New agency owners would like to thank Facebook, Barack Obama and the recession for making it possible.

Victoria, British Columbia, April 15, 2009 – A new design and advertising agency just opened in Victoria, called BONE Creative. The name was chosen to capture what the owners feel is their main competitive advantage. “I’ve worked in big agencies all around the world,” said Rod Grainger, creative director and one of the founders. “They’re not very efficient. There’s a lot of fat, shall we say. Clients will not pay for that today.”

In a traditional agency, the people who make the creative product are isolated from the people who pay for it. Clients typically deal with some number of account executives. Everyone at BONE Creative is totally exposed. “We have nothing to hide,“ said Shon Taylor, designer and co-founder. “We love it when a client gets involved in their work. They get excited. We get excited. It’s fun and you can’t do this job unless you’re having fun.”

As a client, Brad Simpson, President of Barlow Capital Management, recognizes the commercial value of his open relationship with BONE Creative. “ Talking directly to the creative guys means nothing gets lost in translation, said Simpson. “And it’s very much a two-way conversation. They’re not order takers. I think an interactive process makes the work stronger. It certainly makes it faster and less time means it costs me less money.”

BONE Creative’s philosophy seems appropriate for the times in many ways. The recession, social media like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, and Barack Obama have created a demand for authentic and participatory dialogue. Spam in any form today is rejected out of hand. So, here’s the good news: the advertising business is becoming more personal and more honest.

“We are selling creative ability and we try to do it as transparently as possible. We don’t use jargon. Our rates are fair. We don’t pad hours and we don’t mark up third-party suppliers. Our idea is simple. Earn the client’s trust, engage them in the creative process, hopefully they enjoy the experience, and they’ll want to come back,” said Jason Dauphinee, art director and co-founder.

BONE Creative is a band of five creative thinkers and producers. Collectively, they possess nearly 100 years of local and international advertising experience. Clients benefited include: BC Ferries, University of Victoria, Island Farms, McDonalds, Telus, Unilever, Cadbury Schweppes and Barclays Bank. Services on offer include: radio, television and print advertising, graphic design, brand development, web design, development and programming and photography. The company website site promises, “Exciting selling ideas, sparkling executions, and no fat.”