17392: Regarding Repositioning, Reframing, And Rejiggering At BBDO.

 

Digiday interviewed the BBDO Global Chief Client Experience Officer, a newly created role at the White advertising agency.

 

According to Digiday, “BBDO is repositioning itself to court clients more proactively.”

 

Is the repositioning intentional—or is it the result of radical restructuring, revamping, redundancies, and RIFs at Omnicom?

 

As hold cos restructure, BBDO reframes client relationships

 

By Kimeko McCoy

 

Holding companies are having an identity crisis. Between mergers and acquisitions, whistleblowers and generative AI, clients are largely overwhelmed and confidence is shaken. 

 

In the midst of scale and promises of AI-enabled tech efficiencies, BBDO is repositioning itself to court clients more proactively. The Omnicom-backed creative agency this month revamped what traditional account leadership looks like, hiring Daale Carter, formerly president of Energy BBDO, into the newly created global chief client experience officer role at BBDO.

 

“There are a lot of capability stories out there. There aren’t a lot of stories or pictures about the client’s experience,” Carter told Digiday. “We’re really trying to look at how we use client experiences as a true differentiator that we showcase.”

 

As the hold co model changes, and competition gets stiffer, clients are reassessing how they want to work with agency partners. It’s not that the client experience has been forgotten, Carter said, but in the push to scale, clients are getting lost in the shuffle. 

 

Digiday caught up with Carter about her new role, AI expectations and post-merger plans.

 

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

 

What’s the purpose of your role — the newly created role of global chief experience officer? 

 

I’m sure there’s no surprise, there has been a lot of change and transition across the ad world — and more specifically, within Omnicom. Part of that change comes a lot of scale, a lot of access to really great tools and technology. But for BBDO specifically — and actually, Omnicom has introduced this role at the holding company level as well — was just a realization that, as you’re scaling, there’s sometimes such a strong focus on that scale and the tools and tech that the client and their experience maybe gets lost in the narrative. 

 

What exactly does that look like in practice?

 

One of the things that we did as an example is account management is seen as the gateway or the owner of the client relationship when actually it’s the responsibility of every single person that touches client business. We also got rid of the term account management, and shifted it to business leadership, and I think the crux of what was missing lies there, because clients want to be led. Clients don’t want to reach out to their agencies and have agencies just be responsive. They want agencies to truly lead them.

 

The other thing that has been a real shift for BBDO is a real relentless focus on clients’ business challenges. Because when you’re a creative agency, sometimes the expectation is superficial. It doesn’t matter how you get there, you get a brief. If you land on a really amazing, creative exercise, all the work is done. But if you think about the scale of issues that clients are facing today, they can’t all just be solved in a really beautiful creative campaign. They’ve got real numerical, socioeconomic pressure. 

 

How does the agency shift from “traditional agency” to “enterprise partner” (especially with AI) change BBDO’s client pitch?

 

Relationships become ever more critical because in our conversations, clients are looking for us to guide them. They’ve got AI overload. They’ve got tech overload, and they’re looking for guidance from a real human being that says, “This makes sense for my business, and this is how we should utilize it or we shouldn’t.” I had a client who had come to us and essentially had said, “I’ve written scripts. I’ve put some stuff into AI and it’s come out with scripts.” And then they admitted that the scripts were devoid of any level of humanity or relativity and what they really were saying was, “I want you to show me how you’re using AI to be forward-facing or to be future fit as you think about the creative process.” They didn’t necessarily want to write their own scripts using AI.
They were looking to see us guide them in terms of how they should be thinking about AI.

 

Post-IPG Omnicom merger, what’s been the sentiment from clients?

 

They just wanted to be kept abreast of what the changes are and how we’re building. That’s what they’ve cared the most about, and that’s what we have been committed to. We use the term the Year of Distraction. It’s been a distraction for the industry, for the agency, for our clients, and the way that we’ve been able to manage that is not to be distracted in how we work with our clients and just to focus. That being said, the media tells me that there are lots of clients who have concerns. That’s just not our real experience on the ground. In general, if you have strong relationships with your clients, to the point why relationships are so important, it’s not impacted by that.

 

Considering the headlines around conflict of interest, mergers, layoffs, principal media buying, etc. what’s BBDO’s pitch to win new business?

 

Despite all of this, you cannot get lost because we are committed to the plan experience at the core.

17238: Pitching Tylenol Poses Seriously Sly Side Effects.

