Tag: DDB Group

Singapore – The Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY) is promoting harmony amidst diversity in its latest film series with advertising agency DDB Group Singapore.

As Singapore celebrates its 60th year of independence, MCCY’s campaign showcases the values uniting Singaporeans. It highlights multiculturalism and invites Singaporeans to maintain mutual understanding.

The three-part series captures conversations between Singaporeans, highlighting the country’s diversity. It shows how a Chinese and batik artist combine their skills to create art while two cooks blend Indian and Chinese cuisines to make a new dish.

The campaign emphasises how multiculturalism is an asset that needs to be preserved for future generations. It was launched on YouTube, complemented by assets on social media, broadcast TV, and radio.

Singapore is home to multiple races and religions, regarded as one of the most diverse populations in Asia. It is comprised of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, and Peranakan communities.

Jeff Cheong, CEO of DDB Group Singapore, said, “Throughout time, food, art, and music have served as powerful bridges, uniting diverse communities through a shared passion. As we celebrate our nation’s 60th anniversary, it is vital to cherish these intrinsic values that propel us forward as one. The campaign taps into these shared emotions to demonstrate we have so much more in common than we think and everything to gain from working and playing together.”

Hong Kong – McDonald’s Hong Kong has partnered with DDB Group Hong Kong to launch a nostalgic 50th-anniversary campaign, featuring the iconic Ronald McDonald benches popping up at 50 locations citywide, kicking off a year-long celebration of the brand’s enduring legacy.

As part of the campaign, DDB Group HK and McDonald’s HK have launched a citywide treasure hunt spotlighting 50 beloved Ronald McDonald benches. The hunt extends online via social media and the McDonald’s app, where participants can scan QR codes at each bench to register their finds and unlock fun facts, along with access to over 500,000 giveaways, including menu items and downloadable digital assets.

The treasure hunt’s grand prize offers a free Big Mac meal every day for a year, awarded to the first 50 participants who successfully collect all 50 stamps.

Additionally, a video featuring Softhard, the iconic Hong Kong rap duo associated with McDonald’s in the early 90s, showcases the pair placing benches in iconic locations across the city, serving as a captivating invitation for Hongkongers to join the treasure hunt. Complementing this, eight shorter videos will be released daily during the first week of the year, each spotlighting the historical significance of these locations while promoting a special daily value menu offer for customers.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, beloved McDonald’s characters like Grimace, Birdie, and Hamburglar will also make a grand return, appearing prominently across major outdoor media throughout the city. Adding to the festivities, a special Star Ferry wrapped in the campaign’s iconic imagery offered free rides to all passengers on the launch day, further amplifying the celebratory spirit.

Speaking on the campaign, Tina Chao, chief marketing and digital experience officer, said, “We are so excited to be celebrating 50 years in Hong Kong in a way that we hope will provide both some comfort of the past and optimism for the future. The fun treasure hunt will be a great way to kickstart our celebration. I’m really looking forward to everyone experiencing what we have planned for further festivities; it’s going to be a fantastic year!”

Andreas Krasser, CEO at DDB Group Hong Kong, added, “This is a very important milestone for one of Hong Kong’s most beloved brands, and we wanted to do something that really connected emotionally with customers. We know from social listening that for many Hong Kongers, the Ronald McDonald bench is somewhat like a time machine, allowing them to walk down memory lane. So, it was a no-brainer to start the 50th anniversary celebration with the bench.”

The Ronald McDonald bench, a globally recognised icon, embodies the cherished familiarity McDonald’s holds in the hearts of its customers. The treasure hunt and anniversary launch campaign will run until February 5th, spanning outdoor, TVC, print, in-store, social, and online media. 

Australia – DDB Group has elevated DDB Melbourne managing director Mike Napolitano to the position of Melbourne Group CEO as the agency continues its growth trajectory.

In his elevated role, Napolitano will continue to be responsible for leading the DDB Group in Melbourne, including brands DDB, Tribal, Rapp, and Mango. 

