Disruption gets
recognized

On the latest episode of The Evolution of Creativity and Creative, Erin Riley, CEO at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, connected with Forbes to discuss agency experience, client-side stints with both Gap and Cole Haan, and an earlier career spent with some of advertising’s most vaunted agency brands and the clients they represent. “When you lean into the boldness of a big idea and the power of creativity, you can unlock more than you imagined possible…so organizations have to decide: do I want to be slow and steady, or do I want to take a moon shot?”

Social media has become so prevalent that most, if not all, brands have a social media presence and strategy. However, brands’ constant push for engagement has led to a trend: The Funny Brand Voice. The industry may soon find itself at an inflection point that ends one of two ways, strategists and execs predict. “The content is less about being jokey and snarky only. It’s more about, let’s have discussions,” said Janni Widerholm, creative director of earned media and social at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.

There are millions of conversations going on at any given time on social media, but only a handful of brands have the capacity to truly leverage big, social data to create strategic insights for their business development. Nazirah Ashari, Head of 65dB Lumpur, TBWA\Asia’s Audience Intelligence Division, shares how they use real-time social media listening to analyze trending topics, identify unique signals, and unlock hidden narratives in target markets.

According to a new report from Backslash, new cultural behaviors are driving the food category forward. The overarching message of the report is that whilst it may not be instantly thought of as culture, food is at the heart of many cultural issues such as climate change and social justice. “From the societal implications of how we consume and create food, to future-facing thinking about how food can positively affect our lives and the world we live in, this report covers the whole spectrum”, explains Sandie Dilger, the Chief Strategy Officer at TBWA\London.

TBWA\Chiat\Day LA Chief Creative Officer, Renato Fernandez, caught up with host Dusty Weis of The Lead Balloon Podcast to talk about all things AI, advertising and the future of our industry. “AI became the equalizer in the industry…but with this equalization…we still need people to extract and take the best of AI…you still need someone that can orchestrate the data, direct the data, shape the data and take the best of it…those people will be the creative directors of this new technology,” said Fernandez.

Meta-owned social media platform Threads has become the fastest growing app, clocking 100m users within the first five days since it was launched. Social client partner at Eleven PR Sydney, Erin Brizga told The Growth Agenda: “The early bird catches the algorithm. By joining now, brands can capture the attention and loyalty of users who are eager for new content and experiences, helping to build a dedicated following before competition becomes fierce.”

LBB’s Addison Capper spoke with social media and branding leaders from across the advertising industry to get a temperature check of its feelings towards the change and its implications for brands. “At their best, B2B brands are the ultimate disruptors, driving innovation at the intersection of technology and commerce,” said John Hickman, Group Strategy Director and Head of PLEX at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.

Last month, Renato Fernandez, chief creative officer at TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles discussed the potential of the tech on in-housing, brands and product during the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Refilwe Maluleke, CSO of TBWA\South Africa, explains why it’s important for brands to stay authentic and consistent with their brand promise, even during economic downturns.

Ad agencies can’t stop talking about AI. Luke Eid, TBWA\Worldwide’s Chief Innovation Officer, explains how TBWA is approaching the matter as technology continues to evolve.

TBWA has promoted Deepthi Prakash to the new role of president international and chief product officer. With the creation of this role, TBWA is changing the way it approaches client relationships to offer both broad marketing strategies and deep specialization, or what TBWA Global CEO Troy Ruhanen calls “specialisms.”

TBWA\Worldwide’s perennially evolving collective wins Adweek’s 2022 Global Agency of the Year for the second time in a row.