BBDO changes its positioning—behind the strategy and new mantra

BBDO’s mantra for three decades has been “The Work. The Work. The Work.” But today’s marketing requires far more than creatively executing a brief—it must also solve clients’ problems. So, the Omnicom Group agency’s Global CEO Nancy Reyes and BBDO America’s Chief Creative Officer Chris Beresford-Hill have adopted a broader positioning for the agency: “Do Big Things,” which debuted on the agency’s refreshed website today. The goal, Reyes said, is to emphasize more than just outputs in how BBDO presents itself to clients and its 7,000 global employees—and to show that the agency’s “big thinking” extends beyond final campaigns. That thinking, she added, can help shape client outcomes through consulting, strategy, brand partnerships or other ways. “We don’t want to just focus on output,” Beresford-Hill said. “There’s just a lot more action besides that final output, and we have to draw attention to it and establish the value of it.” The shift comes as Omnicom prepares to buy and merge Interpublic Group of Cos., and as agencies within those holding companies jockey for a prominent place in the larger entity. The move marks the first public-facing shift since Reyes and Beresford-Hill joined the shop last year. Beresford-Hill called it an evolution of the original mantra, coined by ad legend Phil Dusenberry. “It was always about what consumers see. It was always about the stuff that was driving business,” he said. “But today [that positioning indicates] we’re talking about work that comes at the end, and we deliver so much more.” The agency’s logo has not changed, but its website will assume a new visual identity created by a team led by Fabiano Tatu, head of art and design at BBDO LA. Reyes and Beresford-Hill also worked with a team that included BBDO New York’s Chief Strategy Officer Emily Portnoy and Matt Miller, who serves as the chief creative officer of BBDO LA and Dallas and of Omnicom's AT&T business. Eliminating a ‘safe’ mindset Since starting their respective roles last year, Reyes and Beresford-Hill spent time learning more about BBDO. The two found that the shop was approaching work in a “safe” way, said Reyes, who wants this positioning to bring back a more creative business problem-solving mindset that was once prevalent throughout the agency. Beresford-Hill pointed to recent campaigns that reflect its new positioning, including Pedigree’s AI-powered “Adoptable” out-of-home ads for shelter dogs, AT&T’s “Sleep with Rain” featuring “The Office” cast and Pepsi’s “Pepsi Chase Cars.” Along with the new positioning, BBDO will be disseminating a new way of working internally meant to help “people think about briefs a bit differently,” Reyes said. “Part of what we’re helping to train people on, is that when you get a problem from a client, just make sure we’re solving the problem that is most important to that client's business, not just the problem that is on a piece of paper ... and have fun with that,” Reyes said. Ad Age Small Agency Awards Showcase your agency’s creativity, business success and commitment to a thriving workplace. Enter today Industry insecurity Both executives believe the “safe” mindset stems from a deep-seated insecurity within the industry. “It feels like advertising is scurrying around and trying to invent new products or redefine what we do, or invent capabilities that are not really in our core competency,” said Beresford-Hill. But “the safety to do the best thing possible is going to be our competitive advantage.” “More than anything, [the new positioning] is about being proud of the fact that we're a fucking advertising agency,” added Reyes, referring to the trend of shops steering away from using the word “agency” when marketing their businesses. “Whoever decided that advertising is just about a TV spot or content never understood advertising to begin with."

BBDO changes its positioning—behind the strategy and new mantra

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