The Omnicom-owned agencies TBWA\Dublin and BBDO Dublin are to forge a partnership that will create one of the largest creative agencies in Ireland with over 100 staff.
The enlarged agency will operate under the TBWA\Dublin brand with Deirdre Waldron as CEO, Neal Davies as chairman and Fergal Behan as chief financial and operating officer. The agency will continue to report into the TBWA Worldwide leadership.
Clients of the enlarged agency include eir, Dalata, Tourism Northern Ireland, EBS,Glenveagh Homes, ESB Networks, the HSE and TU Dublin.
The coming together of the two creative agencies will have no impact on Omnicom’s other businesses in Ireland including its media agencies OMD and PHD.
Last year it was announced that BBDO Dublin would move into TBWA\Dublin’s iconic Kodak building in Rathmines which is also home to BOLT, TBWA’s production and studio offering. This process is still underway.
“This is an exciting moment for both agencies and for commercial creativity in Ireland,” says Deirdre Waldron, CEO of TBWA\Dublin.
“This is more than just sharing a building, this is about creating a new, unique, and ambitious offering. If you think about our combined and extensive product suite, this new agency will be able to create disruptive brand experiences on a scale never seen before in Ireland.”
“This is big news. This union gives our combined clients access to the best talent and largest scope of capabilities in Ireland,” adds Neal Davies, BBDO’s CEO.
“The management of both agencies go way back, and we share the same ambition to deliver world class creative solutions for Irish clients. Put simply, this is about building the biggest and best agency in town,” he adds.
Troy Ruhanen, TBWA’s Global CEO says: “As part of Omnicom Group, we are always looking for growth opportunities for our clients and our people. There’s no better example of that than when two sister agencies come together like this under one roof. This united front will allow us to deliver world-class creativity thanks to the combined talents of two of the very best, as well as connecting more brands and businesses to our strategic ecosystem. For the market, it will be the turbocharge that gets us to the future, faster.”
