By Bia Foy

What do you get when you combine two well-mustached men, a shared love for advertising and a desire to shake things up in the ad world? Well, if it’s 1984 then you get David Lane and Bruce Lev; you get LevLane Advertising and you get 35 years of love.

Where It All Began

David and Bruce met early in their careers while working at Elkman Advertising. After working together for several years, they decided they wanted to start their own agency. David and Bruce both shared a passion for digging a little deeper, getting to the truth of who their clients were or hoped to be, and expressing those truths through advertising. It was through that shared passion that the idea to start their own agency came to life.

In the beginning, more than three decades ago, David was understandably hesitant at the idea of starting his own agency and wanted to exercise a little patience prior to taking such a big career risk. Bruce, however, was ready to jump in full steam ahead and with a little persistence and Bruce’s unwavering ambition, David was quickly warming up to the idea.

Perhaps one of the more interesting facts about the beginning of the LevLane story was David’s final push to say yes to starting the agency, which came in the unlikeliest of places. It wasn’t until after David saw the cult classic Risky Business and heard the famous line “sometimes you just have to say what the #$%@” that he had the motivation he needed to jump on board with Bruce. Inspiration can really come from anywhere!

From a spare bedroom in Bruce’s home and with only one additional employee, David and Bruce began the entrepreneurial journey that would define their future. Following the merging of their last names, which fit together almost tooperfectly, LevLane Advertising was born.

Moving On Up

Though their first office was located in the GSB building in Bala Cynwyd, the speed in which the LevLane clientele was growing meant that more office space and a much larger staff was needed. In 2004 LevLane relocated to the historic Wanamaker Building in downtown Philadelphia, which is where the LevLane team still resides.

Today, the LevLane headquarters has an open-office concept. It is as inviting as it is inspiring. With the floor to ceiling windows, you get a view of City Hall that makes a person happy to go to work in the morning.

At any given moment in the office, you’ll find two or three people around a desk collaborating on a web design. Or a group of people meeting in one of the conference rooms appropriately named after various dog breeds, fitting in with LevLane’s obsession with four-legged furry friends. Once in a while, you may even catch an employee’s furbaby relaxing at the foot of their desk keeping them company. This is all commonplace at LevLane.

Lastly, without fail, you will almost always catch David or Bruce walking around, checking in, or just making small talk. Though they may be executives of a very successful agency, they are still wholeheartedly invested in how their people are doing; reminding everyone that they too live the “who loves ya” company creed.

Well Deserved Attention

With 35 years of history, it’s no surprise that LevLane has received its fair share of accolades. The agency has been honored in countless ways for their creativity, among other areas of focus.

Some of the more recent awards include four ADDY awards from Philly Ad Club, five Louix Awards from the Art Directors Club of Philadelphia, two Pepperpot Awards from the Public Relations Society of America, as well as the Philly Ad Club’s Movers and Shakers Pinnacle Award which honors “outstanding achievers in the Philadelphia Communications Industry who, through their personal efforts and leadership, have had a profound impact on the professional community”.

While the awards are nice and certainly well deserved for all the incredible work that’s been done, they pale in comparison to the sheer joy that LevLane employees have experienced from seeing their clients happy and their colleagues continue to push their creative boundaries.

Love and Loyalty

At LevLane, loyalty runs deep and it’s one of the defining characteristics that keep both clients and employees coming back. LevLane has helped hundreds of clients to establish their brand voice and build their company persona from the ground up.

Several of LevLane’s clients have had a relationship with the agency for more than 10 years, solidifying the concept that when you listen to the needs of others, know what you’re doing and do it well, people will always come back to you.

It’s that kind of loyalty and love that LevLane puts into everything they do. David, Bruce, and the rest of the team begin each client engagement with one question to get to the root of what makes each business unique: Who Loves Ya?Starting with this assures clients that their customers’ best interests will always be at the forefront of all creative and strategic initiatives.

Here’s to 35 More

In 1984, David and Bruce had a vision to create an agency that invests in finding out the truth about a client and representing their brand in a way that is honest and pure. For 35 years they’ve stood by that vision and have led with the kind of attention, understanding and love that is unheard of in today’s advertising industry.

It’s that attention and understanding, combined with the ability to just sit back and listen to their clients wants and needs, that has set LevLane apart in such a fast-paced and ever-evolving industry. It’s why they will continue to be successful for another 35-plus years and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for LevLane Advertising, stay tuned!