Barker Advertising - 30 Broad Street
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Earlier this month our team had the pleasure of speaking with John Barker, the President & Founder of BARKER Advertising. In 2013, Barker relocated from a SoHo loft to the Financial District, an uncommon move at the time for an advertising and interactive agency.
BARKER occupies the top two penthouse floors of 30 Broad Street, a Pre-War building one block from the New York Stock Exchange which recently underwent a major capital improvement project including a new lobby and elevators.
Interview Q&A Below
It’s our understanding BARKER relocated from SoHo to FiDi in 2013; what prompted your agency to make the move to an area previously defined by financial services and insurance companies?
For us, Lower Manhattan was an obvious choice. It was clearly the next place for a vibrant turnaround and we predicted that it would be the TAMI (technology, advertising, media, and information) tenants that led the transformation. Downtown is so brilliantly cool, so rich in history, and with extraordinary infrastructure, from subways to ferries. It was also a stronger value than Chelsea, SoHo, and all other places we were looking.
Since you moved Downtown, a number of household-name firms (i.e. Condé Nast, Spotify and Hugo Boss) have also relocated to Lower Manhattan from Midtown & Midtown South. Is the increasingly-diversified tenant roster palpable?
It is palpable. In fact, it's moving so quickly that it's genuinely difficult to keep track of the progress. Not only do we now have Brookfield Place up and running, but we also have the brilliant new Beekman Hotel and the re-imagination of South Street Seaport already underway. It's an amazing time to be here.
BARKER occupies the penthouse of 30 Broad Street which, needless to say, has tremendous light and views. How do you think the character of your space impacts your ability to attract, train and retain top talent?
Our space has become part of our culture. The light, the views, the boat traffic, the powerful history of mercantilism. All you have to do is look at our Glassdoor reviews to see what an impact the space has made on employee morale.
What are the top three most-popular bars and restaurants your employees flock to near 30 Broad?
We're all big Bobby Van's fans, because it's old world and literally across the street. Ambrose Beer and Lobster at South Street Seaport is a fun place. The Dead Rabbit on Water Street is a classic. And Stone Street is amazing in the summer.
What is the single greatest challenge with your space, and with Lower Manhattan more generally?
The streets are old cowpaths which adds to the charm, but learning your way around can take a while. There's no grid down here. Outside of that, we need more restaurants around Wall Street and Broad, but it's improving all the time.
30 Broad was recently sold and is undergoing extensive building and elevator renovations. If you were a tenant in Gramercy being faced with $65 per s.f. rents with an option to come to FiDi for $55 per s.f., would you still make the move today?
No doubt about it. The new owners here have been tremendously collaborative and professional, and they're investing heavily in the building to make it state of the art. We couldn't be happier with our tenancy.
John Barker Biography
John Barker is the recipient of over 100 international awards during his 30-year career. Before founding the agency in 2003, he served in senior positions within Grey Worldwide and Sony Music.
Among other notable accomplishments, he has piloted branding and advertising campaigns for many of the world’s foremost marketers including P&G, PepsiCo, Estée Lauder, Sprint, Hasbro, Bloomberg, and McGraw Hill; launched over 50 original television series including Gilmore Girls, Dawson’s Creek, NYPD Blue, Roseanne, and Twin Peaks; helped launch and establish The WB Network; marketed music stars such as Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Gloria Estefan; served as Creative Director of Def Jam Recordings and repositioned The History Channel, adding over $4 billion in valuation.
Mr. Barker is the recipient of a Grammy Award and an Emmy Award for marketing, and is regularly featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Advertising Age, and Crain’s Business. He is a graduate of Yale University, where he received numerous awards for writing.