Disruption gets
recognized

TBWA’s Global CEO Erin Riley affirms the relevance of the agency’s disruption mantra during turbulent times, leveraging their 50-year playbook to instill confidence in clients and employees. Additionally, TBWA’s Global Chief Strategy Officer Jen Costello highlights the high cost of playing it safe, further advocating for disruptive and distinctive branding amidst AI-induced cultural homogenization, as seen in impactful campaigns like Levi’s reimagined through Beyoncé’s narrative lens.

For decades, creative disciplines have been siloed, and even in 2025, the conversation continues about the need to break down these barriers. ​​In the spirit of killing boring and embracing intersectionality, TBWA’s Global Chief Creative Experience Officer Ben Williams shares with Ad Age five ways to disrupt the traditional creative department format.

TBWA has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s 2025 Most Innovative Companies, marking the sixth time the agency has received this honor since 2018.

Cultural relevance is crucial for brands, as highlighted by the Edges report from TBWA. One of the main trends identified in the report is the concept of culture rot, where content and culture are often mistaken for each other. Content typically recycles existing ideas, whereas culture has greater influence and impact. Chief Strategy Officer Jen Costello emphasizes one of her main concerns with culture rot, stating, ““Brands and creators are churning out this endless stream of stuff, much of which isn’t actually landing, making a difference, or shifting how people are actually living in the real world.”

Ben Williams, the Global Chief Creative Experience Officer at TBWA\Worldwide, shares his perspectives on four advertising campaigns that have profoundly influenced him. Highlighting Apple’s witty humor and Adidas’ courageous storytelling, Williams explores the unique elements that distinguish these campaigns and how they have shaped his approach to creative work.

Chief Innovation Officer Luke Eid discusses why the consumer electronics show highlighted how AI can bridge the trust gap, and what that tells us about a sustainable path to growth for brands “I think the best companies at CES weren’t just showcasing AI this year – they were demonstrating how it can empower rather than control”

TBWA\RAAD CEO, Reda Raad discusses vital lessons learned throughout his career. One of the most important lessons? Trust. “Every great relationship-whether with clients, colleagues or partners – depends on trust.”

Instacart’s Super Bowl ad, “We’re Here,” brought to life by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA features iconic mascots like Mountain Dew’s Puppy Monkey Baby and Cheetos’ Chester Cheetah, illustrating the care and efficiency Instacart provides in every order. Showcasing their tech-driven platform with over 600,000 shoppers, the campaign highlights Instacart’s ability to deliver groceries from 85,000 locations in as fast as 30 minutes, supported by pre-game promotions and special deliveries.

CES gives us a glimpse into the future of technology. NEXT, TBWA’s global innovation practice, deciphered all the signals coming out of CES. From the convergence of AI, and how AI is becoming more physical, to playful robotics and updates in XR and ambient interfaces.

In the latest “Shot on iPhone” campaign, TBWA\Media Arts Lab teamed up with Oscar-winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt to create a nostalgic ’90s love story, “I Made a Mixtape For You.” This enchanting film celebrates Chinese New Year and continues Apple’s tradition of honoring family-centric narratives and Chinese culture.

Demonstrating breadth and depth, TBWA Is Adweek’s Global Agency of the Year for the fourth time since 2018..

Backslash, 180 Luxe, and TBWA\CULT have launched the “Future of Luxury” report, providing insights into maintaining luxury brand relevance amidst changing market dynamics. The report explores three key shifts: Contemporary Craftsmanship, Fantasy Machines, and Limitless Luxury.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Wham’s “Last Christmas,” TBWA\NEBOKO recreated iconic scenes from the original music video for Albert Heijn’s ad campaign, featuring a cameo by Andrew Ridgeley and a new character, a disgruntled hamster.

Apple’s 2024 holiday film “Heartstrings” is a touching story about a father with hearing loss reconnecting with his daughter’s music through AirPods Pro 2’s groundbreaking Hearing Aid feature.

Starbucks has unveiled their holiday campaign in collaboration with TBWA\London. The spot, titled “Drink In, Breathe Out” reminds customers amidst the busyness of the festive season, it’s important to take time for yourself and savor the simple pleasures.

Media Arts Lab Director of Interactive Strategy, Kim Jimenez highlights how augmented reality is evolving into a blend of physical and digital worlds, spurred by brand campaigns that challenge perceptions of reality. Her insights underline how AR is shaping experiences that engage consumers through creative experimentation.

Fe Navilli, Creative Director at dotdotdash discusses their latest work for PDX, Extraordinary Windows.

Aliah Berman, TBWA\Worldwide’s Global Chief Diversity Officer, has been named to Women We Admire’s Top 50 Women Leaders of Milwaukee list for 2024. Aliah drives TBWA’s DEI efforts, shaping strategy and fostering a culture of accountability across the organization.

