Meet an Indie Agency: Walrus

Calculated misbehavior.

Calculated misbehavior can make the world go ‘round, especially the world we indies live in. Walrus, founded by Frances and Deacon Webster in 2005 after spinning off another agency, has been going strong for almost two decades. The wins are many (Ad Age’s Small Agency of the Year and others) for this New York-based shop—and the agency name backstory is surprisingly simple and awesome.

Walrus has an easy-to-understand mission: To change the way the world feels about advertising. This focus creates customer-first at every turn and landed many Fortune 500 brands as clients.

And, boy, do they have an incredible holiday tradition. T-shirts. T-shirts, you say? Oh, it’s worth watching to understand how it all happened and why it’s a must-have item every year.

We caught up with Walrus CEO Frances Webster and CCO Deacon Webster to learn more about the calculated efforts it takes to stand out, problem-solve, and be successful in a competitive industry and climate.

Watch the interview

Agency Stats

Founded: 2005
Location: New York

Best-known for:

Solving complex problems for brands. Additionally, they live in a world of “calculated misbehavior” where they believe boring is bad for business. And it cuts across every part of the work—from big, showy TV to impactful point-of-purchase and everywhere in between.

Why the agency loves being indie

Having the freedom to choose what projects and clients fit their vision. Despite the challenges of being independent, the pros of creating smart, funny, and distinctive work far outweigh the cons.

Why brands should work with this agency

Expect a friendly, small agency culture where the people on the team are highly creative, talented and capable of putting their unique work ethic in all accounts and projects. The client experience at Walrus is highly personalized.

Why talent should put this agency on their list

Deacon Webster explains that “not everyone should.” Working at Walrus requires the ability to work on several projects at once. Moreover, talent has the adaptable ability to be thrown into the deep end and thrive.

Marketer shout out

Diana Frost, Chief Growth Officer, The Kraft Heinz Company

“We got an [artist] in Ukraine to make this painting of [Diana] riding a walrus. It’s got that sort of Hudson Valley school style. We sent it to her in a gold frame [to introduce ourselves].”

“We haven’t heard back yet. We’re either going to get a project or a restraining order.”
Francis and Deacon Webster