Changing the Game
basement27 on Building a Company and Disrupting an Industry
Our feature this week is on the founders of basement27, an independent creative agency designed to help brands with social media, marketing, and content geared toward Generation Z. Determined to change the advertising world, these Boston University students saw the pandemic as an opportunity to start an agency centered on the generation they know the best. We sat down with basement27 founders Angie Wijaya, Melissa Chan, Maura Munaf, and Pearl Zhong to discuss their experiences building a marketing agency for the most diverse and tech savvy generation.
Tell us the story behind basement27.
Pearl: We all met in this class called Fundamentals of Creative Development. The course is run like an advertising agency and we all partnered with each other. We all felt this rare chemistry, like we all kinda knew, hey, we work well together. At the end of the semester, I turned to Melissa and said, “What if we start our own ad agency?” This is back in December 2019. Then the quarantine happened. Melissa said, why don’t we reach out to Maura and Angie to pitch the idea of starting this agency because now we have ample time to work on it? So we met over Zoom and started in March.
How is Gen Z different from other age demographics?
Maura: We've done a lot of research and looked into ourselves. We’re still changing and it’s an ever-evolving kind of generation and so much research is being put into that. One of the things that make us [Gen Z] different is brand intimacy. Brand intimacy is so important because it really touches upon rituals and habits. Our habits based on research is so different than what millennials do or what boomers do. Brand intimacy builds longevity. The more intimate you are with a brand the more money you are willing to spend and the less you are willing to live without that kind of brand. That dependency is what makes the Gen Z audience special.
Angie: We wanted to see how beneficial it would be for brands to explore the Gen Z economy. Social media can be such an important aspect. Brands today need to tap into the [Gen Z market] and as basement 27, we are the audience, so it’s a perfect match.
Maura: I agree that we are so inside the world of Gen Z. We use the apps that are changing every day and because we're so in touch with these platforms. To predict the future, listen to those who are shaping it. What's amazing is that we're still growing and everything is organic. Everything is really raw and we’re just a part of this movement. It is really important to be a Gen Z agency to do that.
How has your heritage played a role in creating basement27?
Pearl: Coming to BU for me was a weird culture shock because where I grew up was pretty ethnically homogeneous. When I came to BU, I felt like I was finally getting in touch with other Asian Americans like me. When I started taking advertising courses, I learned a lot about the industry itself. A lot of the ads we see are not as diverse as they could be in my opinion. What we wanted to do with basement27 is shed light on diversity, especially because Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse generation and we are only going to get more diverse in the future.
Angie: When I went to BU, it was my first time living in the states, so it was a real kind of shock. I was involved with Asian Student Union, which works to raise API issues and awareness. I was working in that lens of shining lights on different voices of our generation, and basement27 aligned with that as well, trying to resonate more with our diverse generation and diverse set of friends.
Maura: I’m from Indonesia, and there aren’t a lot of Indonesians in the advertising classes in my year. Those moments of interactions of we have so many things similar, and not having to explain ourselves, not having to try to become anyone else — that’s how the chemistry probably came through. I was super glad that I found people who I connected with without trying. As an Indonesian, I was able to bring the things I learned back home and reframe them through this global perspective and experience this exchange of culture and stories.
Melissa: We don’t see many people like us in the industry — people of color, and especially women. Combining the two, there’s even less in the industry. Advertising is still very white male-oriented. What I’ve noticed is that a lot of men get more attention and traction for their creativity and ideas in the industry. Having that insight in us already is beneficial on our part and will become a great asset for ourselves. Being able to have that cultural identity as well pushed us to create something. I’ve always wanted to start a business, and now here we are! I love that we’re all Asian women, and we created something together.
What is your advice to those who aspire to make a name for themselves?
Maura: Never stop creating, because creativity is that muscle you will always go back to in the future.
Angie: Finding partners to improve yourself and your creative work is the key to getting better and better.
Melissa: There’s always a percentage of failure within every new venture, but getting over that and seeing the potential of its success is what is going to motivate you to keep going.
Pearl: It’s okay to fail, and you probably will fail, but keep pushing because the idea that you have will develop into something bigger and better. If you have an idea, take the plunge.
Head to basement27’s website and follow them on Instagram!
Reposted from medium.com/watercress
Weekly Recommendation
In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, here are 5 pieces of advice from Lisa Carmen Wang, head of brand at Republic and founder of The Confident Investor podcast.
1. Your health, your body, your sanity, and your space are the most sacred treasures. Protect them at all costs.
2. Pleasure does not need to come from pain. “Hustle harder” and “Win at all costs” are outdated masculine norms that powerful women do not need to adhere to.
3. You never need to justify how you feel. You’re not crazy, they just made you believe you are.
4. Let go of the guilt and shame. You are already doing more than enough.
5. The most important opinion is the one you hold about yourself. Give yourself the love you deserve.
That’s all for now!
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