Advertising Age reported Omnicom is prematurely taking advantage of its network of White advertising agencies and simultaneously escalating Corporate Cultural Collusion. That is, Omnicom (via BBDO) and IPG (via FCB) are teaming up to tackle the Kenvue pitch.

 

BBDO and FCB are currently separately serving the Tylenol marketer. 

 

So, what happens if the client chooses certain talent from each White advertising agency and the people become redundant—and unemployed—when the Omnicom acquisition of IPG closes? Then again, it’s moot since Omnicom and IPG have effectively commoditized Adland, rendering all talent generic, exchangeable, and replaceable.

 

Wonder if twice the number of multicultural marketing firms will experience Prime Redlining in the review.

 

President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have already criticized pharmaceutical marketing. Will the political leaders address the questionable business tactics of pharmaceutical marketing practitioners?

 

Omnicom and IPG team up on Kenvue review in first big test of the pending merger

 

By Brian Bonilla

 

The first major test of how successful Omnicom Group’s acquisition of Interpublic Group of Cos. will be is unfolding in one of the biggest pitches of the year. The two ad giants are jointly pitching Kenvue, which launched a global creative and media review in September, according to three people familiar with the situation.

 

Omnicom and IPG are believed to be working together across both creative and media. Omnicom’s BBDO and IPG’s FCB—each of which currently works with the Tylenol marketer—are collaborating on the pitch, Ad Age has learned. Kenvue’s agency roster includes IPG and Publicis Groupe on media globally, along with IPG’s Deutsch and Stagwell’s Doner.

 

Omnicom and IPG referred calls to Kenvue, which did not return a request for comment.

 

Omnicom said last week that it expects its acquisition of IPG to close by the end of November. The European Union is the last remaining jurisdiction that must approve the deal. Executives from both companies have repeatedly said they will continue to operate independently until the transaction—set to create the world’s largest advertising agency group by revenue—closes.

 

“We’re still operating as two independent companies until we get through the regulatory period,” said John Wren, Omnicom’s chairman and CEO, during the company’s earnings call in February.

 

Omnicom reiterated its position in a statement to Ad Age this week, following requests for comment on rumors that the combined company might retire Omnicom’s DDB network. Industry speculation has suggested that the merged holding company could streamline its creative operations around three primary networks—BBDO, McCann and TBWA.

 

“As regulatory approvals are still pending and until the transaction is closed, we are still operating as two independent companies,” Omnicom stated. “However, we can share that, as it relates to our brands, we are undertaking a rigorous and considered process to ensure we have the very best solutions for the future for us and for our clients. This sentiment is informing everything we do in our go-forward plans.”

 

Competitors pitching together

 

In pitching together, the pending merger partners will have to tread carefully, according to an advertising attorney who is also a former government official. In an interview with Ad Age, the attorney said that if not handled properly, the two entities could be in danger of violating parts of the Sherman Act, which prohibits companies from working together to fix prices or to create monopolies that hurt competition.

 

“To the extent that they are competitors, Section 1 of the Sherman Act still applies, and if they have agreements that reduce competition between them, that can still be a problem,” said the lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

That said, the attorney noted there are also practicalities at play. “If they go to a [potential client] and say ‘Hey, look, we’d like to bid together because we expect to close in a month. Is that OK with you?’ That may not be an issue,” said the attorney. “If they say ‘Hey, we’ll bid separately, but we’ll also tell you that if the merger happens, this is what we will be able to do—we’ll be able to lower the price or something like that, that may be OK.’”

 

The topic of Omnicom and IPG working together on pitches has recently surfaced publicly. During Omnicom’s third-quarter earnings call, Wren addressed a question from an analyst about how clients are responding to the impending merger.

 

“We’ll be able to be even stronger when we’re able to function together,” Wren said on the earnings call earlier this month. “So far, we’ve had to pitch everything kind of independently as if we’re still two independent companies. But hopefully, that will change on the completion of the deal.”

 

When asked by an analyst on the call whether clients are expressing interest in the combined offering, Wren noted that the response has been “very positive,” citing Bayer as an example. Bayer “wanted to see us pitch separately and then, at the very end, asked—or demanded—that we answer a few questions about what it will look like post-deal,” he said.

 

Bayer ultimately decided to consolidate global media, creative and production with IPG. The company nodded to the Omnicom-IPG deal in its review announcement, with Consumer Health Chief Marketing and Scientific Officer David Evendon-Challis noting the “opportunity of what is possible” when the merger is complete.

