Thursday at Cannes, DDB had the honor to present David Plouffe, campaign manager for Barack Obama who joined us to speak about "The Art of the Possible. The Audacity of Successful Brands." David Plouffe explained how the campaign happened and why it worked and shared his insights on how to harness the power of social networking to build brand loyalty. Watch the excerpt of the talk: David Plouffe Cannes Seminar

Posted on June 25, 2009 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bonjour. I just landed in Cannes today via Brussels. I’m tired but excited about my 11th Cannes experience. First thing is to register, check in and get ready for a kick-off dinner with Bob Scarpelli and a few DDB friends.

While everyone seems to be debating the pulse of Cannes – or if you’re Ad Age’s Bob Garfield, whether or not there should even be one – I am still looking forward to this year’s Festival, our prospects for winning, the clients and press that are attending, our many jurors and of course the seminars featuring some faces you know.

Follow me for all things DDB or if you just need to know where a vegetarian can find a decent meal in Cannes: http://twitter.com/cheronis

If you’re not yet in the world of Twitter, you can always keep coming back to this post to see my latest tweets.

Wish us luck! Au revoir.



Amy Cheronis, SVP/U.S. Communications Director, DDB & Tribal DDB

Posted on June 22, 2009 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

DDB Italy lets sentimentality, connection and joy speak volumes in these ads for Henkel’s Loctite glue. Whether it be your perfect porcelain dance partner, or always reliable robot, or loyal infantryman, Loctite keeps your possessions and treasures intact.

Jeff Swystun, Chief Communications Officer, DDB Worldwide

Posted on June 15, 2009 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Check out DDB work for various clients including that address the recession. Please send us any other interesting recession-specific communications you have seen and believe to be effective. And share what you think should be the major selling features given our challenging times.













Global downturn. What's the first mistake business make? We live in FINANCIAL TIMES






Jeff Swystun, Chief Communications Officer, DDB Worldwide

Posted on June 1, 2009 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Just in case you don't follow Ashton, or Kanye West, or any of the thousands of other people who've been raving on Twitter about the new Philips microsite – check it out.

The cinematic experience was created by Tribal DDB Amsterdam and Stink Digital to launch Philips' Cinema 21:9 TV – the world's first, cinematic proportion television.

If Ashton says it's cool, it must be true.

Posted on April 30, 2009 3:45 PM | Permalink

Believe it or not, you can spend a week in Mayakoba without ever wanting to go to the beach.

Please don’t take me wrong. The Riviera Maya is a beautiful place that offers its visitors probably the best beaches in the world. The weather is spectacular, the food is great and the resorts are just amazing. But when you have the chance to spend five days discussing incredibly inspiring ideas, together with a group of some of the most talented creative people in the world, the beach becomes the least important of the reasons to be there.

I knew the Andys was an important festival, but to be honest, I didn't know much about it before judging this year. Compared to other festivals, I’d say the Andys are the toughest, purest, creatively driven I’ve seen, and also one of the best to enter when you really want to measure the quality of your work compared to others. It is “the first of the season”, so that in itself is a good reason to enter because I believe it can be a good thermometer as of how your work will do in other upcoming shows. At the Andys, it is the president of the jury who has the right to decide who takes part of the jury, and it is “by invitation only”. It’s not about networks, countries or number of submissions. It is about people and about talent, and I think that is reflected in the results.

I was amazed by some of the cases presented. From integrated ideas to launch a new cd for a band, to generating a movement that can change the course of a presidential election or one that can help educational programs improve, the Andys have proven to me that the 30 second spot, while still necessary in some cases, is also becoming old and has gone from being “the soul of an advertising campaign” to just a small component in a much bigger equation.

I came back from the jury motivated and wanting to do better work. Other than the awards, which always end in a shelf somewhere at the office, I believe that is what festivals should do: Motivate people to do better work, to come up with better ideas. When you see the results from this particular festival, what won and why, I’m sure you will be motivated.

