ON A DAILY BASIS celebrates 12.5 year anniversary: It starts with passion

After 12.5 years, ON A DAILY BASIS is an established agency, and at the same time an underdog. And that's how it should stay, according to founder Yonah van Andel. What started as a passionate music blog in an attic room has grown into an agency that literally sits "among the greats" on Leidseplein. The mission: "We want to live in a world where brands inspire. So we create one," says Yonah.

ODB didn't start as an agency that wanted to make a lot of money. The creative agency grew organically, with passion for music as its main fuel. Good things take time, and that goes for building a brand for a new generation too. 12.5 years ago ODB (in the making) was a music blog for music lovers aged 16 to 24. Hence the name ON A DAILY BASIS: something about music and lifestyle was blogged every day. That network led the music blog to do more than just blog, like organising parties and club nights. "Nightlife is the networking event of creatives," Yonah says.

From underdog to established agency

That organisational talent led ODB to start guiding creative talent. "Managing creative talent is a real skill, but back then it wasn't a sustainable business model," according to Yonah. But it was fun to do. It also helped the already sizeable creative network around ODB grow further – something the agency still benefits from to this day. From young people, for young people, since ODB was focused mainly on Gen Z and Millennials back then.

In 2024 the transformation from music blog to marketing agency is fully complete. ODB now works with big brands like the KNVB, Nationale Postcode Loterij and ASICS. The old network has proven invaluable: contact with the KNVB or ID&T for example came through connections, and the recent campaign with Nationale Postcode Loterij in partnership with The New Originals was set up thanks to goodwill. Through our years of experience and strategic advice, we can really help brands keep growing and stay relevant in a dynamic market.

The brand's creative partner in crime

After 12.5 years, passion is still the foundation of ODB. But with 12.5 years of experience in the back pocket, the target audience has become slightly more nuanced. The pay-off used to be 'We sync brands with the new generation', but thanks to all the lessons learned over the years it's now 'We help brands pioneer for a new generation'. A subtle but crucial difference according to Yonah. "We help brands stay relevant for a new generation and advise both strategically and practically. We don't just help brands speak to young people, but also help rejuvenate brands in their expression, which is essential for the long term. Brands need to adapt to stay relevant, with their DNA as the driver. That requires a deep understanding of both the brand and the audience. We don't work for a brand we don't understand. How can you make something beautiful if you don't understand the brand and the audience? There's a reason 'We're fans of the brands we work with' is written on our wall. We also go for the long term. 'We don't run one-off projects, we build brands as creative partner'", according to Yonah.

Yonah: "We do things out of passion and our clients feel that. A brand is emotion and carries a responsibility. With the current strategy we believe we can keep building big brands that not only make impact, but also contribute to our mission to live in a world where brands inspire. To make this happen, we've split the company into specialised service departments for brand development, creative campaigns and social content. This structure allows us to develop specialists within each domain, so we can really be 'the brand's creative partner in crime' for big brands. We currently have a fixed team of 20 and together we're really creating a 'gift culture', to develop each other. We embrace our differences.

Leidseplein as home base

With ODB's HQ right in the middle of Leidseplein, we literally position ourselves where things happen. This location is not only fun, but it also helps us culturally to 'see what's going on'. We stay true to our roots by organising our own initiatives, like the ODB Radio events at the ADAM Tower, our participation in ADNIGHT and various partnerships. By doing so, we stay connected to the creative community and can keep sharing our expertise and vision on building brands for a new generation. Fully within our own DNA. On to the next anniversary!"