The Top 50 Companies Working Not Working Creatives Want to Work Next 2018
WORKING NOT WORKING
For the fifth year, we've surveyed Working Not Working members to uncover which companies the creative community wants to work for next. Our curated, global community of over 50,000 creatives in more than 130 countries is experiencing the shifting landscape firsthand. Ad agencies are looking to pinpoint their relevance. An e-commerce company is winning Oscars. And the hype for virtual and augmented realities is everywhere. The current state of the creative industry often feels chaotic, even surreal.
Pay attention to the companies that are resonating with creatives, a human demographic beyond their traditional consumer base. Humanity is in the DNA of these companies, and they can be a potent antidote to an artificial future. Nobody knows for sure where the creative industry is going, but we're confident the Working Not Working community and these Top Companies will continue to show us the way.
This year we received ten times more submissions than ever before. Working Not Working creatives named 2,832 companies, and below are the 50 that rose to the top. For the first time, we're ranking the results in order.
Artwork by WNW Member Joe Mortell
The Top 50
26. Mother*
27. WeWork*
28. The New Yorker
29. HBO
30. Pixar
31. Moniker
32. Tesla*
33. Ogilvy*
34. Dropbox*
35. National Geographic
36. Sagmeister & Walsh
37. Glossier
38. McCann*
39. Refinery29
40. AKQA*
41. Adobe*
42. Barton F. Graf*
43. Saatchi & Saatchi*
44. Google Brand Studio*
45. BBH*
46. Adult Swim
47. The Mill*
48. TBWA\CHIAT\DAY*
49. Instagram
50. Penguin Random House
Honorable Mention
Vans*, frog design*, A24, SpaceX, Conde Nast*, Deutsch*, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Blizzard Entertainment, Mother Design*, The New York Times Magazine, Vox Media*, Leo Burnett, Marvel Studios, Gucci, Microsoft, Cartoon Network, Giant Ant, Vogue, Coca-Cola, and IBM.
*Working Not Working Member Company
A Look at the Results
The Winner
Congratulations to Nike for receiving the most votes and becoming the Top Company on Working Not Working. Nike has long been a haven for unrivaled creativity with a global reach, and our members especially appreciated the brand’s willingness to get involved in the issues that drive our collective discourse. In surveying our community, 74% responded that Nike’s recent Colin Kaepernick ad makes them more likely to take a job at Nike. It only makes sense that Nike was closely followed at #2 by the agency that created that ad: Wieden+Kennedy.
Old Faces & New
Despite all of the changes the creative industry has seen in recent years, there are some companies you can always count on to evolve and thrive. The following models of consistency and adaptability have appeared on this list for 5 straight years: Nike, Wieden+Kennedy, Google, Apple, Droga5, Pentagram, 72andSunny, IDEO, Airbnb, R/GA, Buck, BBDO, Disney, Patagonia, Mother, Pixar, Tesla, Sagmeister & Walsh, and Barton F. Graf. If you’re curious, check out the 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014 results. Also, a warm welcome to the following companies making the list for the first time: WeWork, Moniker, Ogilvy, Glossier, McCann, Refinery29, Adobe, Saatchi & Saatchi, Google Brand Studio, and The Mill.
The Top 5, By Discipline
Separate from the overall list, we’re including sublists of the Top 5 Companies broken down by a range of creative roles. While certain companies deliver a rewarding creative career to multiple roles, we want to highlight which companies each discipline recognizes as their creative sanctuaries.
The Top Companies Advertising Creatives Want to Work Next
1. Wieden+Kennedy
2. Nike
3. Droga5
4. Apple
5. 72andSunny
The Top Companies Visual Creatives Want to Work Next
1. Nike
2. Google
3. Pentagram
4. Moniker
5. Apple
The Top Companies Producers Want to Work Next
1. Netflix
2. Wieden+Kennedy
3. Google
4. Vice
5. Nike
The Top Companies Film Creatives Want to Work Next
1. Vice
2. Apple
3. Wieden+Kennedy
4. HBO
5. adidas
The Top Companies Tech Creatives Want to Work Next
1. Apple
2. IDEO
3. Spotify
4. Airbnb
5. Google Creative Lab
The Top Companies Animators Want to Work Next
1. Buck
2. Nike
3. Google
4. Giant Ant
5. Adult Swim
The Top Companies Photographers Want to Work Next
1. Nike
2. National Geographic
3. The New York Times
4. Refinery29
5. Vice