In a strategic move aimed at fostering collaboration and innovation, BBDO has appointed its first CEO to lead both its New York and Chicago offices. Jiah Choi, previously the president of Wieden+Kennedy New York, will assume this role starting September 9, marking a significant shift in leadership for the renowned advertising agency.
Choi brings a wealth of experience to BBDO, having played a pivotal role in launching Anomaly’s Los Angeles office, where she served as CEO and forged strong relationships with clients such as Uber Eats, Facebook, Allbirds, Diet Coke, and the Los Angeles Rams. Her appointment is part of a broader vision by BBDO’s Americas CEO, Nancy Reyes, to create a more cohesive and team-focused culture within the agency’s network.
“I’m really into this notion of moving away from a network and more into a community,” Reyes told AdAge, who reported the news. “In today’s world, it is more modern to work together as teams and as a community than it is to work separately. We just do much better when we’re together, and we’ll move faster when we’re together.”
A Modern Approach to Agency Collaboration
The move to appoint a single leader for both the New York and Chicago offices reflects BBDO’s commitment to breaking down traditional silos and enhancing collaboration across its network. With 300 employees in New York and 150 in Chicago, BBDO aims to leverage its collective talent to deliver greater value to clients.
Choi expressed enthusiasm for this new approach, stating, “You share offices when it’s global, but you should be able to share offices just based on the needs of the client. It makes it much more valuable for clients that we have this flexibility to bring in people and out regardless of what city the lead agency is in.”
Reyes highlighted that the New York and Chicago offices have already collaborated on multiple pitches, showcasing the potential for integrated teamwork. One notable account win for the network is Kenvue, which added BBDO and Interpublic Group of Cos.’ FCB to its creative agency roster in May.
Navigating Executive Changes and Future Growth
Choi’s appointment follows a series of executive shifts at BBDO. Earlier this year, Chris Beresford-Hill was named BBDO’s Americas chief creative officer, reuniting with Reyes, with whom he worked at TBWA before his tenure at Ogilvy. Longtime BBDO executives Jeff Adkins and Kirsten Flanik, who led Energy BBDO and BBDO New York, respectively, have departed, paving the way for fresh leadership.
In addition, BBDO New York recently hired Emily Portnoy as chief strategy officer from McCann New York. Reyes emphasized the importance of blending the agency’s legacy strengths with new perspectives, stating, “When I joined, I felt like it was a tremendous opportunity to bring this incredible agency with this incredible reputation into the next five, 10, 15 years and the only way to really do that is to surround yourself with people who represent what has been great and wonderful about BBDO, with some people who bring in a fresh new perspective, people who love the industry, who drive change, and who believe in innovation.”
Despite Choi’s oversight of both offices, there are no plans for internal mergers within the network. However, Reyes noted that Omnicom, BBDO’s parent company, has made strategic consolidations in other markets, such as merging its TBWA, DBB, and BBDO operations in Canada in July.
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Driving Innovation While Honoring Legacy
Reyes aims to challenge the perception of BBDO as merely a “legacy” agency by infusing more “innovation and strategic thinking” into its operations. She stressed that legacy should be viewed positively, signifying experience, credibility, and history.
“We’re really good in this industry at flipping the narrative of something where legacy connotes traditional and old for some people. It also connotes to me experience, driving excellence, credibility, and history,” Reyes said. “One of the most interesting things I found out when I was doing my research about BBDO when I got here is [that] the average tenure of the relationship that we have with our clients is 13 years. We have been through a lot with these clients.”
BBDO’s New York and Chicago offices share key clients such as Mars Wrigley, while Energy BBDO in Chicago also counts Bayer, Brown-Forman, and The General Insurance among its clients. The New York office works with clients including FedEx, Enterprise Holdings, and SAP.
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