Client Start Year End Year
ACLU 2021 Current
March of Dimes 2020 Current
Velcro, Inc. 2020 Current
Hadassah 2018 Current
Cooper Hewitt 2021 Current
Consumer Reports 2020 Current

OBERLAND is an advertising agency for purpose-driven brands. We use your purpose to drive your people, progress, and profit.

OBERLAND was founded in 2014 by Bill Oberlander & Drew Train. At the time, they were working together as client and agency partners on behalf of NYC’s Veterans, with Bill as the Marketing Director at The Robin Hood Foundation and Drew as the founder of J. Walter Thompson’s Ethos division. We were founded on the basis of bringing the best of advertising to brands seeking to create sustainable financial returns. OBERLAND was intentionally ahead of the industry trend and is a unique blend of social issue expertise, purpose-driven experience and creative magic.

OBERLAND is a Certified B Corp.

Our Public Benefit Statement is: We will use the tools, talent and techniques of Madison Avenue to build and evolve brands designed to create social impact in addition to financial returns for businesses, institutions, government agencies, causes and nonprofits. We will also drive the rapid growth and penetration of purpose-driven branding across the marketing, media, advertising and social sectors by training a new generation of professionals, regularly publishing expert content, executing purpose-driven creative for our clients, being environmentally conscious and serving as an example in how we operate our business.

  • Bill Oberlander

    Bill Oberlander

    Co-Founder & Executive Creative Director

    Bill Oberlander is Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of OBERLAND. As ECD, Bill provides the creative vision and core narrative for all of the agency’s work. Before launching the agency, Bill served as Director of Communications at the Robin Hood Foundation, creating the “Fight Poverty Like A New Yorker” campaign. During his 25+ year tenure on Madison Avenue, Bill has won multiple industry awards for culture-impacting campaigns created at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, Ogilvy & Mather, McCann Erickson, and J.Walter Thompson. He also served as a Member the Ad Council Creative Review Committee, President of the Art Directors Club and Jury President/Purpose-driven content for AICP.
  • Drew Train

    Drew Train

    Co-Founder & CEO

    Drew Train is Co-Founder and President of OBERLAND. In this role, Drew frames the go to market approach for all clients, manages relationships with senior leadership and allocates agency resources to achieve the campaign goals. Before launching OBERLAND, Drew started the social-good practice at J. Walter Thompson, called JWT Ethos. Drew learned his craft through extensive work on global, corporate brands like HSBC, Verizon, UPS, Puma, Lufthansa, and Tiffany & Co. in the U.S. and Shanghai. Drew serves on the Board of Directors for Summer Infant, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMR) a global leader in premium infant and juvenile products, as the Marketing Committee Chair.
  • Kate  Charles

    Kate Charles

    Managing Partner & Chief Strategy Officer

    As Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Oberland, Kate brings together cultural trends, human truths and media behavior to move brands forward. Kate has over 15 years experience identifying breakthrough strategies for some of the world’s most successful brands including American Express, Oreo, Sony, Toyota and Lincoln Center. Motivated by “what’s next”, Kate’s passion is shaping strategies to fit the growing demand for brands that do good. Kate developed her deep expertise in consumer, media and brand insights leading insights and planning groups at award-winning agencies, Lippe Taylor and 360i. Prior to the agency world, she spent eight years in brand consulting at Hall & Partners, working in the London and New York City offices.
X