Among the many cool ideas coming out of VMworld this week is the ongoing question of how long big business will continue to allow small, nimble and fast-moving start-ups like Uber and Airbnb steal their market. 

Much has been written on Uber’s rise to ascendancy in personal transportation—most of which has been gained at the expense of the taxi industry. But Uber owns no cars. 

Likewise Airbnb, an organization that owns no hotels, also threatens to disrupt the multi-billion dollar international hospitality industry.

VMware’s CEO Pat Gelsinger, is asking an interesting question: now that the same technology (cloud and mobile technology) is available to all, surely big business—the proverbial elephants in the headline—will learn to cha-cha?

Because if they don’t sashay their way to innovation, Gelsinger predicted, they will die: pointing to pundits who predict that 40% of the Fortune 500 will be replaced by 2025.

Indeed, perhaps the most interesting question of all is why big business cannot innovate like a start-up, despite obvious advantages in the delivery department.

We’ve spent the past year with our heads deep in VMware’s world (all the pun intended), and are more convinced than ever that change will continue to disrupt all we know to be true. To be honest, it’s working with this kind of change that gets us up in the morning.

There’s a beer with your name on it if you can spot the touches we added.

We’re Mortar, a San Francisco advertising and branding agency dedicated to shaping smarter conversations between people and brands. And we say there’s no way in hell the pen is mightier than the sword. Could a ballpoint Bic chisel a block of ice into a life-sized replica of Michael Keaton’s face? Such a staggering feat isn’t unlike what you’ll be doing here. As senior copywriter, you can sculpt, mold, and whittle words until they glisten like Cartier diamonds. And your creative ideas are razor-sharp enough to cut through those inescapable piles of clutter labeled “been there done that,” “expected,” and “tried and true.” If your mind resembles a machete, come join Mortar in unearthing provocative, head-tilting ideas and putting obsolete adages out to pasture. (Who uses pens in the digital age, anyway?) 

Core responsibilities:

• Concept campaigns across all media: print, digital, outdoor, broadcast, experiential, radio, and B2B
• Write and edit compelling copy in all forms, from a detailed, long-form brochure to an eye-catching headline or tagline
• Work with art directors and/or designers to brainstorm ideas and execute a polished product
• Develop ideas that are out-of-the-box as well as strategically sound
• Follow creative briefs, and take direction from creative directors
• Prioritize workload, and deliver exceptional creative on time
• Collaborate regularly with account managers, strategists, and new business teams—we’re no fans of department walls here
• Create captivating presentation decks
• Present and defend work in front of clients, in person and by phone
• Proofread work for grammatical clarity and brand consistency
• Begin to take an interest in nurturing junior talent

Required skills and experience:

• Portfolio that demonstrates original creative thinking and exceptional writing in a wide range of media
• 5+ years of copywriting experience in an ad agency
• Proven ability to understand complex information and translate it into effective copy
• Ability to juggle multiple projects—and maybe a sword on occasion
• Willing to collaborate with others, and take constructive criticism
• Excellent verbal communication (written communication is a given)
• Versed in speaking to both consumer and business audiences
• Strong interpersonal skills, and a positive attitude—no egos, please
• Mastery of Microsoft Office and Keynote; you should be Mac-friendly

To apply for this position, please send your portfolio and resume to tanya@mortaragency.com.

Hi. We’re Mortar, a San Francisco advertising and branding agency.

We’re on the hunt for an Associate Creative Director with a passion for transforming eye-opening insights into awe-inspiring concepts and messaging (we’re not kidding, one pun and you’re done).

We do things differently at Mortar. For one, we are dead against the Big Reveal: instead we believe in the cleansing power of full, energetic collaboration with our clients. We believe in sharing ideas early and often, which means we frequently call clients right after coming up with a cool idea just to, you know, see what they think.

And we really do believe good ideas can come from anyone (although it’ll still be your job to decide if they are good enough to be great).

Look, if this scares you, stop right here.

We know who we want, and we know we need to search high and low for the right person.

To thrive at Mortar you will need to share a belief in brainstorming and whiteboarding (you have never seen whiteboarding this intensive); curating giant hairy ideas; the wonder of rapid-fire momentum and prototyping; and an unyielding necessity for utter honesty and plenty of cocktails. (You can’t say that – HR).

Our best candidate is probably a writer. But they might be a designer. Either way they will enjoy concepting on-the-spot and are just as comfortable dreaming up social ideas as broadcast and digital.

Still with us? Good. Onto the obligatory bulleted list of responsibilities:

Core Responsibilities:

• Develop awesome concepts for high-level, integrated initiatives
• Contribute meaningfully
• Nail the brief
• Manage multiple ongoing projects
• Work happily in B2B and B2C
• Embrace failure (success is so over-rated)
• Clients will want you to have their children
• Actively manage and mentor junior and mid-level creatives
• Kick ass in meetings

Required Skills and Experience:

• A portfolio that demonstrates exceptional creative thinking and copy in a variety of work that spans digital, broadcast, social story telling and print
• We strongly doubt you will have less than eight years of experience
• Excellent presentation and deck-writing skills; you will often be the voice for presenting concepts and selling them through to clients
• Meticulous with details, quality and grammar

This position is based in San Francisco. Relocation may be available to the right candidate (yes, you read that right—YOU CAN MOVE TO SAN FRANCISCO).

Salary: Competitive

To apply for this position, please send your resume and portfolio link to: tanya@mortaragency.com.