Weber Shandwick: Winning Big, Thinking Bigger

For The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC), 2024 was all about leveraging its diverse capabilities to make waves in the UK market, with new hires, some impressive creative campaigns and a crowded awards shelf underlining the real progress that's been made.

The agency has embraced a "culture-in" philosophy, diving deep into conversations that matter, seen in work like Knorr's 'Supertasters' and the recent IKEA Shelter campaign. And with 37 Cannes Lions under its belt, the agency's creative prowess is increasingly rewarded.

By aligning brand goals with cultural insights, Weber Shandwick is becoming a go-to partner for brands eager to make a real impact. The agency’s collaborative vibe and strong leadership are setting the stage for exciting things ahead.

Helen Bennett, UK CEO discusses the year and what’s on the horizon within the business.

Helen Bennett, CEO at TWSC, on the agency's 2024

What have been the major highlights for your business in 2024?

Despite an external climate of uncertainty and change, we’ve worked with relentless focus to advance the impact of our work. Our earned-first, in-culture approach has helped unlock value for clients such as IKEA, Budweiser and Movember. And it’s also helped deliver our most successful year of new business conversion, bringing clients like Greggs and Primark into the Collective.

We've also advanced our internal culture by launching a number of new progressive policies and initiatives, including policies to support carers and employees affected by domestic abuse. On a global level, we launched our Impact of Inclusion report, which illustrates the steps we've taken at TWSC towards becoming a more inclusive organisation. We were particularly proud to be the first marcoms agency to join the UK’s Mindful Business Charter, a collaboration across a wide range of global businesses to improve employee wellbeing.

What is your proudest achievement from the last 12 months?

The breadth of our business means singling one area out feels a little akin to admitting to having a favourite child (which for the record, if any of my three sons read this, I categorically don’t...) But I’m particularly proud of how That Lot, our social first creative agency, has reinvigorated its offer and capabilities this year to transform how we deliver platform-first content and influencer marketing for brands.

And I’m also deeply grateful for how hard my leadership team has worked to build a culture of collaboration across everything we do. It’s allowed us to move quickly to embrace innovation – which I’m confident has given us a competitive edge in a testing trading environment. In particular, the work we’ve done to embed generative AI into our approach to reputation intelligence and brand safety stands out as category defining work.

What are you most looking forward to next year?

Seeing the momentum we’ve built around our work really pay off, not just in terms of growth but also in terms of creating new opportunities for our brilliant people to keep growing and thriving.

What do you feel have been the greatest industry challenges for agencies this year?

Undoubtedly, uncertainty on the economic outlook- which has understandably driven increased caution around long-term planning. As a result we’ve leant hard into demonstrating the precise and measurable impact of our work. It’s been truly energising to see how profoundly we can now marry our long-honed earned instincts with data intelligence to predict and quantify the value of what we do.

Has the addition of any AI solution made the profound impact on your business that was expected?

In terms of our client work, we’ve now embedded AI into how we plan and optimise campaign narratives and messaging, while also using it to protect brand safety, guard against misinformation and pre-empt areas of risk and reward. Knowing what’s around the corner gives us the freedom to unlock bigger, bolder initiatives and creative ideas.

Reassuringly, we haven’t seen the ‘race to the bottom’ of automation that many predicted – yes, it’s allowed us to work with faster pace and many aspects of our work are now much more streamlined, but the need for inspired solutions to connect and cut-through means the value placed on critical thinking and brave ideas is also higher than ever.

Creative Salon On Weber Shandwick's 2024

In 2024, TWSC continued to secure its position as a leader in strategic communications, marked by significant account wins and a strong focus on internal team dynamics. Earlier this year, Helen Bennett emphasised that the best account executives invest equal energy in building internal teams as they do in nurturing external client relationships. This ethos has contributed to the agency's recent growth in the UK, attributed to Bennett’s exceptional decision-making and talent retention skills.

Among the agency's notable new business victories are Primark and Greggs. The latter appointed creative social agency That Lot, part of The Weber Shandwick Collective, to enhance brand visibility and build a community of dedicated fans across core social channels. Through a social-first content and creator strategy, That Lot aims to drive fame and solidify Greggs’ cultural relevance.

Across the network, TWSC was awarded 37 Lions at the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, including one Grand Prix and ten Gold Lions. And for the second consecutive year, TWSC was recognised as the most awarded PR agency at Cannes, credited on 131 shortlists.

In terms of personnel changes, TWSC has strengthened its team with key appointments. Niamh Mangan has been named EVP and MD at dna London, a healthcare communications agency within TWSC. Additionally, Yan Elliott, former executive creative director at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, stepped into the role of chief creative officer, bringing a wealth of experience to oversee the agency’s creative department. That Lot has also welcomed Paul Hewitt, former head of creative at Deliveroo, as the new ECD, leading the creative output of the agency.

All this creative prowess is showcased in campaigns like the launch of Knorr's 'Supercube', designed to make broccoli more palatable for fussy eaters. Collaborating across teams in Germany, Sweden and the UK, the agency developed engaging assets, including a social film featuring Swedish supertasters trying foods they typically dislike.

The agency’s commitment to social impact continues, with the reopening of applications for the Rise initiative launched in partnership with the Black British Business Awards (BBBAwards). This initiative aims to elevate Black-owned businesses within the media landscape and ensure representation reflects the vibrancy of the Black business community.

TWSC also gained attention with impactful campaigns like Movember's 'Missing Father's Day Cards,' which highlighted the tragic loss of men due to poor health, and the IKEA and Shelter collaboration, which addressed the harsh realities of homelessness through the campaign 'Unwelcome Home.'

And to attract fresh creative talent, Weber Shandwick has partnered with PLOY, a video-based social media app aimed at early-career professionals, demonstrating its commitment to nurturing the next generation of creative minds.

Creative Salon Says: 2024 has been a year of growth, innovation and impactful campaigns for Weber Shandwick. With leaders like Helen Bennett, Gen Kobayashi, Amy Garrett and the newly appointed Yan Elliott at the helm, the agency is well-positioned to continue delivering exceptional work while fostering a vibrant internal culture. As it heads into 2025, Weber Shandwick looks in great shape to build on this momentum.