'Leaving' The Oval Office
Blog by Wouter Boits CEO & Founder
On 20 January 2009, Barack Obama shone on the front page of every newspaper.
As the first US president with African roots, his taking office symbolised a new era, a new America and thus, a new world....
When I started my new communications agency exactly two years later, I chose the name ‘The Oval Office’ without hesitation.
Although not an America-adept, I found it a slightly challenging, funny and therefore remarkable name for a then 20-strong agency (and the url was available just like that ;-)). Nobody took offense at the name; more than that, it turned out to be an excellent conversation starter.
Today, already 13 years later, not only times have changed, but also the world and thus our agency.
Meanwhile, having evolved into a team of 120 + colleagues with offices in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Düsseldorf and Paris, our vision of communication in particular has evolved considerably.
With rising amazement we have been witnessing the ever-growing crudeness in political communication that dominates the world, including from and to the White House. And how clear is the immediate and dramatic impact of this on the ground (I don’t need to draw a picture of this, you are well informed).
So we have become painfully aware that as a communications agency, we do have an important role to play in society. In essence: it is our responsibility to put the power of empathy at the heart of every communication project. Without empathy no communication, without communication no society. It's as simple as that.
High time, then, to change our agency's name.
We're on a mission to write a positive story with our clients and partners, away from ‘a world full of straight lines and sharp edges'. And it is exactly this metaphor that inspired our new name: OVAL. We stand for communication that really takes the other person into account. To bring people and brands closer together, simply by being closer to them. For real.
Two weeks before the US elections, now seems like the ideal time to leave The Oval Office. As a modest signal. In the hope that the remaining occupant of The Oval Office will soon follow our example and make the world a little more OVAL ...
Wouter Boits, Founder & CEO
