Tag: TBWA\

New Zealand – Kiwi households are some of the worst food wasters in the world, tossing out a staggering $2.9 billion worth of food every year. That’s around three trolleys’ worth per household – much of it perfectly good but left to wilt, rot or get lost in the fridge abyss. But what if the food had something to say about it?

To highlight the need for better meal planning to stop food waste and help households save money, TBWA\NZ brought food waste to life – quite literally – by turning neglected ingredients into brutally honest food critics. 

Played by comedian Josh Thomson, these oversized, irate ingredients aren’t afraid to tell Kiwi families exactly what they think of their meal-planning skills (or lack thereof). There’s the floppy broccoli – a little past its prime and fuming about it. A grape that’s literally falling apart mid-monologue and a peeved pear with a bone to pick. 

These characters appear in the home of a well-meaning family during mealtime to promote a practical message: ‘do better meal planning’ – and ‘don’t forget your free meal planner!’

The three videos are paired with punchy print and OOH to drive the message home to all Kiwis: No one likes a bad review, but with Love Food Hate Waste’s new fool proof meal plan and simple steps, we can keep the Food Critics happy.

Juno Scott-Kelly, communications & marketing manager at Love Food Hate Waste, said, “We know that life can be unpredictable, unexpected events pop up, dealing with leftovers can feel like a challenge or you’re simply too tired to cook and opt for takeaways. By getting Kiwis to stay flexible and follow our meal planning steps, we believe we can help everyone in New Zealand to reduce their food waste and save time and money.”

Meanwhile, Shane Bradnick, chief creative officer at TBWA/NZ, commented, “We’re all guilty of buying food without a proper plan and end up throwing some away. Maybe an intervention from some angry broccoli, disgusted fruit and smelly salmon is exactly what we need to wake up and stop wasting food.”

Singapore – TBWA\Singapore, today announces several key promotions within its leadership team, reflecting the agency’s impressive growth and success. They include Chew Fung Wee to general manager, Loo Yong Ping as executive creative director, and Eleni Sardi as head of brand management.

Working closely with the agency leadership team led by Mandy Wong, president of TBWA\Singapore, Fung has played a pivotal role in the agency’s recent achievements. In her new role, Fung will oversee the onboarding of major new business wins and build new business streams to accelerate growth for the agency alongside Mandy Wong. In addition, Fung will oversee the BBDO operations in Singapore, which is part of the TBWA\Group in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Yong has been instrumental in defining what great work looks like across all his clients, and he continues to be the creative lead on the Singapore Airlines account, delivering great creativity across all touchpoints.

Lastly, with a proven track record in managing high-profile accounts such as Singapore Airlines and National Museum of Singapore, Eleni is responsible for further elevating client management and business growth for our clients.

These strategic promotions underscore the agency’s commitment to investing in its talent and strengthening its leadership team to drive further new business growth and innovation.

Mandy Wong, president of TBWA\Group Singapore comments, “We have come a long way in the last two years, and to get to where we are today takes resilience, commitment, talent and passion. And the promotions of Fung, Ping and Eleni are evidence that they each possess these qualities, and more.”

She added, “I’m proud of how each of them has excelled in their respective roles and are so very deserving of these new positions. Along with the wider leadership team, I am proud of what we have achieved together but above all I’m proud of the impact they’ve had on the culture of our agency.”

This announcement comes off the back of recent promotions of Abhinit Agarwal to executive strategy director, and Germaine Chen and Lauren Lim to creative directors. All three have proven themselves as strategic and creative leaders respectively, and their promotions reflect TBWA’s commitment to developing and rewarding great talent. 

New York, USA – Omnicom has unveiled the Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG), a new global entity that consolidates top creative networks BBDO, DDB, and TBWA with premier agencies from the Advertising Collective, including Goodby Silverstein & Partners, GSD&M, Merkley & Partners, and Zimmerman.

In an official announcement, Omnicom stated that uniting these agency brands under a single leadership will better meet clients’ demands for unprecedented creative solutions.