TBWA\MCR has partnered with Fighting Knife Crime London to unveil ‘More Cuts Lead to More Cuts’. The initiative features three haunting posters that starkly highlight the devastating consequences of cutting essential services like youth clubs, mental health support, and local policing.

With resources stretched thin, junior employees are feeling the heat, taking on more responsibilities and clamoring for better training from their managers. TBWA\Worldwide’s Executive Coach, Rob Schwartz, advises creatives to share a mission for the agency: “We’re going to make work that’s going to be famous, or whatever your mission is going to be; have a mission and tell people. It’s not about you personally, it’s about us on a new mission.”

TBWA\Worldwide’s Global Chief Creative Experience Officer, Ben Williams, has a bold theory about creatives in 2024: they fall into two camps—the dazzling storytellers and the meticulous designers. Ben’s mission? To unite these two tribes, fostering collaboration and sparking innovation.

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris has launched its first campaign for Savanna Premium Cider. Titled ‘It’s Giving Whisky’, the spot playfully pokes fun at whisky tropes and encourages viewers to drink the brand’s crisp and dry whisky flavored cider.

TBWA\Chiat\Day LA has launched its newest brand campaign for Levi’s featuring none other than global icon, Beyonce. Drawing inspiration from her hit song, “LEVII’S JEANS”, the spot aims to affirm the brand’s enduring place at the center of culture.

Inspired by the legacy of the Levi’s brand and one of the most influential figures of modern culture, “Reiimagine” will reinterpret several of the brand’s iconic advertisements, starting with the singer’s gender-flipped take on the 1985 spot “Launderette.”

In TBWA\Media Arts Lab’s latest spot for Apple, Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actress Bella Ramsey stars in a trio of ads, highlighting Apple’s new artificial intelligence tools as solutions to avoid awkward situations. The cutting-edge tools work seamlessly across apps to generate movies, search photos and videos, clean up images, transcribe audio, and prioritize emails.

Pitching demands can send marketers and procurement teams into a streamlining and cost-cutting frenzy. TBWA\Worldwide’s Deepthi Prakash, shares four ways to optimize a process filled with contradictions.

TBWA\Sydney’s new campaign, ‘It Has to Be Heinz,’ showcases just how far the average person would go to savor every last drop of Heinz ketchup. This comical ad, dedicated to loyal consumers, launches nationwide. The campaign features large format OOH in prime locations, with creative elements tailored to engage consumers right where they are. This includes custom transit ads in metro areas and platform-specific social media executions on Meta and TikTok to garner attention.

Bruno Regalo, TBWA\Worldwide’s Global Chief Design Officer, sits down with Little Black Book to dive into the world of design. Reflecting on his passion, Bruno remarked, “Design always walks the line between being informative and persuasive, and in the right hands, it has the power to do good—unifying communities, educating people on important issues, and inspiring positive change.

Erin Riley has climbed the ladder at TBWA over the last eight years, and now she has risen to the top role as global chief executive officer. It’s a promotion that will allow the collective to continue its role as an industry disruptor. Riley’s elevation from U.S. CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day is part of a new global leadership team for 2025. Erwan Guillou, currently TBWA\Chiat\Day U.S. CFO and global chief pricing officer, has been appointed as global CFO.

Modibodi and Fabric\TBWA have partnered to dispel the common menstruation myth about swimming during your period. Titled “Fear Not”, the campaign shows the leak-proof efficiency of the Modibodi swimsuit as a freediver swims with 5-meter tiger sharks…while on her cycle.

TBWA\NZ is helping bring old school justice to modern day scams in a new campaign for Age Concern New Zealand, a charity dedicated to promoting the care, well-being, and security of older people. The spot reimagines famed 1980s cop drama CHiPs to educate elderly people about the growing threat of scams.

Fast Company Middle East talked to some of the winning agencies from its ‘Most Innovative Companies’ list to understand their success, what innovation means, and identify their primary drivers. According to Romy Abdelnour, Head of Communications at TBWA\RAAD, to be successful you need to stay updated with cultural trends and technology advancements. “Innovation is about predicting trends, aligning with cultural shifts, and ensuring our brands are relevant in this ever-evolving landscape.”

Fresh from taking up the role as Chief Client Officer, Mai reflects on how tech-savvy brands are winning in digital spaces. “The reach that a brand can have has multiplied. Now, by leveraging technology, a retail brand without a physical store can have a global reach. And now, leveraging technology, that same brand can engage customers in much richer and much more meaningful ways. They can provide their customers with the ability to create communities.”

Apple has launched its debut Mac students campaign in collaboration with TBWA\Media Arts Lab Shanghai. The new spot highlights three of the most popular Gen-Z creators demonstrating Mac-exclusive features. The film, shot entirely on the iPhone 15, seeks to inspire Gen-Z to pursue their own dreams and aspirations.

