Mekanism is a

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

-based creative agency that specializes in the development and production of marketing campaigns,

commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

and

branded entertainment In marketing, branded content (also known as branded entertainment) is content produced by an advertiser or content whose creation was funded by an advertiser. In contrast to content marketing (in which content is presented first and foremost as a m ...

for

multinational companies A multinational company (MNC), also referred to as a multinational enterprise (MNE), a transnational enterprise (TNE), a transnational corporation (TNC), an international corporation or a stateless corporation with subtle but contrasting senses, i ...

.Levere, Jane
Using a Light Touch to Attack a Dark Subject
''New York Times''. March 26, 2012. Mekanism focuses its work on "Storytelling for Emerging Media", a line the company has trademarked.Champagne, Christine
Profile: Tommy Means
''AdWeek''. May 19, 2008. The agency added a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

office in 2008.Yang, Tony C
Laughing All the Way to the Bank
''San Francisco Business Times''. 8/3/08.

History

Founding

Mekanism was founded in 2000 by Tommy Means as a division of a San Francisco-based company named Complete Pandemonium.Diaz, Anne-Christine
Mekanism: Setting the Stage for a New Media Model
''Creativity''. September 25, 2007. Means saw the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

as a great potential

storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...

medium that was not being utilized and believed there was opportunity for a company that focused its efforts there.Entrepreneur Profile: Tommy Means
''San Francisco Business Times''. November 8, 2009. Accordingly, in 2003 Means spun off the company as an independent fully integrated creative

production studio A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, an ...

to develop branded content outside traditional

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

channels.The Production A-List '09: Mekanism
''Creativity''. October 23, 2009.About Page
Mekanism Official Website.

Growth

Mekanism added three key partners: Pete Caban as head of Digital as well as Strategic Development in 2003, Ian Kovalik as a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and

Creative Director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

in 2003, and Jason Harris as an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

then

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

in 2005. During this period, the agency began to develop its reputation for reaching young audiences and telling branded stories in off-beat ways that tended to go viral.Borden, Mark
The Mekanism Guarantee: They Engineer Virality
''Fast Company''. May 1, 2010.Production Roundtable
''Creativity''. January 22, 2008. As much as 90% of Mekanism's work in those years came from other ad agencies (instead of directly from clients) looking to execute creative ideas on emerging media platforms.Patel, Kunur
Mekanism is Ad Age's Small Agency of the Year
''Ad Age''. August 8, 2011. They began receiving recognition for that work beginning in 2004 and 2005 with consecutive Cannes Golden Lion awards for campaigns on behalf of

Napster Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shawn ...

and

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

, respectively.Venables, Bell & Partners Agency Profile
AdForum.com. Retrieved July 26, 2012. As a result, Mekanism's business increased twenty-fold; from $472,000 in 2003 to approximately $9.6 million in 2007. In 2008, they opened an office in New York City to accommodate the growth. With Mekanism's

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...

increasing by orders of magnitude, so too were the number and size of their clients. The agency has completed campaigns for such companies as

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

Axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has many for ...

Frito-Lay Frito-Lay is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavor ...

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

Muscle Milk CytoSport is an American manufacturer of sports-oriented nutritional products, or "supplements" based in Benicia, California. It offers a line of protein-enhanced powders, shakes, and bars, and has broken into the mainstream market with a ready-to ...

, and GE.Mekanism Signs New York Directorial Duo Dave and Rory
''Studio Daily''. August 18, 2008.Mekanism Signs Trifecta of Talent
''Studio Daily''. July 13, 2009.

Full-Service Agency

Soon after this period, Mekanism increased its focus on creating viral content and started working almost exclusively with clients directly.Kung, Michelle
Behind the Social Marketing of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’
''Wall Street Journal''. May 1, 2010. Harris took over the CEO title from Caban to become President/CEO. In 2011, the agency created its first

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

spot for Brisk Iced Tea starring

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

.Levere, Jane
To Promote Brisk Tea, Pepsi Enlists Yoda
''New York Times''. January 2, 2012. It ended up as the No. 1 most-viewed video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

after

Super Bowl XLV Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champi ...

aired. In 2012, Mekanism launched a campaign for the

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective mea ...

with Dan Harris from

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

’s

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the progra ...

featuring Harris's adopted cat, "Hovercat"; the video went viral and garnered over 1 million views, with Brendan Gahan, Mekanism's Director of Social Media, noting, "The internet loves cats and it was done for a good cause so it's great to see people rally around it."Hernandez, Brian Anthony
Meet Hovercat, The Levitating Adopted Feline VIDEO
''Mashable''. June 13, 2012. In early 2013 Mekanism created the ad campaign “Youphoria” for the fashion retailer

. Mekanism also became the Agency of Record for Method Home,

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

, Brisk Ice Tea, Amp Energy Drink, Art.com, and

Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by seven independent brand-licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kuwait, Saudi Ara ...

. As of 2022, Mekanism clients included

Peloton In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close ( drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reductio ...