Under OAG, each agency will retain its distinct brand, culture, and team while benefiting from OAG’s collective investments in cutting-edge tools, technologies, specialist capabilities, and AI platforms. This framework aims to boost the agencies’ capacity for delivering world-class creativity, accelerate growth, and create expanded opportunities for the personal and professional development of their talent.

With the launch of OAG, Omnicom has also appointed TBWA CEO Troy Ruhanen as global CEO. Ruhanen will head the new global organisation alongside Deepthi Prakash, who has been named chief operating officer, and Denis Streiff, who takes on the role of global CFO.

Speaking on the launch, Ruhanen said, “OAG will make the best even better. One of the most exciting parts of this new division is that we can collectively invest in innovative offerings, such as Omnicom’s recent first-mover partnerships in GenAI.” 

“This will take our world-class creativity to the next level and keep our clients at the top of their industries. While we are excited to grow together, we will continue to celebrate and protect the uniqueness of each agency’s culture and entrepreneurship,” he continued. 

Within the agency networks, Nancy Reyes will serve as global CEO of BBDO, Alex Lubar will lead DDB as global CEO, Erin Riley will advance to CEO of TBWA\Worldwide from her previous role as CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day US, and James Fenton will remain the CEO of the Advertising Collective.

The leaders of the agency networks within OAG will report to Ruhanen. 

Omnicom clarified that existing clients will continue to be serviced by their current agencies and teams, now benefiting from the enhanced capabilities of the expanded group. These changes will be implemented on January 1, 2025.

John Wren, chairman and CEO of Omnicom, said, “Clients want best-in-class talent, innovation, and seamless delivery of creative services around the globe. OAG will deliver on that promise while allowing our agency cultures to remain strong and evolve through shared investments and best practices. With Troy at the helm of this new division, I’m confident our creative agencies and all our incredibly talented minds will continue to set the bar for the industry.”

OAG is the latest addition to Omnicom’s portfolio, which also includes Omnicom Media Group (OMG), Omnicom Health Group (OHG), Omnicom Precision Marketing Group (OPMG), and Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG). The organisation has been strategically aligning its agencies into specialised marketing disciplines to deepen service offerings and foster greater collaboration across the group.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – TBWA\Kuala Lumpur has partnered with Bask Bear on a daring endeavour – to rebrand their whole identity and launch a new mascot who brings life and meaning to their motto, ‘Taste the Confidence.’ 

With over 150 outlets across Malaysia and 500,000 app members, Bask Bear is as loved and accessible as the big players in the market, both online and offline. But they wanted to do something bold and distinctive to edge out the competition.

The rebrand was designed to reinforce the flavour and delight experienced in every bite and sip. Bask Bear needed a distinctive character to convey this message to the masses. And so, Brader BLE was born, drawing inspiration from the brand’s existing logo featuring the Malayan Sun Bear. 

Despite being the smallest species of bear, it has the longest tongue in the bear family and can stretch its tongue 20-25 centimetres long. This ability of its comically long tongue is one that exudes ultimate confidence. 

Starting with in-store murals and canvases of Brader BLE quotes, paired with retail packaging and in-store makeovers that taught customers how to B.L.E (Bite, Lick, Enjoy), Bask Bear set out to have as many eyeballs on the new campaign as possible. 

Launching it with a catchy music video featuring Brader BLE as the hero, Brader BLE defeats the enemy of confidence, “Fear”, with a twirl of his elastic tongue while twerking and dabbing to the beat.

Tay Kai Wei, head of brand at Bask Bear, said, “B.L.E is my eating ritual when I’m slurping and enjoying toasties and a good cup of coffee. It stands for ‘Bite, Lick, Enjoy’. Just three steps! Super easy to remember.” 

Singapore – TBWA, has announced today the appointment of Ellie Brocklehurst to chief marketing officer for Asia. This is a new role for the agency, a key member of the leadership team responsible for elevating the branding, communications and marketing efforts of the agency.

She was most recently the head of growth marketing at Wunderman Thompson/VML. During her four years at the agency, Ellie was responsible for the growth marketing & communications function across Asia, including lead-gen marketing initiatives, client events, media relations and thought leadership. 