Napolitano joined DDB Melbourne in 2020 as group managing director. He brings with him more than 23 years of experience in brand and marketing communications. 

During his time leading DDB Group Melbourne, Napolitano has led a transformation of the agency and the refocusing of the business on a strong creative agenda. Under his term, the agency bagged new client wins, including Coles, New Balance, Dulux, Movember, and multiple government accounts. 

He has also attracted top talents like group executive creative director Psembi Kinstan, head of planning Matt Pearce, head of DDB Group experience Ella Ward, and chief operating officer Tristan Alexander to the agency’s leadership team. 

Prior to DDB, he served as the managing director of TBWA Melbourne and has also worked in leadership roles at George Patterson Y&R. 

Napolitano’s promotion follows the appointment this month of Khia Croy as DDB Melbourne’s new general manager, as the agency continues to enjoy strong growth across new clients. 

Andrew Little, President and CEO of DDB Australia and New Zealand, said, “Having spent so much of my career at DDB Melbourne, I am incredibly proud of Mike and the whole team for what they have achieved in the last few years. Mike is a brilliant leader who not only runs the Melbourne Group businesses but also contributes significantly to our other leaders and businesses across the region. This is a very popular decision and is most deserved.” 

Commenting on his promotion, Napolitano also shared, “It’s a great privilege to lead this amazing team in Melbourne. We’ve all worked hard on making the experience of being here at DDB Group Melbourne one of the best in the industry, and that’s true for our people and our clients. There is still so much potential in our team, and I’m excited and committed to working with the hugely talented leadership group to grow people’s careers and grow our clients’ brands through the creative power of our business. I truly have one of the best jobs in the industry.” 

Napolitano will report to Little, and his appointment is effective immediately. 

New York, USA – Advertising holding company Omnicom has announced the promotions of Alex Lubar as new global CEO of DDB Worldwide and Glen Lomas as global president and chief operating officer of DDB Worldwide.

Prior to his elevation, Lubar was appointed president and COO of DDB Worldwide in October 2022 after spending 10 years at McCann.

He served several regional leadership roles in his time, including being president of McCann North America, head of McCann’s Asia Pacific region, and CEO of McCann London.

Lubar will succeed the current global CEO, Marty O’Halloran, who will continue as chairman. O’Halloran has been a leader within the DDB network for close to four decades and took over the role of global CEO in 2020.

On the other hand, Lomas was based in London and served as CEO at DDB EMEA before his promotion. He brings with him a strong client experience, building successful client teams across geographies while creating an environment where creativity and effectiveness flourish across the network.

John Wren, chairman and CEO at Omnicom, said, “We are pleased to announce these changes as DDB has reclaimed its title of being one of the top creative agencies in the world, including 2023 Cannes Network of the Year.”

“Marty’s dedication to DDB has made him an integral part of the network’s culture and operations, and we thank him for his strong leadership during the past four years as CEO. With extensive global leadership credentials within the industry, we are confident that Alex, supported by Glen, will continue to elevate the network and build upon its legacy of creative excellence,” he added.

Also speaking on the promotion, O’Halloran said, “It has been my honour to lead DDB over the past 4 years. The talent across our regions is incredible, and together we’ve been able to produce work that has achieved transformative results for our clients and has been awarded as some of the best creativity in the world. As part of this orchestrated succession plan, there is no doubt in my mind that Alex will continue to lead the DDB network to new heights. I look forward to working in a chairman’s capacity with Alex and Glen as they partner in leading the way forward with their global leadership team.”

Meanwhile, in his new role, Lubar shared, “Since its inception, DDB has unlocked the power of human emotion to make millions of different people change how they behave, feel, and transact with brands and businesses around the world. We believe that creativity, in all its modern forms, has the power to profoundly transform our clients’ businesses. I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead Bill Bernbach’s legacy into the future with such a talented global staff and leadership team who all share the same vision.”

