How Ogilvy’s borderless creativity approach powered global growth

In its head-turning 2024 Super Bowl ad, Verizon leaned on the star power of Beyoncé to make the case that its 5G network is unbreakable. When it comes to agency networks, Ogilvy, which created the spot, is more durable than most. Behind its “borderless creativity” philosophy, Ogilvy has effectively broken down barriers between its 131 offices in 93 countries and multiple practice areas to emerge as one of the most consistent performers inside WPP. Ogilvy grew revenue last year, according to WPP’s recently released full-year results, bucking sluggish growth trends afflicting other creative agencies. While Ogilvy did not reveal specific figures, WPP CEO Mark Read has repeatedly heaped praise on the agency, including during a third-quarter earnings call last October when he cited Ogilvy’s “creative rejuvenation” as sparking what he described at the time as 3% to 4% growth. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Agency A-List winners here Indeed, Ogilvy—which was named Ad Age’s Comeback Agency of the Year for its 2022 work—hit its stride in 2023. The Verizon account epitomizes the growth story. Ogilvy snagged the telecom giant’s business-to-business account in late 2022—and just nine months later it added Verizon’s consumer business, wrestling it from Interpublic’s McCann in one of the biggest wins of the year. Multiple teams collaborated on the pitch, spanning specialties such as advertising, consulting, customer experience and influencer marketing, an example of how Ogilvy has gotten its people to work together to win big. “You cannot underestimate the power when 15,000 people are all marching to the same beat,” said Ogilvy Global CEO Devika Bulchandani, who has prioritized what she described as the network’s “foundations,” including putting “an intense focus” on its creative product. Ad Age A-List and Creativity Gala Buy your ticket to the in-person event Click here Verizon Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland in a statement said Ogilvy has “a deep understanding of our business and they've been relentlessly bold, strategic, creative and courageous. Our Super Bowl rollout was an amazing manifestation of who they are and the power of what we can do together.” Ogilvy has boosted creative collaboration with activities such as a weekly Tuesday video meeting that brings together Ogilvy creative leaders from across the globe. “We find out then what big projects are going on, where help is needed,” said Global Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor, including how to corral resources from multiple regions to seize on client opportunities. While its work on Verizon is just getting going, Ogilvy has enjoyed sustained momentum on the Coca-Cola Co. account, emerging as a leading contributor in WPP’s Coke-dedicated unit called Open X that was formed in 2021, with the beverage giant now ranking as a top-three client by revenue for Ogilvy. Ogilvy also continues to churn out winning work for its long-running Dove client, finding new ways to communicate the Unilever brand’s Real Beauty platform. A campaign debuting in August called “The Cost of Beauty” chronicled how a girl struggled through a life-threatening eating disorder spurred on by social media influencers. The effort—designed to support the Kids Online Safety Act—became Dove’s highest organically viewed film of all time, while netting media coverage leading to 2.5 billion impressions, according to the agency. For Ikea, Ogilvy used talent from its David Madrid and Ingo Hamburg offices to make a subtle, yet emotionally provocative appeal in a campaign that positioned the furniture maker’s baby products as “second best” to mom and dad, including showing mom winning out over a crib when it comes to comfort. Crafted with a limited budget, the effort generated $235 million in earned media, while boosting traffic to Ikea’s Children’s Collection web page by 37%, according to the agency—results that should have the client sleeping well at night. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Agency A-List winners here

How Ogilvy’s borderless creativity approach powered global growth

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