We redesigned our business using an ancient Chinese martial art.
Tai chi is the embodiment of yin and yang. The principles of this martial art can also apply to business. If you listen first, stay grounded, maintain balance, are fluid about solutions, and open to outcomes, you can remove friction and harness energy.
Traction was founded as an agency in 2001. We did some great work. Hired amazing people. Partnered with incredible brands. Even won an AdAge Small Agency Award. But at some point, we started to feel the market change.
We listened to our clients and heard they were taking work in-house to create speed and efficiency.
We listened to our people and heard they wanted more flexibility without losing that feeling of being part of a high-performing team.
We looked inward, and saw that the old way of running an agency wasn’t conducive to balancing between the experience clients need and the experience talent wants.
So we changed. Everything.
What does changing everything look like?
Growth mindset.
Everything we do is aimed to generate business outcomes.
Brand-side experience.
Projects are led by people who’ve sat in your seat.
People driven.
Everything we do is driven by empathy.
Uniquely collaborative.
We believe in relationships not projects.
We invest in talent.
Less bloat, more senior people working on your business.
Nimble. Quick.
We accelerate your marketing capability.
We futureproof.
Innovation that gives you a leg up.
Don't just take our word for it.
Traction was named the #1 talent management team in the US in Campaign's 2024 Agency of the Year awards.
Our secret sauce
These four ways of working unlock the power to accelerate your marketing.
Our Liquid Workforce is our secret weapon.
We provide the very best talent from our Liquid Workforce talent collective of over 300 remote creatives, strategists, media planners, developers and mar-tech consultants. This zero-waste model delivers a ton of value to our clients who get more senior people for the same price.
In-house experience. In-house disposition.
At Traction, accounts are led by senior executives with brand-side experience at companies like lululemon, Hilton, Canva, Citi, Nordstrom and CNN. This helps us meet in-house teams where you are to fill gaps and accelerate your marketing. That matters because while 78% of brands say capability building is very important, only 5% say they have the capabilities they need.
Full-funnel design thinking.
Our journey-driven approach begins empathy, ends with testing, and marries data with creativity every step of the way. This is the foundation of our approach to infrastructure, media and creative development—and the underlying approach to how we connect the dots between the top and bottom of the funnel.
The Futureproof Project.
We help our clients apply foresight to their marketing through an invite-only community of 250+ brand leaders at the forefront of emerging tech. We share learnings, inspiration and expertise about Generative AI and Web 3 to help one another turn marketing innovation into competitive advantage.