Most recently, her scope included working with in-market leaders and client teams to identify key growth opportunities with APAC’s top clients. 

Prior to her Wunderman Thompson/VML stint, she was the regional communications lead for BBDO, leading all internal and external communications for Asia. During her time here, she also supported regional clients in their content efforts by offering her expertise and leadership on key accounts such as AIA and Hilton.

Brocklehurst has over 13 years’ experience working in leading PR and Marketing agencies, with nearly a decade spent in Singapore. In addition to her expertise in growth marketing and communications, her knowledge and understanding of the nuances across each market in the Region and the ability to leverage these is what makes her a great new addition to the regional leadership at TBWA. 

Speaking on her new role, Brocklehurst said, “TBWA has always been a creative powerhouse in Asia, and globally, and I feel incredibly privileged to be joining such a strong and successful agency. Being the Disruption® company, an agent for change for brave clients looking to grow and succeed, is a clear and very cool value proposition. I’m excited to dive right in and work with the team on a growth strategy that will take our clients and agency to great new heights.”

Meanwhile, Sean Donovan, TBWA\ President, Asia, comments, “As a means of achieving a greater share of the future for our clients, for the last few years we have migrated the way we work toward a more borderless mindset. The creation of a CMO role, and particularly Ellie’s appointment to it, gives us even better ability to leverage the power of the collective across Asia to bring Disruption® to life across the total brand experience for our clients.”

Beijing, China – BMW China has partnered with TBWA Juice Beijing and TBWA BOLT Shanghai for its latest ‘Project Jupiter’ campaign for the Lunar New Year that plays on the uncertainty felt by those born in the Year of the Dragon and the superstitions people follow during the festive season.

BMW China’s Project Jupiter is a 14-minute mockumentary that places in the spotlight the concept of ‘Ben Ming Nian’ or the belief that those born in the Year of the Dragon will have a time of uncertainty in 2024.

The mockumentary puts a funny spin on the idea that even BMW was born in the Year of the Dragon, having started its operation in 1916. In this case, the brand is also susceptible to ‘Ben Ming Nian’. However, Project Jupiter boldly embraces this predicament, not shying away from superstitions but embracing it to create good luck for everyone regardless of their zodiac year.

Project Jupiter joyfully captures the complexity of ancient traditions and superstitions. With the prominent belief that the red colour is used to ward off uncertainty and bring good luck, BMW goes to extreme lengths to stick with this tradition.

The company is seen transforming its global headquarters into the lucky colour red. The company even goes as far as ramping up their production of red BMWs while the employees and even customers are decked out in the auspicious colour.

The film also features four hero characters and other special guests like actors Jackson Yee and Yang Haoyu. 

Aside from the film, the campaign also included a film trailer, a bonus film, and film posters. To further support the red luck theory, red-themed Lunar New Year decoration kits and merchandising packs were developed for retail, dealers, and consumers to ensure the colour red was widespread.

Project Jupiter will run across cinema and online TV, in addition to social and digital media and dealership and retail channels.

Stéphane Koeppel, VP of brand management at BMW China, said, “Chinese culture is enshrined with fabulous insights, stories, and superstitions, and we’ve always prided ourselves on our ability to celebrate and connect BMW to this wonderfully rich culture. Leveraging the creative opportunity of our brand being born in the Year of the Dragon, this year’s campaign playfully continued our obsession to bring joyful surprise, sincerely wishing people good fortune and happiness in 2024.”

Speaking on the campaign, Ronnie Wu, chief creative officer at TBWA China, also shared, “The conundrum this Lunar New Year presented BMW was an exciting opportunity to navigate, while allowing us to continue to celebrate the brand’s deep respect for Chinese culture, tradition, and sharing joy.”

He added, “‘Project Jupiter’ is BMW’s mission to banish the superstitious uncertainty from ‘Ben Ming Nian’ by exploring solutions to avoid Jupiter’s influence. Fueled by engaging humour and special guest star appearances, the 14-minute film follows the mission led by four BMW engineers and scientists. After many attempts, they devised the Red Luck Theory, ending the uncertainty from ‘Ben Ming Nian’ forever.”

