Every agency needs to be able to break through the clutter. Sometimes they do it with a really big idea, and sometimes it's about creative that's so compelling you can't help but take a minute to look and engage. Mekanism's method for breaking through the clutter seems to be its keen ability to understand an audience and build from there. But what makes the agency an effective transmedia storyteller is that it's able to work with a diverse group of audiences and brands. As you might expect, its style is a little zany (as evidenced by the weirdly engaging videos that play on its site), but the results are pretty fantastic.
With a keen understanding of Fast Company readers, Mekanism helped produce the magazine's Influence Project, which allowed users to upload their picture and watch it grow (literally) as other users determined the identity of the most influential person online.
Shifting gears to tackle a wildly different audience, Mekanism helped Axe reach young men looking to prank their friends. The gag begins when guys invite their pals to take a quick quiz via a webcam. After answering five seemingly steamy questions from a sexy woman, the video is then edited to fit the format of a cheesy morning talk show. The result is a mashup that's obviously been taken out of context, allowing everyone, including the target of the prank, to have a laugh, compliments of Axe.
Mekanism is based in San Francisco, with an office in New York. It has worked for brands as diverse as Doritos, Nike, and DKNY.
