Australia – Publicis Groupe ANZ has announced the launch of Le Truc, a new creative collective designed to handle multidisciplinary engagements beyond traditional advertising structures.
The collective will work in partnership with agencies across Publicis Groupe’s Australia and New Zealand operations.
Le Truc was originally established in New York as a centre of excellence integrating creativity, strategy, media, data and technology within a single model. The ANZ iteration aims to apply the same philosophy with a local focus.
The name Le Truc is derived from the French term for “the thingamajig,” reflecting the idea of concepts emerging from collaboration across diverse disciplines.
Andy Bird, founding partner and chief creative officer at Le Truc, said, “Le Truc was created to unlock possibilities that do not fit neatly into one discipline. And to break the model and give opportunities to creatives who don’t necessarily fit into a traditional agency department… hence our name Le Truc – ‘The Thingamajig’. ANZ has the talent, the clients and the ambition to take this model somewhere new.”
Le Truc ANZ will be led by Dave Bowman, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe ANZ, together with executive creative directors Katrina Alvarez-Jarratt and Iain Nealie.
Alvarez-Jarratt who has been recognised for work spanning innovation, behaviour change and digital craft, commented, “Clients want partners who can help them make category-defining moves. Le Truc is built to deliver that without the usual constraints.”
Nealie returns to Publicis Groupe after more than a decade at Google APAC, where he led regional innovation initiatives and worked on creative products and technology-enabled brand platforms. He said: “It’s great to be back. Le Truc offers the kind of opportunity creatives dream about. The speed of a startup, but with the talent and capabilities of the entire Groupe behind you.”
Bowman described Le Truc as an addition to the Groupe’s existing structure. “Le Truc is a shapeshifting creative collective that brings different thinkers together to solve problems requiring a new kind of approach. It adds firepower without stepping on toes and opens the door to new types of work.”
Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Groupe ANZ, added: “The shape of this collective will help Publicis Groupe ANZ unlock exponential creative opportunities for our clients and agency brands, giving us another format to bring creativity to our clients’ business challenges.”
According to the company, Le Truc ANZ will collaborate across Publicis Groupe agencies in the region to develop new forms of creative innovation and brand experiences aimed at advancing category standards and regional creative capabilities.
