The agency was founded in 2001 as Traction Corporation by Adam Kleinberg, Paul Giese, Theo Fanning and Michele Turner. The founding partners had previously worked together at Think New Ideas, a new media pioneer with heavy investments from
Omnicom. Michele Turner left the company in 2009.
In 2006, Traction Corporation started a creative staffing agency called SubTraction.[2] In 2009, Traction acquired 8 Speed Multimedia, a provider of dynamic media.[3]
The agency broadened its services to include Media in 2013.
Awards and recognition
2008
Selected by
Adobe Systems to be featured in an original documentary series “Designing Minds” showcasing creative leaders of the design industry with a view into the creative forces behind the shows, ads, and products people use every day.[4]
2009
Awarded BtoB Magazine "Interactive Agency of the Year"[5]
launched Live Suite for delivering a live video stream across many sites.[23]
Notable campaigns
“Real or Fake?”
Adobe Systems - One of Adobe’s most successful social media campaigns was developed by Traction geared toward driving engagement to their new CS products. This campaign has been featured in a number of articles including being featured as a case study by Facebook.[24]
“Never miss a word.”
Livescribe - Traction introduced the Livescribe Smartpen to the college market.[25]
“Find it. Make it. Sell it.”
Alibaba.com - Traction launched a $30 million campaign for China’s largest online retailer Alibaba.com to the U.S.[26]