TBWA’s New Leaders on Selling Disruption in Turbulent Times
OAG agencies are not just sharing tools, they’re also sharing clients. For McDonald’s, for instance, which works with TBWA and DDB in various markets across the world, OAG has created a global leadership team across both agencies to look after the account.
“We already have an incredibly strong global footprint, but if [a client] is in a market where that is not the case, but BBDO or DDB is a strong brand, we’re able to build bespoke models that put the client’s interest first,” Riley said.
Vice versa, TBWA is also putting global talent on local accounts, allowing clients access to “a solid, day-to-day local team” but also “an influx of some of our best talent without any friction or time wasted,” she added.
As TBWA settles into the OAG model, it will continue to operate under a cloud of uncertainty with regards to the Omnicom-IPG merger. Riley said that the agency is heads-down and focused on the work as that process plays out.
“We don’t lose track of the work, because growth is a pretty good insulator,” she said. Still, she added, leadership is “not delusional about the stakes being very high for all of us.”
“We must look at this as a moment where we can come out ahead,” she said. “Otherwise, it’s paralyzing.”
