Biography
After racking up more than a dozen national and global awards for cause marketing and driving social change through traditional, digital, social, and mobile campaigns, Drew Train set up shop as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OBERLAND, a purpose-driven branding agency founded with Bill Oberlander.
Before launching OBERLAND in May of 2014, Drew started the social-good practice at J. Walter Thompson New York, called JWT Ethos. In that role, Drew worked with corporate, nonprofit and public-sector brands that play a role in driving change on the big-picture issues society faces. By leading an integrated team, Drew leveraged the potential of CSR strategy, communication planning, branding, and advertising to create positive, lasting change.
Prior to opening JWT Ethos and OBERLAND, Drew learned his craft through extensive work on global, corporate brands like HSBC, Verizon, UPS, Puma, Lufthansa, and Tiffany & Co. in the U.S. and Shanghai. Drew was instrumental in helping grow Services for the UnderServed into one of the most influential and impactful nonprofits in New York City. And, as National Campaign Co-Chair he molded the #IWillListen campaign for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI NYC) into a powerful call-to-action to eliminate the stigma against mental illness.
Drew serves on the Board of Directors for Summer Infant, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMR), a global leader in premium infant and juvenile products, as well as on the Board of Directors for NAMI NYC, the Resource Development Committee for Services for the UnderServed, and the Planning Committee for the CEO Summit on Mental Health in the Workplace. Drew is 36 and holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Richmond. He resides in New York with his wife and three children.
network
Member, Board of Directors
Member, Board of Directors
Member, Resource Development Committee
Member
in the media
drew on Film
Oceans LIVE (Talk Show)by drew
Find a Purpose or Face the Pitchforks: This Ad Agency Best on Doing What's RightCampaignLive.com:
Madison Avenue and the 'Great Sorting' of AmericaCampaignLive.com:
It's time to get personal about climate changeJWT.com:
The Veterans’ Day Parade: A Good Next Step
about drew's work
A Campaign Urges Listening to Those Torn by Mental IllnessFast Company:
"After The Parade" Helps Returning NYC Vets Long After The Welcome-Home Banner PassesMashable:
Philadelphia Is Breaking Mental Illness Stigma. Is Your City Next?Gothamist:
There's A Cardboard Apartment In Times Square Right Now
quoting drew
“The relevance of social justice as a topic in pop culture and youth culture is only increasing. And the more entrenched each side of any given debate gets, the more integral [these] issues will become to decision-making in terms who we hang out with, what brands we engage with, what things we pay attention to and what we consume.”
"Stay ahead by realizing the same thing will happen to Snapchat and Instagram as soon as their parents start using it. Find out what's one generation ahead of today's superstar social apps if you want to catch the next wave."
“Brands need to express empathy by creating content that has value for the viewer. That's rarely information about the brand, cause, or what you did today. Create value for the viewer by teaching them something new about their favorite topic, making them think about it differently, or simply making them laugh."
"Our enthusiasm from working on the Cardboard Apartment led us to offer to conduct a larger-scale, longer-term public service initiative for SUS, beginning with this veterans campaign," explained JWT's Train, who has also become a member and contributor on a committee of SUS’s Board of Directors.
"She needs to start to say why she's running," says Drew Train, managing partner at Oberland, a New York-based branding agency specializing in non-profits and social responsibility. "Everyone knows Bernie is running to upend the apple cart, to create a new economic system. People think Hillary is running because its her turn, or because it's a foregone conclusion or because she wants to be the first female president -- but none of those things benefit me as a consumer or a voter."