Nissan’s ‘Whole New Thrill’ campaign created by Juniper Park\TBWA is a window into how the brand makes the Canadian driving experience more thrilling.

Four’N Twenty has partnered with TBWA\Melbourne to launch a new national campaign to mark its sponsorship of the Australian Olympic Team. Titled ‘Running On Paris Time’, the campaign aims to extend the pie brand’s reach beyond Australia.

Rhonda George-Denniston, Chief Learning & Development Officer at TBWA\Worldwide talks authenticity, empathy and why it’s OK for leaders not to know all the answers.

TBWA\Chiat\Day’s Associate Creative Director and Copywriter, Kristi Lira, emphasizes the importance of creating more inclusive environments and ensuring representation, not only in advertisements but also within teams.

Yong Ping, ECD of TBWA\Singapore shares why creativity needs to be believed in, encouraged, and applied. “Creativity is a lifestyle, mindset, freedom of imagination, it’s constantly being inspired, open to new influences, being a sponge to culture and what’s happening around you.”

Collective AI is the doorway to all the AI tools available to TBWA employees and clients. It includes custom AI applications, uses TBWA’s extensive archives, and is powered by Omni’s first-mover, partnerships negotiated with Adobe, Microsoft, Google, DALL-E and more.

Sports were a hot topic at Cannes this year, and Ben Williams, Global Chief Creative Experience Officer at TBWA\Worldwide was in the midst of the conversation. Sitting on the Entertainment Lions for Sport jury, Ben saw firsthand the influx of creative work fueled by sport and culture, and he shared his key takeaways with Ad Age.

TBWA\Chiat\Day NY is charged with elevating Carnival’s brand platform to create a distinctive and disruptive position for the brand with a plan for growth.

In an effort to combat household food waste, Love Food Hate Waste NZ teamed up with TBWA\New Zealand to help bring much needed attention to the issue.

LG and TBWA\Chiat\Day NY have launched ‘Optimism your feed’, which aims to help users bring more optimism to their social media experience.

TBWA\Chiat\Day LA has launched a new campaign titled ‘It Hasn’t Changed’, bringing back the tagline “Is it in you?”. Narrated by Michael Jordan, the spot brings back the brand’s classic black and white aesthetic with images of athletes highlighted with colorful Gatorade-colored sweat.

Brandon Thorton, Executive Strategy Director at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA on the power of authentic storytelling in sports marketing.

TBWA\RAAD Managing Director, Dan Leach, on the agency’s strategic expansion to serve as a central hub for both local and global brands.

Paul Bradbury, President and CEO of TBWA\Australia & TBWA\New Zealand dives into the importance of creative inspiration, crafting meaningful work and the necessity of innovation.

Max Reed, Creative Director at Eleven and TBWA\Melbourne, on Beyoncé’s new country album, Cowboy Carter, and what the advertising industry can learn from its creative risk and innovative push towards another genre.

Meet Iruyo: the AI-powered toy that connects you with your baby in the back seat.

Global Strategist at NEXT, Kelvin Chong, chats with Advertising Council Australia about his role with NEXT, experience at AdSchool and his growth as a strategist with TBWA.

TBWA\NZ’s latest campaign for 2degrees supports the brand’s Super Rugby Aupiki sponsorship. Collaborating with Sky and TikTok, it’s the first time a sporting final has been shot vertically and broadcast on TikTok, bringing a wholly unique experience to the platform.

There’s not a golden arch in sight, but you’ll know this is a McDonald’s billboard when you smell it… TBWA\NEBOKO and McDonald’s Netherlands have installed mini billboards across the Dutch cities of Utrecht and Leiden that don’t use a single word or image to advertise McDonald’s offerings, instead they pump out the unmistakable aroma of warm McDonald’s french fries.

Companies have long tried to make offices less stuffy by creating collaboration spaces. The resounding solution lately seems to be incorporating couches into the office space. “We’ve reached peak couch,” says Miller, the chief talent officer at TBWA Worldwide. TBWA now boasts 15 sofas in its Manhattan office space, up from five a year ago.

Congratulations to TBWA\Columbia Associate Creative Director Stephanie Rumierk Briceñoon on being selected to participate in the 2024 #SeeItBeIt 10th anniversary cohort at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! The programme aims to achieve equal gender representation among creative directors and leaders across the global industry. 

TBWA\Hakuhodo has announced the appointment of Wataru Uchida as its new president and Chief Executive Officer. A veteran of the agency since 1992, Uchida has been an integral part of TBWA\Hakuhodo’s journey since its inception in 2006. Known for his prowess in integrating digital innovation with traditional marketing strategies, Uchida brings a wealth of experience to his new role.

