bill oberlander

Bill Oberlander is Co-Founder/Executive Creative Director of OBERLAND, a purpose-driven agency that combines his creative talents with his passion to make the world a better place. OBERLAND, a Certified B-Corp, is the intersection of Madison Avenue pedigree and fearless social advocacy. The agency was recognized as AdAge’s 2018 Small Agency of the Year and Adage’s 2019 Agency to Watch.

As ECD, Bill leads the creative for the agency’s for-profit brands and non-profit organizations - including Uber, The Guardian, Juice Press, Blockchain, Blue Man Group, The Nature Conservancy, Keep America Beautiful, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Hebrew University, New York Institute of Technology, The Ad Council and the Robin Hood Foundation.

Before launching OBERLAND, Bill served as Director of Communications, Marketing and Events at the Robin Hood Foundation. During his stint there, he created the marketing for the 12.12.12 Concert/Hurricane Sandy Relief, the “Fight Poverty Like a New Yorker” brand campaign, and the Robin Hood Investors Conference, together raising hundreds of millions of dollars for charities across New York City.

During his tenure, Bill has won multiple industry awards for culture-impacting campaigns created as Exec Creative Director at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners, Ogilvy & Mather, McCann Erickson, and J.Walter Thompson. Bill introduced the nation to pop-culture icon the “Snapple Lady”; turned Target into “Tar-Jay”; and transformed the cell phone into a fashion accessory with the simple words “Hello Moto.” 

Bill also served as Member of the Ad Council Creative Review Committee  and President of the Art Directors Club. He regularly speaks at universities and industry panels about the responsibility brands have to contribute to society beyond profit to shareholders. Most recently on stage at Cannes Lions Festival 2019, Bill shared the untold discrimination and biases within the halls of agencies today.