 

Along with Omnicom and IPG, Publicis and WPP are also competing in Kenvue’s review, according to people close to the situation. The review comes amid a broader marketing shakeup at the health care company.

 

Publicis and WPP declined to comment.

 

Kenvue plans to name Jon Halvorson as its chief marketing officer imminently. Halvorson, who joins from Oreo maker Mondelēz International, previously worked at both Publicis and Omnicom, according to his LinkedIn profile.

17163: Putting The Ca-Ca in Campaign.

Garnier BBDO in Costa Rica is responsible for this El Lagar campaign—which feels like a scampaign—allegedly seeking to reach a young audience by connecting hardware tools with professional wrestling.

 

The not-so-clever tagline, however, underscores that words don’t always translate across cultures.

 

Some might read it as WresTOOLmania—while others see WreSTOOLmania.

 

The latter seems more appropriate, as the concept is shit.

17108: Miller Genuine Draft Genuinely Moldy.

 

BBDO Zagreb in Croatia is responsible for this Miller Genuine Draft Break The Mold campaign. Um, spotlighting urban/street/Black culture in stereotypical style is hardly breaking any mold.

16762: Omnicom Puts The Con In Consolidation.

 

Campaign reported Omnicom—like other White holding companies—consolidated creative White advertising agencies under a single banner: in this case, Omnicom Advertising Group. Gee, there’s a name that screams creativity.

 

The maneuver is not surprising, as Omnicom has coordinated the consolidation and commoditization of creative services for decades. The White holding company mastered Corporate Cultural Collusion, serving a buffet of White advertising agencies to clients, often avoiding a competitive pitch. Why, Goodby Silverstein & Partners was once presented as interchangeable with Fathom Communications. The fact that Zimmerman Advertising is part of the mashup says it all.

 

In recent years, Omnicom even proceeded to consolidate office spaces.

 

Finally, Pioneer of Diversity John Wren tapped former TBWA Worldwide CEO Troy Ruhanen to serve as OAG CEO, completing the Caucasian cronyism consolidation.

 

Omnicom consolidates creative agencies globally under Omnicom Advertising Group

 

EXCLUSIVE: Led by former TBWA Worldwide CEO Troy Ruhanen, OAG aims to scale innovation and knowledge sharing across the holding company’s creative networks.

 

Omnicom on Tuesday (27 August) unveiled the Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG), a new structure that aligns its creative agencies globally under one leadership team.

 

Troy Ruhanen, formerly CEO of TBWA Worldwide, will lead OAG as CEO. Deepthi Prakash, international president and chief product officer of TBWA Worldwide, is promoted to COO of OAG, and Denis Streiff, CFO of TBWA Worldwide, is promoted to global CFO OAG.

 

OAG will oversee Omnicom creative networks including BBDO, TBWA, DDB and The Collective, which includes Goodby Silverstein & Partners, GSD&M, Merkley & Partners and Zimmerman.

 

In addition to TBWA US CEO Erin Riley, who is promoted to fill Ruhanen’s post as TBWA Worldwide CEO, Omnicom global creative agency leaders will report to OAG leadership.

 

This includes BBDO’s recently-promoted global CEO Nancy Reyes, DDB global CEO Alex Lubar and The Collective CEO James Fenton.

 

The new structure will take effect on January 1.

 

According to Ruhanen, OAG aims to bolster Omnicom’s agency brands while scaling access to tools, technology and talent that sits around the network globally.

 

“We know that certain talent are attracted to certain agency cultures, and our clients prefer to have lots of choices rather than just the one solution on offer. So, it’s really important that the agency brands are strong,” he said. “But we have the ability to use scale to our advantage.”

 

With the new structure, OAG leadership will be able to more easily identify and scale existing solutions, platforms or investments across its creative agencies and clients globally. For instance, if a team in Finland or South Africa has developed a cutting-edge platform or way of working, OAG can bring that to clients and teams around the world.

 

“There are a lot of innovations that bubble up in markets that you wouldn’t expect,” Ruhanen said. “It’s a matter of being able to identify those innovations and say, ‘OK, we really think that this is something that’s quite cutting-edge. Let’s move that around the world. Let’s start to educate people about this way of working.’”

 

OAG is a response to AI and digital transformation that has reshaped the creative industry and competitive landscape. Particularly for creative agencies, scaled access to investments in generative AI, data and other technologies is becoming a competitive advantage.

