Clients
No, I did not write these or pay anyone to say such nice things. However, I can nether confirm nor deny
that I have a large collection of incriminating Polaroids. Come to think of it, it could also explain why I
have so many connections on Linkedin.com
“I can only recommend of a handful of like-minded marketing partners that consistently push the limits
of smart, accessible design and innovation, and 86 the onions is certainly one of them.”
Simon Campbell, Target
“Chad and his crew at 86 the onions are what the future of creative communications are all about:
strategically-driven; idea-centric; creatively fresh; all media approach; truly collaborative; and as their
name makes clear it's about getting rid of all the layers and getting down to what matters - creating
powerful ideas that connect with consumers and move brands. Of course it doesn't hurt knowing that
Chad's experience comes from arguably the most elite and creatively hardcore agencies worldwide
(i.e., Mother London and KesselsKramer Amsterdam). At the end of the day, I can't guarantee that
they'll deliver for you. All I can say is that they delivered for me (on a Redscout project for a Fortune 100
client). And that if you're looking for fresh creative ideas, I'd definitely recommend trying them out -
even if it's just a small project. I think the potential upside is definitely worth the risk.”
Jeff Cha, Redscout
“Chad is both a creative genius and strategic thinker. He has the business acumen, integrity and talent
that we all look for in people -- and rarely find. He's great to work with and does what he says he's going
to do.” Jake Munsey, FUEL TV/FOX Cable Networks
"Unexpected, innovative, compelling, and effective. If you want breakout creative with a purpose, call 86
the onions." C.J. Olivares, FUEL TV/FOX Cable Networks
“Working with Chad is a spiritual experience. He is a shaman who guides us through the creative
process that clients will euphorically pay for.”
Kiyoshi Kodama, Liquid Air Entertainment
"86 the onions are a bunch of nutters that can translate the perennial unseen idiosyncrasies of every
day living into simple yet really, really effective communication with us normal(ish) human beings.
You're guaranteed to leave their office saying to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Don Brown, Etnies footwear and apparel
"86 the onions helped us reinvent our wheel. Chad and his crew brought a creative perspective to our
event and our promo materials that got people talking, yet fit our brand perfectly. Would I work with
them again? Only twice a year...Winter and Summer." Ian Votteri, ESPN X Games
“We were looking for a fun, creative approach to consumer promotion, and 86 provided us with a unique
concept that broke through the clutter. SoBe has always been about breaking down barriers and the
adrenaline rush of doing new things, and 86 brought the creative to life in an innovative way.”
Mike Joyce, SoBe Beverages/PepsiCo.
“It's a privilege to collaborate with Chad. Why? 1) He's gifted (creatively and strategically); 2) He's
"been there, done that", but recognizes that's not enough; 3) He's not afraid to rock the boat and then navigate
it with success through uncharted waters.” David Brody, North Venture Partners
"86 the onions showed tremendous versatility by looking at a market they knew little about. Their ideas
were fresh and created buzz within a traditionally dry product space. In fact, our launch campaign was
the talk of our last trade show, turning heads and getting people to stop and listen to what we had to
say. The final production work was top-notch and polished. You cannot ask for a better combination of
fun with professional results." Ruston Vickers, iTKO Software
“86 the onions got my attention and as a busy entrepreneur that is an accomplishment. I was hooked
with their crazy calling card and after one meeting they convinced me they know how to reach and
inspire my target audience. I trust these guys to come up with an approach that works and gets
attention. I can only afford to pay for results and I wouldn't be using 86 the onions if the results didn't
follow.” Brian Lovejoy, Drinks That Work (Upshot)
“Our company developed a totally new product and way of thinking about interior design. Within
minutes, 86 completely understood who we were, where we should head and soon after developed
product concepts and a tagline that summed up our essence perfectly. They blew us away. A brand
new product and these guys got it right out of the gate. We wouldn’t trust our brand to any other firm.”
Scott Flora, blik
"The skateboarding business is probably one of the hardest markets to infiltrate with advertising
created by a source outside of the sport. That's why almost all skateboard companies do their own ads.
It is rare that someone somewhat professionally detached from the sport can create something that
could just as well have come from a skateboarder. 86 the onions gets it. What more could you ask for?”
Christian Roth, HessenMob Skateboarding, Germany
“86 the onions rock super hard with crazy off-kilter shit everyone wants and you need.”
Callum McGoeoch, Dazed & Confused magazine, UK
“86 the onions is one of the rare creative boutiques who know how to use both sides of their brain. More
than any other agency I’ve worked with, they are incredibly creative with a solid understanding and
appreciation for the marketing side of things. They always blow me away with their strategic and tactical
ideas, and never once have they disappointed me.” Jim Bloom, Radioactive Clown
“As the rock star bad boys of the gaming industry, trying to find someone capable of pushing the limits
of our advertising wasn’t easy. (Chad) not only helped capture id Software’s true image but undoubtedly
changed the face of game advertising in the process. I’ve kept him around ever since.”
