We’re not bringing the penguin statues, the spider door, or even our award-winning chef
“What are you crazy? You’re moving out of that incredible mansion? Why would you do that? It’s so much a part of your identity?”
Today, after 40 years on the North Shore of Boston, the last 23 in ensconced in the historic stone manor house known as Penguin Hall, Mullen, the agency for which I’ve worked for 26 years, moves to downtown Boston.
Some people find it hard to believe. That’s because they mistake our building with our agency. Yes, Penguin Hall may have been a big part of our identity, and yes, we milked it for everything possible, claiming the spider web door was a metaphor for the effectiveness of our advertising or declaring that the elegance and quality of our creative product was inspired by the mansion’s craftsmanship. But come on, that was just spin. We are in the advertising business after all.
No, the building wasn’t who we are. It was simply where we were. Who we are is defined by something far more important: our culture. In our case culture is what we believe and how we behave. It’s our desire to be remarkable and build a company that people admire. It’s a commitment to be courageous and always try new things. It’s a passion for originality, even if that’s hard to achieve. And it’s a determination to be unbound in our way of working and thinking.
And so we’re moving out of the mansion. We’re not bringing any of its incredible features. Not the spider-web front door, or the statues that grace the grounds, or even our nationally renowned chef. But we are bringing something more important. The culture that inspired us to move on in the first place.
Does your company have a strong and clear culture that drives beliefs and behavior?
Comments
In "Built to Last" Jim Collins wrote that great companies operate out of core values, and those truly transcend person, place, and time.
I think too many companies and consultants focus too much on their products and services, as opposed to what they are all about. For instance, I have an affiliate marketing business, but I don't for one second think that is what my business is all about. My business is all about helping people make extra money.
Tamsen:
We didn't bring much, to be honest, other than creating a great gathering space to make sure people have a place to see each other every day (we had a terrific cafe and chef in our old place; here we have a barista and coffee bar.) Other than that we went with the opposite of what we had: much more open space, lots of work stations, a space that inspires encounters, interaction and "collisions" for a company in a business that's all about collaboration. So far so good.
Welcome to Boston! I'd be fascinated to see what you've chosen to do in your new space....While brands aren't defined by the buildings that house them, I do think physical surroundings influence the esprit de corp.
So what aspects of your physical space were considered to be important enough to keep, or to add?
Congratulations on a great day! Regarding who you are, one aspect of it may be summed up in what Joe Grimaldi said at the end of a pitch in New York one afternoon. He looked out at the prospects in room and said, "You'll never work with an agency that will care as much about your business and your success as we will." As I was sitting there, I (along with everyone else) knew it wasn't just a line. It wasn't spin. That's who Mullen is. That's the kind of team you and Joe have built at Mullen over the years. Now, you'll just be that much more accessible. How great is that?!
Leo Bottaryu00e2u0080u0099s last blog post..Client Service And The Offsite (Part 2)
Joe:
Thanks for the comment. Can't say I've done any whitewater kayaking -- though just the other day I cycled into the city; gotta be almost as risky ;-) -- but do agree that courage and embracing the new is key to accomplishing anything. Had a client whom I respect a lot recently say "the problem with most companies is they only do what they're good at and are afraid of even trying what they're not good at." Probably goes without saying that in kayaking and in business, if you don't try it you'll never be good at it.
I can only imagine how important it is in the ad biz to be rooted in that place of inspiration and creativity. For your team, easy to see it's with your people and their ideas. Congratulations on your move and creating new traditions that come from your "commitment to be courageous and always try new things." (Great mantra too - I hear a lot of that kind of talk in the whitewater kayaking world!)
Joe Jacobiu00e2u0080u0099s last blog post..A Special Kayaking Opportunity in Wausau, Wisconsin
Where a brand lives doesn't matter. The culture, soul (h/t Linda), and the new direction you take it does. Of course it does help if you have a story built in around it. Mullen now has an evolution and is "unbound" (doesn't hurt that the title of this blog is creativity_unbound either). The twitter tag, website and flickr/youtube videos have been instrumental in developing a stronger dialogue.
Stuart Fosteru00e2u0080u0099s last blog post..Putting the u00e2u0080u009cCultu00e2u0080u009d in Culture
Seth:
If you're going to be in the business of creating and building brands, only makes sense that you would strive to define your own brand. I think a company's culture, clearly articulated and practiced are probably it's most important asset. As for the spider, it was on the front door of the manor house since it had been a single family resident built in 1929. We used to say it represented the effectiveness of our ideas. It was pretty cool. We should all be spiders.
Great distinction between the trappings of a brand and the soul of a brand.
Linda Buttonu00e2u0080u0099s last blog post..walk in workshop
"itu00e2u0080u0099s a determination to be unbound in our way of working and thinking." Exactly.
That's the sort of thinking that allows companies to thrive in spite of restructuring, repositioning, and the general mishaps that lumber onto boardroom tables every so often.
There's a lot of talk about focusing on people and shepherding instead of driving for results...but very little action. It's a delight to see a company put those words into action.
Who was the spider? =)
Seth Simondsu00e2u0080u0099s last blog post..Why I Never Want To Be An u00e2u0080u009cExpertu00e2u0080u009d
[...] ideas come from collisions. That word became the blueprint for our new space and how we organized people. The idea was that the more collisions we could create — crashing [...]
[...] ideas come from collisions. That word became the blueprint for our new space and how we organized people. The idea was that the more collisions we could create — crashing [...]