• by May 25, 2005

Modernista might be considered the home of the challenger brand. The five-year-old Boston-based independent agency works with a diverse roster of clients, few of which would be considered top in their respective class, but all are looking to break out.

The agency first gained notoriety for its two-year project for clothing retailer Gap. TV and print ads blended popular music with an eclectic mix of celebrities ranging from singer Alanis Morissette to actress Juliette Lewis to Daft Punk, a French techno group.

Modernista brings a decidedly international flair to its creative work, part of what distinguishes its creative from the crowd. Nearly one-third of its 80 or so employees are overseas imports, mostly Europeans brought in to complement American skill sets. "We probably sponsor more H-1B [work visas] than any other company our size," says Clift Jones, Modernista's president and a former business development specialist from Bozell who was recruited in 2003.

Modernista sets itself apart in another area, too. Each client contract includes performance-based incentives. If the customer's business improves, Modernista earns a bigger cut. If not, both suffer. It's a courageous approach, given the often indistinct correlation between advertising and sales. "It is very rare for an agency to want to put its money where its mouth is," Jones notes.

A TV spot now running for Hummer, a new client, shows the vehicle emerging from a robotic assembly line with the tag line: "Wild." Another spot called "Training," features the same vehicle undergoing factory tests interspersed with panoramic shots of rugged off-roading. The campaign, which also includes print and outdoor, is backed by a Web site recently named the best among all automakers by J.D. Power & Associates. Rockport cited the shop for "innovative and compelling creative."

"Their leadership has made a commitment to consider a lot of non-traditional methods. That's the kind of thing we like to hear," Jones says. Lee Hall