Mike Wilson, Gamecock Media
“Art Center College of Design continues to position itself at the emerging edge of art, design and media
technology. 86 the onions understands this and helps communicate our message in ways that young
students can relate to. 86 the onions continues to reach and draw qualified applicants to the school
through their unique problem-solving capabilities.” Mikio Osaki, Art Center College of Design
“86 the onions helped us bring to life a difficult game concept. Not only did they continue to surprise us
with the number and variety of creative approaches and solutions, they were extremely professional,
reliable, and great to deal with. They were tenacious under pressure and obviously driven to satisfy us
as a client.” Allen Adler, Ubi Soft Entertainment
“My first contact with Chad's company was thru the 86 the onions website. The site was one of the best
and most fun that I had ever visited. The text was sharp and funny and the interactive bits were
hysterical. I knew that when it came time to work with a creative agency, these were the guys for me.
Chad is a dream to work with. He and his company churned out a multitude of fantastic concepts and
put together an amazing TV spot for us on a very modest budget. Chad is driven to be unique and uber
out-of-the-box in his creative. That kind of talent does not grow on trees but if it did, Chad's tree would
be the best one by a long shot.” Stacy Conde, Virgin Records
“The beer business is highly competitive but completely stuck in a rut with regards to advertising and
promoting. For our new brand, Nude Beer, we wanted to be unique, but also have it all fit together. 86
the onions' concepts on developing brands is well disciplined. They have been able to deliver on what
they promise.” Don Havard, Nakedbrew, Inc.
“My cousin started the whole thing. I told him I needed some advertising help, and he said he knew
these guys who were innovative, who thought outside the box. What the hell that meant I had no idea,
but I was willing to listen. They came up to see our store. They wandered around, poked in here and
there, asked a bunch of questions. They had spiked hair, and aglets through their ears.
They said they’d be ready in a week or so to present their ideas. I figured my deposit check was wasted,
but I was determined to remain open minded. Their place was definitely outside the box. The conference
table was a ping-pong table—and they played on it. I thought I was in for trouble. But they seemed
serious enough, and they served wine with crackers. That had to be worth something. When we sat
down, they talked about the various tiers of the launch campaign. I said we would only do them all if it
made me do backflips. Wind up, I thought. Pitch. And pitch they did. A campaign that was and so
startlingly simple, but so arresting and memorable, that I had nothing to say. Not even a wisecrack.
They looked worried. “I’m doing backflips”, I said calmly. And I took out my checkbook. Forget that the
stunts were so attention-grabbing that they ended up in newspapers, magazines, websites, and on TV.
Forget that our bag models were on the fashion network in France. They showed us how to spend a
little bit on paint and paper bags that changed the whole look of our store. They made me proud to go in
every day. And they made customers drop by in droves. Our sales nearly tripled. We got the biggest
bang for any buck I ever spent. Now, at dinner parties, I take all the credit. Please don’t tell my cousin.”
Jed Cohen, Sylvie & J
“86 the onions are at the top of my creative list. Not because companies that start with numbers
naturally come first, but because their out-of-the-box thinking can be applied to everything from
advertising to the concept, design, and branding of an entire 27-acre shopping village.”
Todd Putman, Westfield Corp.
“86 the onions combines a perfect mixture of fart joke humor, Ivy league intelligence, and
unconventional thinking into every project.”
Amir Fallah, Beautiful/Decay
“Technicolor is a very conservative 90-year-old company that specializes in providing services to the
entertainment industry. We recently faced the communication challenge of educating our employees
about a competitive business issue that seriously impacted our work environment. Because most of our
employees are under 30, and we really needed them to pay attention to this issue, we knew we had to try
something a little out of the ordinary. After an agency review, the marcom department knew that 86 the
onions was clearly the way to go. However, selling the idea to our senior management was a bit of a
challenge. 86 the onions managed the difficult task of understanding our culture and our business
issues, while still pushing the creative envelope. They came up with the big idea we were looking for,
cool graphics and memorable taglines that clearly communicated about complex issues to a diverse
employee base located in 30 countries around the world. And yes, our senior management liked it too.
Phew.” Kristen Larson, Technicolor
“A rare combination of the ability to deliver unexpected concept, great design and clever copy, 86 the
onions is one of the most creative firms I’ve worked with.” Ashley Mendel, SOAPnet
"What to expect? Usually it's a bunch of agency guys in suits trying to show me how cool they are with
their hotel resort campaigns. No thanks. It's refreshing to work with a group that communicate the
attitudes and lifestyles that my brands live in." Zach Luke, Rockford Corp.
“One of the things that attracted us to 86 the onions was their international experience with youth
culture. Their ability to take a complicated marketing brief and boil it down to a simple yet attention-
grabbing idea that transcends media, cultures, and even demographics never seizes to amaze us. Go
Onion King!” Kunihiko Inoue, Media Switch/Robot Communications, inc., Tokyo
“RESFEST is a worldwide event that appeals to a highly savvy creative audience, It is always a
challenge to try to capture the diverse nature of what RESFEST is and what sets it apart from other film
festivals and events. 86 the onions was able to do just that in creating the Keep it Curious campaign for
us. With the help of our various worldwide media partners we were able to distribute a series of
messages that challenged our audience to dig deeper. Knowing that many of our audience are avid
consumers of media, 86 designed different ads to run in each publication so it was very unlikely
someone who encounter exactly the same ad twice but they would still recognize it.”
Jonathan Wells, RES Media Group