The Independent Bbdo China

The independent BBDO China

“We sell brands to people nearby.” Said Liang Weifeng, Advertising Creative Director of BBDO China expressed their intention to adapt and be independent from BBDO Worldwide, when asked how they transfer BBDO Worldwide advantage to Chinese market. The year 2008 was seen as an important year to BBDO China, although still relatively small in size compared with their competitors: some other global advertising agency in China and a few big local agencies. “Our Global CEO does not want us to be the biggest, but the best.” Said Liang, “And we do acquire some big clients like Benz, with only a team of less than ten people.” Being part of the world-known Omnicom Group, BBDO Worldwide is no wonder a leading advertising agency around world, while their Chinese branch performed relatively low market share, ranking under their competitors global and local. Now they are putting their efforts on adapting: hiring local people, using local ideas, buying Xuanya, a local agency, and they are expecting to do better in Chinese market.

Omnicom Group

Head-quartered in New York, the Omnicom Group ranks as the world’s #1 corporate media services conglomerate, with advertising, marketing, and public relations operations. Omnicom Group was founded in 1986 to combine three leading ad agencies into a single group capable of competing in the worldwide market and serves its global advertising clients: BBDO Worldwide, DDB Worldwide, and TBWA Worldwide. BBDO Worldwide, founded in New York in 1928 as Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, had a huge PepsiCo account and developed the Pepsi Generation campaign. Bruce Crawford, a previous chairman and CEO of BBDO in 1989, by keeping costs low, especially interest expenses, Omnicom survived the 1990-91 recession with little pain. The company acquired Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein (now Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) in 1992. The next year TBWA Advertising (founded in Paris in 1970 by American Bill Tragos) was added to...