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"Punxsutawney Phil may have forecasted six more weeks of winter, but for digital agencies in San Francisco, there's reason to believe that this year will be better than the last. Not that last year was bad; for digital agencies, 2011 brought opportunities to create stunning web and mobile applications, redefine interactivity on websites, and fundamentally change the way that consumers engage with brands.\r\n\r\nIn an economic landscape where simply surviving is considered a success to some, digital agencies are finding themselves thriving. No city embodies the idea of &amp;quot;digital spring&amp;quot; more than San Francisco. From the wifi-powered coffee shops in the Haight to the trendy bars in the FiDi, it would be hard to swing a cat without hitting someone from an interactive agency (please, don't try that at home).\r\n\r\nIn fact, it's easy to get lost in the massive sea of agencies that inhabit San Francisco, but there are some digital shops that are hard to ignore. Like that tall, dark and handsome stranger across the bar, there is just something about them. Most importantly, they're leading the charge in the digital revolution; they're not afraid to take risks or use new technology, and they're having a blast doing it. So the next time you're playing that brand new iPhone game or wondering how on earth someone made a website do that (insert fancy web trick here), pick up your glass and cheers these ten agencies that are leading the way for the rest.\r\n10. The Agency with No BS\r\nAgency:\u00A0Kurt Noble\u00A0\u00A0\r\nRockin' it Since: 2001\r\nLast Seen With: LucasArts, Red Bull, Adobe, Specialized Bicycles, Dreamworks\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: Declined to state\r\n\r\nMO: KNI is an agency free of fancy-sounding marketing buzzwords (which is great, because I was tired of looking them up in the dictionary. I kid, I kid). Their main mission is to make awesome interactive experiences, and they are living up to their word. Their no-nonsense attitude can be seen in their slick applications, websites, and product demos.\r\n\r\nNotable Project: In conjunction with Adobe, Kurt Noble put together\u00A0a Facebook app\u00A0that lets even the most amateur creatives manipulate their photos (think goofy glasses, big eyes, fake hair, top hats; the essentials) with ease. The app has an obvious social hook and displays Adobe's photo manipulation power all in one fell swoop.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n9.\u00A0The Agency with The Sexy Pilgrim\r\nAgency:\u00A0Pereira O'Dell\u00A0\u00A0\r\nRockin' it Since: 2000\r\nLast Seen With: HBO, Corona, Captain Morgan, Lego, Muscle Milk\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: Declined to state\r\n\r\nMO: The brave souls at Pereira O'Dell have taken it upon themselves to reboot the advertising industry. They believe that the traditional advertising techniques should be integrated into the digital revolution, instead of treating them as two separate entities. \u00A0This simple perspective helps them weave together interactive stories through multiple types of media in order to showcase their clients' brands.\r\n\r\nNotable Project: This agency isn't new to the game; that's probably how they came up with the idea for their\u00A0Sexy Pilgrim campaign\u00A0for Muscle Milk, which went viral last year before Thanksgiving. The video for this campaign is equal parts disturbing and hilarious, featuring a dancing pilgrim spreading his Muscle Milk message. Yes, Muscle Milk can make anyone sexy. Even pilgrims (hear that, Pocahontas?)!\r\n\r\n\r\n8.\u00A0The Agency that\u2019s not Afraid to Show their Underwear\r\nAgency:\u00A0Traction\r\nRockin' it Since: 2008\r\nLast Seen With: Clos du Bois, Adobe, Shutterfly, Virgin Mobile, SalesForce\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: $500,000 - $2 million\r\n\r\nMO: Peruse their site and you'll discover the\u00A0Institute of Practical Underpants\u00A0(IPU). As a challenge to themselves, Traction set out to design a way to represent their company without mentioning their name or services. Enter the talking underpants, complete with branding, underpants giveaways and a microsite. On a slightly more serious note, IPU demonstrates Traction's philosophy that everything is interactive, and the more consumer touch points within a campaign, the better. This is an agency that (with the help of their underwear, and other technology of course) is closing the gap between traditional advertising and the digital revolution.