• by Larissa Faw , February 20, 2018

Doner has established a new unit in downtown Detroit, D-313, that’s designed to bring together brands with city entrepreneurs, creators, artists, influencers and emerging talent for creative marketing collaborations. 

The agency has hosted clients like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s among others to participate in the effort.

D-313 has also been designed as a collaborative space for Doner’s partnerships with local schools and universities, including a weekly class for the Center for Creative Studies being taught by Doner creatives, seminars for the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and the agency’s ongoing partnership with MSU MediaLab that is using  technology to test emotional and physiological responses to advertising and digital content.

The hub is located in downtown Detroit at 1456 Woodward Ave, a spot that was selected due to its close proximity to the new Shinola Hotel, Quicken Loans, John Varvatos, and creative incubators like Ponyride, WeWork and TechTown.

In December, Havas announced it was expanding its cultural innovation lab The Annex with six new locations both internationally and across the U.S. This concept -originally launched in Chicago two years ago - is more trend-based than D-313 with experiences like a graffiti artists-in-residence, concerts from rappers and up-and-comers, a micro-content studio and influencer-run social teams.