Lomas, on his appointment, also added, “It has always been a privilege to work at DDB, and it is a great honour to take on this role. DDB has always been where brilliant, unpretentious people turn up each day to apply their creativity to solving problems. The problems and solutions change, but the culture doesn’t. I love what this network is capable of when it comes together, as demonstrated this year at Cannes, and Alex and I are here to ensure that spirit continues and the network keeps evolving to attract the most ambitious talent and clients.”

Singapore – Global automobile brand Audi in Singapore has appointed DDB Group Singapore as its agency of record for three years.

The agency is tasked with bolstering customer loyalty and awareness of the German car brand’s product range across all marketing channels, with a specific focus on social media.

With electrification underscoring the future of Audi in Singapore, DDB Singapore will also support the communication roll-out of the car manufacturer’s road map in the country. 

Rudi Venter, head of marketing at Audi Singapore said, “We are very pleased to forge this new partnership with DDB Singapore. The DDB team has shown that they understand the spirit of Audi, or as we call it ‘Living Progress’. We are confident of our choice of partner and look forward to the exciting journey ahead.”

Meanwhile, Neel Chhaya, managing partner at DDB Singapore, commented, “It is an honour to be able to work on one of the most leading and desirable car brands in Singapore. Throughout the process, our goal was to align the brand locally without losing sight of the big picture globally. Above all else, we set out to prove our team’s tenacity, commitment, and complete understanding of the brand’s DNA.”

Chhaya added, “The DDB team’s hunger, passion and devotion are testament to our belief that creativity is still the most powerful force in our business. We look forward to getting our engines started with Audi.”

India — Stabilo Boss and DDB continue their highly-awarded ‘Highlight the Remarkable’ campaign by featuring one of their own – DDB’s first copy chief Phyllis Robinson whose legacy and trailblazing spirit lives through employees everywhere today.

The campaign tells the story of Phyllis Robinson, a remarkable woman who pioneered a number of things, not only for women but for the creative advertising revolution that she helped ignite in the 1940s. Being one of the founding employees of Doyle Dane Bernbach back in 1949, the agency’s first copy chief and the first female copy chief in the United States, her ideas changed the creative industry forever.

Another such story of Robinson’s triumph is her strength during a time when men dominated the industry. While DDB founder Bill Bernbach is often credited for sparking the creative revolution, it was Robinson whose influence and contributions created DDB’s iconic works in Orbach’s, Volkswagen and Polaroid.

This year’s International Women’s Day, Stabilo Boss and DDB rightfully gives Phyllis Robinson her flowers and commemorate her spirit by continuing to ignite the empowerment of women in the workforce and their trailblazing contribution.

Roisin Rooney, chief people officer of DDB Global, said, “We’ve all heard the phrase, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” Throughout history, women have been upstaged, their actions and successes overshadowed by the men that surround them. We’re proud to partner with Stabilo Boss, using the campaign concept created by DDB Group Germany, to highlight further Phyllis’ impact on not only DDB but the advertising industry today.”

Vanaja Pillai, the project lead of the Phyllis India Project from DDB Mudra Group, says that what better way to celebrate Phyllis and her work than to create an environment that instils her spirit and her fearlessness on the ground? Pillai adds that it has been an exhilarating journey for us in India as we saw the creation and execution of the Phyllis India Project in the last two years.

“We have had a good representation of women in advertising for over a decade now, but that hasn’t translated to an equal representation in leadership. Inspired by icons like Phyllis Robinson, our efforts in the program were directed towards making sure that there are many more women who are enabled and empowered to rise to leadership, successfully. In fact, this International Women’s Day we are celebrating our first batch of graduates from this intense program, and we are so proud of them!” Pillai said.

The campaign is supported by a worldwide social campaign featuring the female leaders of the DDB network sharing what #BreakTheBias means to them.

Created by DDB Germany, the Stabilo Boss campaign has been widely celebrated with the initial campaign platform created in 2019 highlighting three remarkable women in NASA: mathematician Katherine Johnson, US First Lady Edith Wilson, and Austrian-Sweden physicist Meitner.