\r\n\r\nNotable Projects:\u00A0Adobe's 'Real or Fake'\u00A0challenged users to guess the authenticity of a series of images (the fake images have been created using Adobe products). The integrated campaign allowed users to engage with the Adobe brand in an exciting new way.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n7.\u00A0The Agency with the Parrot\r\nAgency:\u00A0SF Heat\r\n\r\nRockin' it Since: 2004\r\nLast Seen With: AOL, Bare Escentuals, EA Sports, CineMax, Bank of the West\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: $50,000 - $4 million\r\n\r\nMO: Heat is the non-agency agency; they aim to break down the walls between the different departments needed to create a project that allows their clients to build a more genuine relationship with their consumers. At Heat, the client gets down and dirty with the agency during production; close relationships with their clients allow them to understand the consumers on a deeper level so that they can accurately tell the brand's story. The agency also believes in a no-fad diet; instead of chasing after what's hot and trendy, Heat's goal is to build digital experiences that benefit both the brand and the consumer.\r\n\r\nNotable Project: Heat created an integrated experience to promote\u00A0EA's Madden NFL 12\u00A0and\u00A0Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 titles. \u00A0The campaign included rich client asset integration, social engagement, and the Google Maps API.\r\n\r\n\r\n6. The Agency with the Largest Male to Female Ratio\r\nAgency: Freshout\r\nRockin' it Since: 2007\r\nLast Seen With: Yahoo! Mail, Storify, UgMo, Pan American Games, TokBox\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: $100,000\r\n\r\nMO: Freshout is a local development powerhouse, with a seemingly endless supply of developers. Product development is king, and the guys at Freshout have the process down to a science. During development, they are as mindful of the consumer as they are of their clients, carefully juggling new technologies and beautiful UI with realistic production timelines (their goal is to develop products that can be released within four months). \u00A0Their reputation for this process often precedes them, and as a result they work primarily with clients who have spent months developing products without a release.\r\n\r\nNotable Project: They've applied this expertise to their first in-house project called Breezi, an app they've built completely from scratch, which will make it easy for creatives to edit designs within a website in real time. \u00A0This app is pretty much what I imagine would happen if designers around the world pressed that big, red &amp;quot;easy&amp;quot; button.\r\n\r\n5.\u00A0The Agency with the Most Interesting Past\r\nAgency:\u00A0Cuban Council\r\nRockin it Since: 2002\r\nLast Seen With: Coppola Winery, Target, Google, Facebook, Old Spice\r\n\r\nMO: The company's origins start in the 1940s, though a bout of scarlet fever caused them to shut down (seriously). They were reborn in 2002 and have been rockin' it ever since. The Cuban Council focuses on producing a high quality product with a rich layer of personality (did I mention their name was inspired by rum and cigars?), all while exceeding their clients' business and creative goals; talk about a juggling act!\r\n\r\nNotable Project: A recent website\u00A0redesign for the Francis Ford Coppola Winery\u00A0required the agency to spend some quality time on the Francis's private estate (poor them). They immersed themselves in the culture and product of the winery to gain a better understanding of the wines that are produced there. Their hard work resulted in a &amp;quot;whimsical yet functional site design&amp;quot;, which showcased the Coppola family history, culture, and of course wine. Satisfied clients, wine-fueled brainstorm sessions; you can't really ask for more than that.\r\n\r\n4.\u00A0The Agency with &amp;quot;The Tip&amp;quot;\r\nAgency:\u00A0Duncan/Channon\r\nRockin it Since: 1990\r\nLast Seen With: Birkenstock, Hard Rock, Ritz-Carlton, Sega, StubHub\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: Declined to state\r\n\r\nMO: D/C is a multitasking agency that juggles digital, print, outdoor, packaging and more; bottom line - they go where their clients go. This chameleon of an agency is full of &amp;quot;creative eclectics&amp;quot; - performance artists, game theorists and musicians who add a unique sense of innovation and charm to each project. These fine folks also know how to have a good time, as evidenced by pictures from their holiday party (I'm talkin' about racy boudoir photos and a guy dressed in a bunny suit). Hell, i'd do the same if I had a historic private lounge called &amp;quot;The Tip&amp;quot; at my disposal.