Industry veteran Justin Ruben has announced the launch of new creative agency, Oblong.
With 25 years of experience in advertising, both locally and internationally, Ruben has worked for BBH New York, Droga New York, Publicis Mojo, and CHEP. Most recently, he was the executive creative director at Host/Havas before leaving in December 2023 to pursue a career as a freelance consultant.
“My inspiration for launching Oblong came from the desire to create an agency where we don’t just think about the work differently, but also the teams we put on projects,” said Ruben.
“Oblong is designed as a flexible model, allowing us to bring in specialist people depending on the project. We believe bringing people in with diverse backgrounds will lead to different shaped ideas and we will always get the best in class talent, both locally and globally.
“I am also a big believer in creating culturally relevant work that creates impact for clients, and with the rise of AI, it’s important we come up with unexpected ideas that robots can’t.”
Justin Ruben
Throughout his career, Ruben has worked on notable campaigns such as Bagelgate and Potato Pay for Kraft, putting Lionel Richie in a fridge for Tap King, Flipvertising for Samsung, getting Anne Geddes to change her style for Karicare, and the Peter’s Drumstick Summer Classic ad.
His work has earned numerous awards, including Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, and Bronze at major industry festivals.
“I’ve always loved the different shapes and forms that advertising can take and I believe now, it’s more important than ever, in this content heavy world that we create work that cuts through and taps into culture,” Ruben continued.
“Oblong’s model will also allow us to take on projects of any size, depending on their potential and the impact they can have.”
Oblong follows a trend of self-started agency ventures by adland stelwarts. In May, ex-Meta creative Jay Morgan launched the POPULA brand agency. That same month, Cam Blackley and Emily Taylor, former CCO and CSO of M&C Saatchi respectively, launched the “creative office” Bureau of Everything, supported by an advisory board that includes Jeff Goodby.
In March, David Gibson and Nathan Lennon, co-founders of Hawke’s Brewing Co and, like Ruben, former Droga New York employees, launched the independent agency The Ministry for Communication & The Arts to serve their brands and others.
See also: Hawke’s Brewing and ex-Droga pair launch creative agency, The Ministry for Communication & The Arts