The New Wave ~ Oblong Creative
The New Wave is Campaign Brief’s Q&A series spotlighting the next generation of independent creative companies and exploring how the indie model is evolving. From structure and speed to culture and capability, we unpack where these businesses are finding their edge and what’s driving client decisions today. Next up is Justin Ruben, CCO/Founder, Oblong Creative.
1. Give us the elevator pitch – who are you and what do you do?
We’re an Oblong, an irregularly shaped creative company designed to fit the ever changing media landscape.
The way people consume media has changed, so the types of ideas that resonate with them has also changed. We develop solutions to business problems that are unusually shaped creating cultural and business impact.
2. Are indies still challengers, or have they become the norm?
Indies have a challenger mindset, us v’s them, but in terms of numbers and how many agencies exist, I don’t think indies are really challengers anymore.
3. What’s your unfair advantage over the networks today?
We make decisions based on what’s best for the client and the work, not our numbers.
Clients work directly with senior high-end talent, not through layers. That means better thinking, faster decisions, and a more efficient process.
We build the right shape team around the challenge and work towards a bespoke solution, not a predetermined outcome.
That sounds simple, but it changes everything.
4. How are you using AI to compete above your weight?
We use AI as a tool, not a replacement. It helps us explore more, faster, create ideas and produce things at a lower cost. But the difference is taste. Knowing what’s actually worth making, what will resonate, and what will get ignored.
AI levels the playing field because big and small agencies have access to the same platforms drawing from the same information.
What we sell is human intelligence.
5. What kind of clients are choosing indies right now – and why?
Clients who are choosing indies are looking for a true partnership in which they have direct access to senior people and closer relationships with the creatives actually shaping the work. It creates an environment where honest conversations are encouraged.
They also want to see more disruptive work that challenges them, that’s been less watered down through the internal processes. More distinctive. More raw. More culturally relevant.
And more bang for their buck.
It’s less about industry, more about mindset. We’re getting contacted by a lot of newer businesses, start-ups, challenger brands and clients, who want to try something different on a product within a bigger brand portfolio.
6. What’s next – growth, staying lean, or something else?
Staying undefined.
We’ve deliberately built Oblong to stay in a constant state of evolution, rather than needing to stop and reinvent ourselves every few years.
Consumer behaviour keeps changing, culture keeps changing, and the shape of the solutions should change with it. We’re interested in ideas and the different forms they can manifest in, so there’s added focus on that.
If we get all of this right, growth takes care of itself.
Check out the other New Wave Q&As below:
Read The Many Australia’s Q&A here
Read Bureau of Everything’s Q&A here
Read Art of the Possible ANZ’s Q&A here
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