Just what the world needs.
More agency.
Opening April 1st.
No, really.
FPO: Will be a video of me spraypainting the stencil.
In the winter of 1963, the Mona Lisa visited New York City for the first time. Demand to see her was off the charts. People lined up around the Met, down several blocks and deep into Central Park.
The organizers realized that at the current rate, thousands of people in line would not get see her before she had to leave. Mona had other commitments.
Her team divided how much time was left by how many people were showing up each day. From that point, everyone had 79 seconds with the Mona Lisa.
Audience first. Cultural salience. Art and easy math. Weirdly precise. Equity and access. A good story. These elements are what we use to solve a variety of problems. It’s in our nature to do so.
More than that, our core believe is that everything means something. It’s why you wondered about the meaning of the name, 79seconds. Humans look for meaning. This understanding is behind the high degree of intention in our work.
Let’s do something more original.
The sales funnel has collapsed. The path through awareness, consideration, conversion and retention is now measured in seconds. Yet the distance between marketing, sales and customer service is miles apart. You try to convince people in Strategic Partnerships that customers are not the product and that everything is branding, even transactions.
Meanwhile markets, culture and media are move faster than the guy in procurement can reply-all to your email. You wonder if AI is going to make your job easier or easier to replace you. And the lives of your customers have been sliced into micro-moments of attention no longer than 79-seconds. That’s about how long you can hold your breath, which sometimes you do until your watch reminds you to breathe. We’ve been there.
So now what?
Consider a new kind of agency, one in which you are the only client at any given time. One that helps your business rewrite the tropes of its category. One that helps your brand become the protagonist of its story. Now that would be giving your brand some agency. How does that sound? At 79seconds, we think it’s about time.
TLDR:
Strategy and design. In record time.
We engage in many ways at four levels.
-
Start Small
Typically a hot take, second opinion, short-form content, essay, speech, video script, product idea, etc.
One week, starting at $7.9k -
Blaze Trails
Typically a brand or messaging strategy, analysis, research, audit, white paper, naming, user experience, pitch decks, product idea, video direction, etc.
2 weeks, starting at $23k. -
Build Bridges
Typically a full brand DNA: Design/Narrative/Action, projects, identity systems, product launches, event branding, fielding research + strategy, environment design, short video, etc.
4 weeks, starting at $59k -
Skies the Limit
Typically combinations of multiple projects, product development, website, long-from video, book writing, etc. Can be scheduled in non-consecutive sprints at strategic times.
8 weeks, starting at $129k
FAQ - Frankly Answered Questions
What’s it like to work with you?
Rather than juggling multiple deliverables for several clients—our teams focus on one project at a time. Because of that, we can go deep and move quickly. Frankly, we hope you can keep up.
What’s your method of operation?
Depending on the project, an experienced core team of 1-5 people from our ensemble: strategist, writer, designer, producer, creator (five people can do anything). We operate in sprints of 1, 2, 4 & 8 weeks. Frankly, those time boxes keep everyone on task and allow us to work on one thing at a time.
Can I submit an RFP?
Absolutely. We love them. However we won’t be able to include speculative work. Frankly, we believe it’s unfair to paying clients when agencies turn their attention to someone new. You’ll thank us once you hire us.
What’s your philosophy?
Here it is: What your audience believes and how they behave drives the narrative. The narrative is everything. Everything is branding. And brands must be original in order to be believed by your audience. Frankly, brands need to have a point of view. Ours does. Read them on our Substack.
What else makes you original?
Well, we shut down every 6th week in order to recharge. You can see those weeks on our public calendar. We don’t accept projects that conflict with our values or B-Corp certification. We’re also an incubator that creates and spins off our own products and IP. More to come!
What’s your stance on AI?
On May 23rd, 1982 the Central London branch of the UK Musicians’ Union passed a motion calling for an outright ban on the use of synthesizers, drum machines, and other electronic devices “capable of recreating the sounds of conventional musical instruments.” The fear was that musicians would never work again.
That week, “Hungry Like a Wolf” was #12 on the UK charts and climbing. So yeah, that didn’t happen. AI is a very useful instrument. But it’s also capable of creating synth-pop slop, like Milli Vanilli. We don’t let AI do our writing because writing is thinking. And if we stop doing that, then frankly what’s the point?
Curious about working with us?
We’re always looking for trusted partners and talented people. Give us just enough to go on, and we’ll be in touch shortly.