Auckland, New Zealand – Global advertising agency DDB has recently unveiled its latest brand positioning in demonstrating its mantra of ‘unexpected works’. The catch? The campaign is launched via a billboard which is placed on an isolated sheep farm in New Zealand.

The billboard is located in the small town of Garston, where the human population is about 100 and the sheep population amounting to about 40,000. The billboard features the web address www.unexpectedworks.com, which leads users to the homepage of DDB toshowcasesome of their best-known campaigns globally.

Despite the ‘antithetical’ nature of the campaign launch, DDB aims to drive the message of creativity as being the most powerful when it is unexpected. This is evident in the rich plethora of campaigns the agency has worked with, from creating a broadway musical for their client Skittles, to working alongside Reporters Without Borders and sandbox game Minecraft to creating a censor-free library for journalists.

“We took this opportunity to evolve the DDB Network and refine what makes us special, relevant, and successful in this new world. Unexpected Works is our commitment to doing the best work of our lives and I’m confident it will carry us into the future while staying committed to our legacy. I’m excited to see our network come together to bring Unexpected Works to life,” said Marty O’Halloran, CEO at DDB Worldwide.

Meanwhile, Ari Weiss, chief creative officer at DDB Worldwide, commented that the formula for creating breakthrough creative work that drives business results is timeless.

“It’s how we bring that formula to life that changes on a daily basis. We’re not reinventing the wheel here. We’re simply putting more focused language around a truth that anyone who has ever worked at DDB can feel in their bones: Unexpected Works,” Weiss added.

The campaign was first unveiled to DDB Worldwide’s 10,000-strong staff around the world during their first-ever all-staff conference held virtually.

For Aditya Kanthy, CEO and MD at DDB Mudra Group, the term ‘Unexpected Works’ is not just merely a tagline but rather a promise to their clients, culture, and colleagues in a world that has been altered by the pandemic.

“Two words that mean, the best idea is the one you never saw coming and is effective. So, whether it’s a billboard in the middle of a sheep paddock in New Zealand or work like Stayfree’s Project Free Period which triggered conversations at scale around two taboo topics – sex work and menstruation, creativity is most powerful when it’s unexpected,” Kanthy concluded.

Australia – DDB Group’s interactive agency Tribal Australia has recently appointed Colin Jowell, former director of innovation agency KPMG UDKU in Australia, to be its first-ever chief strategy officer, to strengthen the agency’s strategic capabilities and credentials. 

Jowell brings with him over 20 years of experience in the industry. He has previously worked in management consulting firm KPMG in 2018 following its acquisition of UDKU, an innovation agency he co-founded in 2013. UDKU is one of the early pioneers of brand-led customer experience design, notably launching Airtasker in its first major campaign, 

Jowell has also led the strategy department at media company M&C Saatchi for several years in South Africa, Malaysia, and Australia. He has also worked with blue-chip clients, such as health insurance agency Medibank, financial services companies AMP and Commonwealth Bank, and The Star and David Jones on CX innovation projects

Commenting on his appointment, Jowell said, “I’ve been a long-time admirer of the DDB group – their work, their talented people, and most importantly, their culture. Tribal has been behind some of the best recent examples of brands that not only deliver their promise through customer experience but deliver exceptional commercial results for their clients. To join an agency as they are expanding their already impressive track record of growth, creativity and impact are incredibly exciting.” 

Meanwhile, David Rennie, the managing director of Tribal Australia, also shared, “Tribal has gone through enormous change over the last couple of years. We’re focused on creativity, and we have some stellar work to show for it. Now, as we get closer to our partners and solve further upstream, we are adding serious credentials to our strategic offering. Colin brings a wealth of brand and experience knowledge, and will be the key to unlocking Total Experience in Australia and the Asia Pacific.”

The agency has also announced that it has turned its attention to rolling out a new global delivery model this year, known as Total Experience, which is made up of five expert practices that can stand apart or snap together, including customer experience, spark innovation, and technical engineering, as well as create, and business consultancy.