Singapore – TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the bespoke global creative agency dedicated to Apple, has announced the appointment of Terence Leong as its new executive creative director for the Southeast Asia region.

Leong brings with him 21 years of experience in innovation and a continuous pursuit for excellence. His unique mantra, ‘Let’s Make Epic Shxt’, embodies his commitment to transformative and pioneering work.

Prior to joining TBWA\Media Arts Lab, he has worked with several agencies, including Wieden + Kennedy Shanghai, JWT, R/GA, and AKQA Tokyo, and has collaborated with clients such as Nike, Google, and Sony.

In this newly created role, Leong will report to Brent Anderson, global chief creative officer at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, and will work in partnership with Michaela Futcher, managing director and head of strategy at TBWA\Media Arts Lab Asia Pacific.

Leong’s appointment underscores the creative agency’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovative storytelling and creativity.

Speaking on the appointment, Anderson said, “Terence’s creative vision resonates with our obsessive commitment to creativity. He is known for his determination to redefine what is possible and defy what’s expected. His leadership in Singapore and Southeast Asia will help establish our creative presence in the region.”

Also commenting on his new role, Leong shared, “I’m excited to be surrounded by really smart and passionate people who want to do the best work of their careers. I feel right at home. We’re ready to switch to the more dangerous gear and make work that people can’t ignore.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dating behaviors between Muslims have changed after the pandemic, with dwindling ‘meet-cutes’ and participants between the ages of 25 to 34 years old leaning on utilizing dating and matchmaking platforms, according to global creative agency, TBWA through its audience intelligence arm 65db Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia-based Muslim insights unit, Halal Wave.

Data from the report suggests that Muslim singles in Malaysia are increasingly harnessing the power of technology in their search for love with close to 77.8% of leveraging on matchmaking platforms such as Muzz, Salams, and BaitulJannah to search for potential partners.

However, the report highlights that the quest for marriage among Muslims is not without its challenges. As Muslims live and interact in a culturally diverse background, conversations concerning interfaith marriage are a significant topic of interest. Specifically 62.3% of respondents are concerned about marriage regulations between different faiths as well as conversion to Islam as part of interfaith marriage.

Other challenges presented were 20.6% of respondents citing lack of guidance as the second largest barrier as they are unsure whether their approach in forming an acquaintance is aligned with Islamic teachings, 3.9% of respondents citing language barriers as a challenge, 3.0% of respondents expressing fears of being scammed in online dating and matchmaking realms, and 2.6% of respondents being worried about mismatched intentions when it comes to marriage.

The report also garnered several results through the use of identifiers between Malaysian Muslims using online matchmaking, with the first one being the ‘8 Areas of Marriage Readiness’ which lists out spirituality, character, family consent and blessings, communication, financial and security, health, future home, and finally, the Nikkah/Wedding.”

In the areas of marriage readiness, the study also concurred three distinct personas representing varying levels of commitment. First, ‘Someday, InshaAllah’ individuals seek knowledge for marriage without a fixed timeline. Second, ‘One Day, InshaAllah’ individuals actively plan for a stable future and family. Lastly, ‘Today, InshaAllah’ individuals prioritize marriage with a focus on blessings over extravagance.

Nazirah Ashari, head of 65dB Kuala Lumpur, strategy director at Halal Wave, TBWA\Asia, said, Household management, financial planning, and cost-effective wedding planning are amongst the many services that businesses can offer for all three different segments of the marriage personas. Undeniably, there is a growing need for businesses to empower and support marriage-minded Muslims throughout their journey towards matrimony. Faith-friendly offerings customized to different life stages will certainly do well in this day and era.”

Meanwhile, Hui Tsin, Yee, chief executive officer of TBWA Group Malaysia, commented, This concerted effort to gather data demonstrates our proactive stance in crafting strategies that resonate within this thriving and diverse demographic.”

