AMV Group Promises Big Ideas Real People Love

As the global advertising industry shifts, so too must its major players and BBDO, with its London-based AMV Group (AMV BBDO and Redwood BBDO), is doing just that. Having operated under the positioning ‘The Work, The Work, The Work,’ for nearly 30 years, it has introduced a new, ambitious direction – 'Do Big Things'.

Introduced by BBDO’s global chief executive Nancy Reyes and global CCO Chris Beresford-Hill at the end of February, the new platform is representative of the agency’s creative and strategic expertise, utilised to solve the business problems of some of the world’s biggest brand names.

In turn, the UK business has produced its own positioning 'Big Ideas Real People Love. which has begun to appear across its external communications.

Discussing what the new platforms mean for AMV Group are its chief executive Xavier Rees and chief growth officer Jemima Monies, who underline that the work remains centrally important but that there was a need for a wider outlook to better outline the business' modern offering.

What does ‘Do Big Things’ signify to brands about the intentions and vision of BBDO and for AMV? 

Xavier: 'Do Big Things' reflects a bold, unapologetic new direction for BBDO globally under the leadership of global CEO Nancy Reyes and global CCO Chris Beresford-Hill. To survive and thrive today, businesses need big thinking and big creative solutions - and there’s no better agency than BBDO to deliver both. 'Do Big Things' is also about commercial impact. Advertising is a growth driver – it can do big things for our clients’ businesses. And at BBDO we have an unrivalled track record in that space.

In the UK, we 'Do Big Things' by crafting 'Big Ideas Real People Love' - ideas that earn a place in their living rooms, their social feeds, their lives. The biggest ideas make people laugh, cry, and everything in between. They stick with them, spark conversations, and get shared - driving impact both commercially and culturally.

Can you share any background on how this new promise was developed and agreed upon? 

Xavier: The thing that unites BBDO agencies globally is our creative soul. Nancy sees BDDO as a global community, rather than a network, which naturally means much more collaborative ways of working. As part of the BBDO Global Exec team, Nancy stress-tested and evolved her thinking with us. She’s also had conversations with people all over the world to get their perspectives and truly pushed them to think about how the language and positioning might work (or be adapted) in their markets. 

Jemima: At the same time, we (with Xav now at the helm) had been thinking about what we stand for at AMV. We had been talking to clients for a while about our enduring power to craft Big Ideas Real People Love. Think Guinness Good Things Come to Those Who Wait and Made of More and Snickers You’re Not You When You’re Hungry. There are numerous other examples of much-loved brand platforms by AMV that have stood the test of time. It’s in our DNA and it felt like the right place for us to be.

Why move away from ‘The Work, The Work, The Work’? 

Xavier:  The work has always been, and always will be, the driving force behind our business - so that remains unchanged. What BBDO needed was a clearer articulation of its approach and ambition. ‘Do Big Things’ pushes us to challenge ourselves in pursuit of the very best. It is both a way of thinking and a way of working, shaping how we tackle major business challenges with strategy and creativity, and how we nurture outstanding talent within our agency.

Where will it appear/be used by AMV BBDO? 

Jemima: 'Do Big Things' is our global call to action - what unites us across markets. It’s a shared ambition and relentless dedication to making an impact. You can create big ideas for small brands in the same way you can do big things in small places. The assertion is against little thinking and little risk, not size. 'Big Ideas Real People Love' is AMV’s way of doing this.

Why are such agency platforms so important to the business? 

Jemima:  Agency platforms are useful for defining an agency’s outlook on life – whether that’s the work it does or how it does it. If articulated well, they should be a short cut to understanding what an agency is all about – in the hope of attracting and inspiring the best talent and clients. But ultimately the work speaks for itself. Without good work, they are meaningless. Luckily, we have both.