DDB 2009 Andy Winners

Raúl Cardós, DDB México

Posted on March 23, 2009 5:30 PM | Permalink

There is an interesting debate going on now. It was crystallized for me while judging a recent awards program. In this time of tighter budgets, will the creative product suffer or flourish? Many professionals will tell you that a tight brief and budget can focus ideas and execution while others like to avoid any constraints. What is your opinion?

Jeff Swystun, Chief Communications Officer, DDB Worldwide

Posted on March 11, 2009 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I feel like the Super Bowl's prominence grows larger year after year. After all, it's getting to be the last "shared American moment" left. In the older, simpler days, we all watched Walter Cronkite for news every night, we all tuned in to Ed Sullivan every Sunday night, etc. But as the years passed, and the amount of options grew, American eyeballs scattered. Today, the Super Bowl stands as that last great, shared moment. Not even the Oscars, the Grammys or major sports championships of other sports comes close to it.

What a bonanza for advertisers. What a great way for an otherwise irrelevant brand to leap into the consideration set so fast. To become an instant "big dog." Think of Dennys' this year. "Time For A Serious Breakfast." The "free breakfast for everyone in America" promotion. It's estimated they paid a total of $5 million to mount that promotion - and that includes the $3 million Super Bowl price tag. The next day, so many people came to Dennys and, as they waited for a table, ordered so many drinks that Dennys believe they may have broken even on the giveaway - and thanks to the Super Bowl reach and buzz - earned over $50 million worth of free media. Wow!

What about GoDaddy. Say what you will about their taste level, they were nobody a few years ago. Now they are the #1 domain name register company.

And then, what about the big boys. The Pepsicos and Budweisers. We've been putting out Bud ads for years and it never gets old. Ya know what often goes through my mind as a spot of ours is airing? All the famous people who are watching and being entertained by our work. Obama, Jack Nicholson, Michael Jordan, George Clooney...they're all watching, and hopefully they're all digging it. That's the power of Super Bowl advertising.

DDB Super Bowl 2009 Creative

Barry Burdiak, SVP, Group Creative Director, DDB Chicago

Posted on February 9, 2009 3:55 PM | Permalink

Last week, The Madison Avenue Journal featured a weeklong spotlight on our own of Chairman Emeritus Keith Reinhard called “The Last Mad Man.”

Based on a conversation with Keith, it covers everything from his determination to make it into the business and the creation of Omnicom to his current work as President of Business for Diplomatic Action, from the people and the experiences that inspired him along the way to the impact Keith has around the world.

For those who know Keith Reinhard, here are the stories everyone asks him to tell again and again. If you’ve never been lucky enough to Keith speak, check it out and see why he continues to inspire us all.

Steven Marrs, CEO of Branded Pictures said it eloquently in his comments posted on The Madison Avenue Journal:

"If the current industry is built on jargon and handles, Keith is one of the truly extraordinary individuals who not only had a clear vision of what he thought the advertising world should look like, but a determined and disciplined way of inspiring other to join in his cause. He lives what he preaches and leads by example. His constant quest for knowledge and always wanting to understand what's next is a refreshing departure from a business that is more interested in its past than its future.

My favorite inspiration for how I conducted business at Tribal, and truthfully apply it in my current capacity, is Keith's Four Freedoms. But in particular, the Freedom to Fail stands out. In a creative business, failure is a given but providing a framework for risk taking is nothing short of genius. It is his unique insights, yearning for knowledge and firm grasp of the creative dynamic that makes Keith special. It is also his compassion and passion that is inspirational. He has had a profound impact on me both personally and professionally and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to apprentice in his shadow for a short period of time."

Posted on January 12, 2009 3:16 PM | Permalink

It’s a shame that few people know how easy it is to protect themselves from the potentially deadly pandemic flu – simply wash your hands. So Mark Monteiro, Rick Bursky and Christianne Brooks at the LA office created a memorable poster for the LA Health Coalition that drives home that point. The fun and dramatic poster will be given to schools and posted in public venues throughout the area. Los Angeles based photographer Tony Garcia did all of the photography pro-bono. We’re thrilled with the poster, but will be even happier if just a handful of people heed its advice.

Rick Bursky, Associate Creative Director, DDB Los Angeles

Posted on November 17, 2008 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)