Asia Pacific – Social media app TikTok and international advertising agency TBWA have announced the release of a new joint whitepaper titled “Storytelling in the Next Creative Renaissance”, which encourages businesses to embrace the role of creativity and innovation in contemporary marketing. 

This key initiative by TikTok and TBWA aims to elevate industry standards and deliver insights that enable businesses to thrive amidst rapid changes in the digital landscape. 

The whitepaper highlights the significance and potency of everyday creativity by leveraging the power of the cultural zeitgeist (spirit of the time) through storytelling while exploring its various applications on and off TikTok. It provides an in-depth look at the crucial role creativity and innovation play in contemporary marketing strategies. 

The whitepaper also shared how brands that have broken away from ‘best practises’ are being rewarded by having discovered the possibilities on newer platforms. These brands are disrupting category conventions, capturing attention, creating on-going value, and gaining recognition.

Another thing highlighted in the whitepaper is the enormous potential for brands to influence across subcultures, as many of these subcultures already have global reach. As the brand’s relevance expands, so will the brands already connected to it.

Therefore, while there may be temptation for brands to hitch themselves to whichever niche has the greatest potential for growth, they should instead engage with subcultures that share their worldview. By joining these conversations authentically, brands now have a shortcut to word-of-mouth promotion. 

Furthermore, brands should harness the tech-enabled tools available to supercharge creative minds and tell stories at scale so executions can be upgraded quickly, giving assets new value or streamlining the creation of bespoke content. 

In line with this, TikTok has also developed and deployed a ‘Recut, Remix, Reimagine’, framework to foster creativity amongst brands and marketers on its platform. Under this framework, TikTok aims to encourage them to go beyond conventional marketing paradigms that will increase their creative output with the help of technology and also fine-tune it to align with targeted audiences and distinct subcultures. 

As the whitepaper emphasises, marketers who study digital platforms not only acquire valuable cultural insights but also position themselves to effectively benefit from marketing innovation.

As outlined by TikTok and TBWA in the whitepaper, we’re entering the era of the new creative Renaissance, where fostering meaningful connections is paramount. Rather than diminishing creative ideation due to budget constraints, brands and marketers should consider optimising other operational processes to reap the most from their marketing strategies.

Tessa Conrad, head of innovation at TBWA Asia, said, “What your brand stands for, what it offers people, and what it makes people feel, results in a community to connect and create with rather than just an audience to speak to.”

Meanwhile, Ng Chew Wee, head of business marketing for Asia Pacific at TikTok, said, “81% of our users take actions such as purchasing a product or seeking more information after watching a TikTok video. This suggests that brands creating relevant, engaging content have a genuine chance to directly influence consumer behaviour.” 

Hong Kong – TBWA\Hong Kong has announced key role elevations across its team. They include executive creative director Jerome Ooi as chief creative experience officer; business director Jan Lee as general manager; head of digital Anne Chan as head of growth and product; managing director Jan Cho as global head of product and delivery.

Under the leadership of Jan and the management team, TBWA\Hong Kong has been an innovation beacon across the global collective, successfully reshaping its capabilities from communications to brand experience through to innovation product offerings including the design and experience offering DxD, in-house film content studio BOLT, business consulting service Disruption® Consulting and more recently PLEX, a global product with a B2B focus.

Joanne Lao, chief executive officer, TBWA\Greater China: “It’s with great pride we’re in a position to announce the elevation of key members of our Hong Kong team who have been instrumental in driving the strategy to reshape our Hong Kong operation to create impact for our clients’ businesses, securing them a greater share of the future.”

She added, “The growth of our people has a direct correlation with the growth and success of our agency. The elevation of these roles reflects our determination to lead in creative brand experience, backed by a strong team with an unwavering commitment to innovation that delivers unique solutions for clients. These are well-deserved promotions with a highly talented team who have a strong and proven track record.”

Meanwhile, Sean Donovan, president at TBWA\Asia, commented, “It’s incredibly rewarding to witness not only the growth and adaptability of our Hong Kong operation, but the growth of our people who have been imperative in shaping our agency for the future by embracing and thriving through the disruptive challenges of the last few years.