\r\n\r\nNotable Project: D/C had the chance to fundamentally change the restaurant dining experience through\u00A0their work with Hard Rock. The agency designed and produced interactive tabletop interfaces for Hard Rock Cafe, which utilized\u00A0Microsoft Surface. These apps let guests manipulate and peruse through memorabilia and merchandise as well as vote for which video will play next in the restaurant.\r\n\r\n\r\n3.\u00A0The Agency that's Fired Up\r\nAgency: Propane\u00A0Studio\r\nRockin' it Since: 2003\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: $100,000 - 400,000\r\nLast Seen With: Hitachi, Kaiser Permanente, Macy's, Pandora, Volkswagon\r\n\r\nMO: Propane is an agency that sees brands as an interactive &amp;quot;ecosystem&amp;quot; of experiences and aims to change the way people connect with those brands. They take pride in the fact that they're not afraid of commitment (no one night stands with these guys - they're looking for a relationship) and a variety of clients. Perhaps it's their digital strategy or front-end design that has made them successful; or perhaps their dogs bring them good luck (2% of their office inhabitants are canines; I wonder if they get to help with brainstorming?).\r\n\r\nNotable Project:\u00A0The agency just finished a complete redesign of their own website, a formidable task for a group of people who get paid to focus on other people\u2019s brands.\u00A0 Propane\u2019s revamp simultaneously showcases the agency\u2019s pioneering technology as well as their successful brand activation.\r\n\r\n\r\n2.\u00A0The Agency that Went Mainstream\r\nAgency: Odopod\r\nRockin' it Since: 2000\r\nLast Seen With: Sony, Playstation, RedBull, Nike, MTV\r\n\r\nMO: They may have merged with Nurun last year, but the agency still knows how to hustle like a small shop. Odopod is always trying to find new ways to use digital products to change the interactive experience. They even hold an annual event called Hack Days where their entire office is shut down for two days solely to brainstorm and build prototypes.\r\n\r\nNotable Project: Odopod works on a variety of projects, from top-secret Google projects (I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you) to interactive in-store kiosks for Tesla Retail stores. \u00A0The agency put together interactive touch screen kiosks into Tesla retail stores to allow consumers to immerse themselves into the world of Tesla's electric cars, complete with 3D models and video features.\r\n\r\n\r\n1. The Agency with the Craziest Ideas\r\nAgency: COG1 Interactive\r\nRockin' it Since: 2000\r\nLast Seen With: Yahoo!, Art.com, SanDisk, Samsung, EA\r\nTypical Level of Client Engagement: $50,000 - $250,000\r\n\r\nMO: One thing the COG1 office is never short of is innovative, off-the-wall ideas. They pride themselves in their ability to come up with projects that defy convention and expectation to create a truly original brand experience. Cog1 is not afraid of unfamiliar territory in the digital landscape, if it means creating a better user experience for their client's consumers. Can they do that, you ask? They may not be sure, but they're game to find out.\r\n\r\nNotable Project:\u00A0COG1 created an iOS application called artMatch for Art.com, which changed the way users can explore and buy art on their mobile devices. The iOS app included a Super Zoom feature, which lets shoppers comb through the details of a piece of art (we're talking brush strokes here). artMatch is of course the star feature of the app, allowing users to upload photos into the app; the feature will identify the piece of work if possible, and bring them to a page where they can explore and purchase the artwork.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDigital agencies have created their own microcosm within the advertising industry; a world where every day is spent inventing new and exciting technologies and working with first-class clients. Be sure to keep an eye on these up-and-coming interactive agencies that will surely continue to push the digital envelope in 2012 and redefine the phrase &amp;quot;work hard, play hard&amp;quot;."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/03/17/10-small-agencies-that-define-digital-spring-in-san-francisco/pod_sexypilgrim/>