Office space: Australian advertising agencies in the twentieth century

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the evolution of the advertising agency and its offices in Australia over the course of the twentieth century. Historical accounts of advertising have paid scant attention to agencies’ attempts to organise and manage their offices, as well as the impact that these efforts has had on the work undertaken by agency staff. Design/methodology/approach This study draws on reports in the advertising industry press, as well as oral history testimony to examine the agencies’ changing layout and interior design. It identifies three distinct periods, which reveal the impact of modernist and post-industrialist ideas on the organisation and functions of the advertising agency’s offices and, indeed, their impact on the agency’s outputs. Findings This examination of the office space within the agency setting not only offers a new perspective of the advertising agency business as a whole but also demonstrates the importance of material culture for historians working across management, business and marketing fields. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in its use of material culture and space as a tool for examining management history and understanding its impact on everyday work practices. By charting the changes reflected in advertising agency office spaces, this study also offers a unique overview of the ways that management practices have historically interacted with business work spaces.

Exploring the Interplay of the Physical Environment and Organizational Climate in Innovation

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Role of Advertising Agencies in Marketing Effectiveness: An Exploratory Study

“…Office design can play an important role in shaping a company's brand image and can be a powerful marketing tool. By creating an environment that is both professional and creative, advertising agencies can bring in and retain clients, as well as capture top talent in the industry (Crawford, 2018). German ad agencies, too, have responded to changes such as globalisation, digitalization, and the rise of social media.…”

A review of the physical context of creativity: A three‐dimensional framework for investigating the physical context of creativity

“…Kelley (2001) also highlighted that the design needs to enable random encounters and concentrated working. In a historical study, Crawford (2018) analysed advertising agencies’ layouts and illustrated how office design reflects the changing meanings and importance attributed to creativity in the course of history. The author concluded that agency spaces have simultaneously been informed by these meanings and informed them.…”

“…Further, creating the appearance of creativity is a central motive for designing creative offices (Crawford, 2018). Accordingly, future research might investigate space as a symbol of creativity .…”