TBWA\MCR and Prost8 are squashing assumptions about prostate exams, because despite common misconceptions, most exams are actually done via a blood test in the arm. Prostate exams save lives, so it’s time men “know their arse from their elbow”.

Carl Willoughby, CCO at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris on the importance of being in the office despite digital advancements and tools. “If the past 4 years taught me anything it was that people really need people.”

There’s nothing more iconic than a little Tiffany Blue box. After all, its notoriety has been built over centuries. That iconography and heritage are the focus of Tiffany & Co.’s latest campaign, “With Love, Since 1837,” created by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.

Levi’s and TBWA\Chiat\Day LA have unveiled a new campaign and open casting call for fans around the globe. Part of the brand’s ‘Live in Levi’s’ campaign, the short film captures the essence of dance as a vehicle for change and progression.

Global Chief Creative Officer at dotdotdash and TBWA\NEXT, Kim Laama chats with Addison Capper from LBB about her team’s focus on innovation, bringing the power of Disruption and the ‘everything and anything’ of brand experience.

Eve Remillard-Larose, Des Jones and Adam Reeves sat down with LBB to discuss the recent merger between DDB Canada and Juniper Park\TBWA, and their vision for 2024.

MLL and TBWA\Helsinki developed an AI warning system that identifies and alerts parents of emerging social media trends in their area.

HeimatTBWA\’s new campaign for beer brand Muschicraft, ‘The Most Illegal Beer’, breaks laws in 50 countries. Why? Because the beer has been brewed by women. The 90-second video features women from different countries getting involved in the production, as a narrator details the law that each woman has broken by doing so. Proceeds from sales will go to supporting Women for Women International, a global organization fighting for gender equality.

Starhub and TBWA\Singapore are showing just how much of today’s tech necessities would cease to exist without women. Imagine a phone without wifi, bluetooth, or even a call button… The spot depicts just how essential women in tech are.

Joanne Lao, CEO of TBWA\Greater China on innovating in advertising and navigating cultural nuances. “Once I joined the industry, I knew it was where I belonged. I love working in a company with creativity at its core, where it’s your job to think disruptively and break conventions.”

Wilcox is the first big hire under Erin Riley, who was appointed TBWA\Chiat\Day’s first-ever U.S. CEO in November. Emily says “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside the wonderful leadership team at TBWA\Chiat\Day who share my strong belief that great creativity is a brand’s biggest competitive advantage.”

Powered by AI, TBWA\Helsinki created ‘The Dog Vending Machine’, which comes equipped with canine face recognition – allowing an enticing product trial experience for the consumer, aka dogs.

HeimatTBWA\ is promising new beginnings in its newest ad for European gardening and home improvement store HORNBACH. The spot frames spring projects as a chance to be reborn—quite literally.

To celebrate the grand re-introduction of the McD’s Deluxe Burger range, TBWA\Belgium found it fitting to pair the popular menu item with the finest cutlery – something that’s never been done before! It has to be said, a deluxe burger deserves the deluxe treatment.

Desmond Marzette, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, shares the impact Pro-Line Hair Products’ ‘Just for Me’ campaign had on him as a kid. “I didn’t use these products, but the commercial still stuck with me. Maybe it’s because I was 11 years old, and seeing Black kids smiling and joyful was enough to make me feel the same.”

Andy Jex, CCO at TBWA\London, on his journey from a curious child in the ‘golden age’ of TV advertising to a leading figure in the creative industry.

More than a trend report, Backslash Edges does not spotlight the hot new aesthetics, here-today-gone-tomorrow fads, or buzzy social media moments. Instead, it offers a future-focused look at major global cultural shifts—allowing us to peek around the corner of culture before it becomes mainstream.

DirecTV wants Americans to know that they no longer need satellite dishes to access its services, and is using two unlikely protagonists to get its message across – pigeons. Created by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, ‘For the Birds’ sees a pair of pigeons, voiced by Steve Buscemi and Henry Winkler, as they humorously educate consumers that their favorite rest stops are now missing from DirecTV households.

In a fresh series, APAC adland CEOs share their hopes and fears for the year ahead and reflect on 2023. This week, Paul Bradbury, President and Regional CEO of TBWA\Australia and TBWA\New Zealand enters the chat.

TBWA\Chiat\Day NY teamed up with the world’s leading Spanish-language media and content company to create an exclusive in-culture, in-language broadcast experience for Latino viewers. Featuring SNL breakout star Marcello Hernandez, rapper and singer Myke Towers, and the band Grupo Frontera, the spot depicts an unexpected adventure while test-driving the latest Nissan Pathfinder.

TBWA\Chiat\Day LA has launched a 30-second Super Bowl spot for Discover featuring the hilarious Jennifer Coolidge, depicting just how much she begrudges those dreaded customer service robots in a way that only Jennifer Coolidge could.