Celebrating 50 years of TBWA(5): When Communication becomes Action.
TBWA's 50th anniversary, celebrated this month, is an opportunity to look back on half a century of advertising around the world. After the first chapter (1970-1983) devoted to the birth of TBWA under the sign of multiculturalism (click here), the second chapter (click here) placed under the sign of the anti-conformism of the Chiat Day and Hunt Lascaris agencies who will join the TBWA adventure, the third chapter (click here) devoted to the history of BDDP which was to merge with TBWA in 1998, and the fourth chapter dedicated to the rebirth of Disruption, and its effects on major global brands between 1998 and 2010 (click here), here is the fifth and last chapter of the story, devoted to the years 2010-2020 placed under the sign of performative communication : when communication becomes action.
As we saw in the previous episode, a disruptive brand idea guides not only communication, but also all company behavior. When Apple claims to do things differently ("Think Different"), it certainly concerns products (their design, their ergonomics), services (Apple Genius), but also the way to market them (Apple Stores). This pushes communication to become action itself, as in the example of the "Shot on iPhone" campaign where each photo is a convincing demonstration of the extraordinary quality of the integrated camera. This trend towards "communication-action" is, of course, reinforced by the rise of social networks, which particularly value communicative experiences, a source of community sharing. This phenomenon of disruptive communication through experience has become global, and should continue to develop in the future, as digital media allows brands to connect to the cultural trends of society. One example is the multi awarded communication operation designed by TBWA in Australia for ANZ Bank in 2015, transforming ATMs and gAyTM dispensers for Gay Pride.
Troy Ruhanen, appointed head of TBWA\Worldwide in 2014, decided to accelerate the deployment of Disruption on all subjects and in real time (with the "Disruption Live" approach), positioning TBWA as a cultural agent at the service of brand innovation to give them a larger share of the future ("The 21st Century Engine, creating disruptive ideas that locate and involve brands in culture, giving them a larger share of the future").
With the conviction that Disruption had to be applied in all forms of communication, from promotion with the Integer agency, to events with Omnicom Experiential Group (grouping GMR, TRO and Auditoire), through the health (TBWA\Worldhealth), design or Public Relations fields. Delivering a disruptive experience feeding their strategic idea becomes the new challenge for brands to become iconic. As shown by the design by TBWA\Paris of "McDonald's Originals" points of sale derived from the original advertising campaign.
The widespread availability of data gives brands new communication levers and new means of action, from upstream (social listening to find new insights) to downstream (measuring results for real-time optimization). Data is both a source of creativity ("creative datas"), but also a means of carrying out communication operations that were not possible before. An example is the GREENLIGHT RUN operation, created by TBWA in Japan to allow runners to run a marathon in the city of Tokyo without ever having to stop at traffic lights, because the application is connected to the city's real-time traffic system, and offers them an alternative route to avoid trampling at intersections.
TBWA no longer functions as a traditional advertising network, but as a collective of idea producers, connected in real time to the culture of the world. Every day more than 300 spotters around the world analyze cultural trends through signals ("triggers"), allowing a dedicated production team in Los Angeles to publish a video (called "backslash") each morning of the trends on which brands can rely to communicate and act more effectively. These trends are accessible in an evolving database that currently includes more than 60 edges, reserved for TBWA customers, but partially accessible to all via the instagram "backslash" account (click here). To maximize agility, dedicated agencies have been set up for large international customers (Nissan (Nissan United), Apple (Media Arts Lab), McDonald's), but also for large local customers in each country where TBWA is present. These dedicated teams have the merit of being particularly responsive to current events, as shown by the way Nissan in the Middle East was able to react within a few hours to the announcement made by the Saudi Arabian Authorities to give driving permission to all women in the country.
It is this innovative approach for the company and its customers that has enabled TBWA to be elected "Global agency of the year" by the leading magazine Adweek for the second time in its history in 2018, and to be listed among Fast Company magazine's "World's most Innovative companies". For the next 50 years, TBWA wishes to bring to brands the benefit of a Full Disruptive Experience, through advertising, of course, but also through all the touch points that connect a brand and its customers. Never forgetting the maxim of Lee Clow, Apple's historic creative guru who officially retired this year: "Do the brave thing: Disrupt".