OkCupid OkCupid (often abbreviated as OKC, but officially OkC) is a U.S.-based, internationally operating online dating, friendship, and formerly also a social networking website and application. It features multiple-choice questions to match members. ...

Jose Cuervo Jose Cuervo is the best-selling brand of tequila,Dana Cimilluca, Paul Sonne and Simon Zekaria“Diageo Ends Its Attempt to Buy Jose Cuervo Tequila,”''Wall Street Journal'', December 11, 2012. selling a fifth of the tequila consumed worldwide. ...

Fanatics, Inc. Fanatics, Inc. is an American online manufacturer and retailer of licensed sportswear, sports collectibles, NFTs, trading cards, and sports merchandise, as well as sports betting and iGaming. The company began as an American online retailer of l ...

and the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

App. Plus Company of Canada, owner of about 20 agencies, bought Mekanism in June 2022. On October 31, 2022, Eleven, whose brands included

CommonSpirit Health CommonSpirit Health is the largest Catholic health system, and the second-largest nonprofit hospital chain, in the United States (as of 2019). It operates more than 700 care sites and 142 hospitals in 21 states. Founded in 2019 by the merger of D ...

Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...

and

Kraken The kraken () is a legendary sea monster of enormous size said to appear off the coasts of Norway. Kraken, the subject of sailors' superstitions and mythos, was first described in the modern age at the turn of the 18th century, in a travelogu ...

, became part of Mekanism, which planned to move into that company's

office. Mekanism's New York City office also houses Plus Company's New York City operation, and the San Francisco office will become Plus Company's office for that area.

Notable campaigns

The Influence Project

In May 2010, the business magazine ''Fast Company'' published a profile of Mekanism, during which Harris claimed that the firm could "guarantee

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

can create an online campaign and make it go viral." The author challenged them to "prove it" with a wager whereby if Mekanism created a viral campaign for ''Fast Company'', the author would document it for the magazine from conception to launch. Mekanism pitched a number of ideas and ''Fast Company'' ultimately selected one—initially called the "Cover Project"—that came to be known as "The Influence Project."Moses, Lucian
Fast Company Editor Discusses Influence Project
''AdWeek''. September 19, 2010.Borden, Mark
Popularity, Ego, and Influence - What Is the Influence Project?
''Fast company''. July 7, 2010. The campaign aimed to name 2010's Most Influential Person by getting people to sign up, have their

social network A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

s click on their profile links and sign up themselves. Participants would have their pictures appear in a photospread in the November 2010 issue and the greater their influence, the larger their picture would be.Borden, Mark
A Social Media Diva Reveals Her Formula for Winning The Influence Project
''Fast Company''. July 13, 2010.Myers, Courtney Boyd

Huffington Post. July 7, 2010.

Social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

critics were skeptical of the means and metrics with which Mekanism designed the project; calling it a gimmick and an "ornate marketing

rickroll Rickrolling or a Rickroll is an internet meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up", performed by the English singer Rick Astley. The video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. The m ...

."Tsotsis, Alexia
Fast Company Influence Project Pisses Off Online Influencers
''SF Weekly''. July 7, 2010.Qualman, Erik
Fast Company Influence Project: Pyramid Scheme or Genius?
. Socialnomics.net. July 26, 2010.Fast Company Influence Project is a Gimmick
Going Social Now. July 7, 2010. Despite the criticism, the project had 6,000 people sign up within the first 24 hours of the campaign's launch,and 30,000 people by the end.Borden, Mark
The End Of The Influence Project. Long Live Influence!
''Fast Company''. August 14, 2010. ''Fast Company'' had 1.2 million visitors to the site and said that they "couldn't be more impressed with the response."

Super Bowl XLVII

Mekanism was retained by Pepsi to create buzz surrounding

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

’s Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show for 2014. The company asked fans to submit photos in different poses to compile into the video, creating the first fan-made halftime intro. The campaign collected over 120,000 user submissions generating over 5.5 billion impressions.

Reception

Their work has been featured in

Ad Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mul ...

Creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...

, and

AdWeek ''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...

. Its work is featured regularly in major

periodicals A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a Academic journal, journal ...

like ''Fast Company'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.Mekanism Article Archive
''Fast Company''. Retrieved July 28, 2012.Elliott, Stuart

''New York Times''. November 14, 2010.Vega, Tanzina
Samsung Takes New Camera on a National Tour
''New York Times''. May 1, 2011. In its profile of Mekanism, ''Fast Company'' referred prominently to the agency's "reputation as marketing's twisted troubadours" and its ability to "understand who they're trying to reach and how to reach them. Most recently, ''The New York Times'' called Mekanism "the

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

of agencies." Mekanism, along with the company's campaigns have been used by

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

as case studies in marketing and virality, most nobility included in the HBS Case Collection in 2012 in the case study "Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing" by Harvard professor Thales S. Teixeira.

Awards and recognition

Beyond awards for individual campaigns, Mekanism has won several awards for its achievements as a company:Mekanism Agency profile
. ''Ad Age'' Lookbook.

References

{{Reflist, 3 Advertising agencies of the United States Companies established in 2000 Companies based in San Francisco Companies based in New York City