), in the last 40 to 50 years, we have moved from a solid stage of modernity where we live and work towards a specific project, to a liquid stage where we work from one project to another across the globe without acquiring expertise in a specific area. Our society has become integrated by projects.

Kneebone and Freedman attribute the formation of The Glue Society to Rupert Murdoch (Advertising’s Guns for Hire 2006). While working for global advertising giant Young & Rubicam, they produced a book for News Limited - as opposed to developing the expected print advertising - to persuade agencies and marketers that newspapers were an exciting medium. The book which featured provocative designs by artists and designers had no connection to advertising and although Young & Rubicam supported their idea, it was evident that they were in the business of producing advertising – not books – so Kneebone and Freedman established The Glue Society so they could do those types of creative projects. The Glue society has won numerous awards including the Cannes Advertising Festival’s Grand Prix Direct award in 2004 and the prestigious Titanium trophy in 2005 (The Glue Society 2007).

Commentary – what do others say

Business Week: Helen Walters reports in Advertising’s Guns for Hire (2006), that ‘while the advertising industry continues to debate its place within the media landscape, The Glue Society has sidestepped the issue to focus on creating content across all media’. According to a report by Robert Coen, Senior Vice President and Director of Forecasting at Universal McCann, worldwide advertising expenditure reached $599.5 billion in 2006, an increase of 5.3% since 2005 (Advertising’s Guns for Hire 2006). However Coen claims that new technology is having an impact on advertising strategies and there is considerable confusion about the direction of marketing communications. Concern is also reaching critical mass within the traditional advertising agencies themselves regarding the rapid change in marketing and no one within the industry seems to know where it is heading (Advertising’s Guns for Hire 2006). However Walters reports that while the advertising agencies themselves have a problem, advertising is by no means dead, ‘it is just that the old order of things won’t cut it anymore’.

Boards: The Brooklyn Brothers provide a similar ‘creative collective’ out of New York (Bridging the Divide 2005). According to one of the founders, Barnett, new technology has been an enabler as large TV production teams are no longer needed. There are enough people in the industry to gather small teams together to be able to service their clients.