 

“It’s probably more relevant than ever to be able to benefit from our scale,” Ruhanen said.

 

Additionally, as clients seek more integrated and tailored solutions from agencies, OAG will help facilitate access to talent and teams across the network, while simultaneously providing talent with mobility across different agencies and client teams.

 

“In the past, a lot of us tended to hold on to the [talent] that we have because we were fighting for our personal brand success,” Ruhanen said. “How do we really look at getting the best talent for our clients, the best solution and collaborating together?” He pointed to his nearly nine years at BBDO and Reyes’ recent move from TBWA to BBDO as examples of Omnicom’s track record with talent mobility.

 

Omnicom does not plan to merge or sunset any agencies as part of the new structure, and will pitch solutions as OAG or as individual agencies, depending on the client’s needs. “We have far greater flexibility to be able to meet the needs of the client,” Ruhanen said.

 

The model follows a structure Omnicom has implemented in other disciplines, including Omnicom Media Group, Omnicom PR Group and Omnicom Health Group.

 

“The [creative] agency world really is—I wouldn’t say it’s the last area—but it’s close to being that,” Ruhanen said, adding that Omnicom’s creative agencies have already started to work this way behind the scenes.

 

While OAG will add leaders in specialist areas in the months to come, the intention is not to build a “holding company within a holding company,” Ruhanen said.

 

He added that he will judge his own and the group’s success by each of the individual agencies' success, and that as competitors merge agency brands and allow them to fade to the background, maintaining strong brands and cultures is a competitive advantage.

 

“This doesn’t come at the sacrifice of the agency brands,” he said. “It’s there to help them.”

16346: Quotas & Affirmative Action For The Privileged…?

 

This ain’t a new rant, but it’s always worth repeating.

 

Harvard Business Review published a report titled, “How to Effectively—and Legally—Use Racial Data for DEI,” which included the following two paragraphs:

 

To understand how to best act on this complex topic, it’s important to start with the legal foundations. According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it’s illegal to consider any single candidate’s or employee’s race—even with the intention of creating a more diverse, equitable, or inclusive workforce—in any employment decision. Employers can’t create de facto hiring quotas (e.g., “50% of the employees hired in this department must be women”), or “reserve seats” for employees from certain groups, even in the interest of diversity.

 

According to the law, even after the recent Supreme Court ruling, gender-conscious or race-conscious hiring practices are permitted, but only as part of limited, temporary, and highly structured voluntary affirmative action programs, undertaken only if employers find evidence of company-wide or industry-wide hiring discrimination, only to correct the initial imbalance, and only without “undue harm” on members of non-targeted groups (meaning that employers cannot lay off white workers to hire workers of color).

 

The paragraphs explain recent maneuvers in Adland—as well as underscore the systemic racism so prevalent in the field.

 

In 2016, Omnicom President-CEO-Pioneer of Diversity John Wren vowed to double the number of female creative leaders at BBDO within the calendar year. In 2018, Ogilvy publicly declared that 20 women would be hired into creative leadership roles by 2020. In short, White advertising agencies took advantage of legal loopholes to promote White women via voluntary affirmative action programs.

 

Yet despite generating heat shields and performative PR in response to George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement, White ad agencies have not even suggested implementing quotas to increase Black representation. Affirmative action is deemed reverse discrimination. No one has openly pursued the processes proffered by Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall, executing cluster hires to correct the fully acknowledged imbalances.

 

In Adland, quotas and affirmative action are exclusively presented by the privileged—without question or hesitation—to the privileged. It’s systemic racism positioned as progress.

16342: LGBTQIA+Doritos…?

BBDO Guatemala is behind this patronizing Pride campaign for Doritos that proclaims, “Never square minded”—playing off the brand’s triangle logo. Okay, but triangles have straight sides.

 

16217: Procter & Gamble Allyship Or Slave Ship—Or Just Ship Of Fools?

 

Adweek published another perspective from Carta Head of Inclusion, Equity and Impact Mita Mallick, whereby the author positioned Procter & Gamble as an organization that others should emulate for building allyship with the Black community.

 

Mallick has typed editorials on subjects including Black Santa Claus, Black History Month, and colorism, offering reasoned yet unoriginal thoughts—that is, she’s covered familiar terrain with common critiques. Regardless, Mallick deserves a salute for trying to keep cultural topics in the public eye. This latest piece, however, invites some scrutiny. So, here it comes:

 

• For starters, Mallick referred to “My Black is Beautiful hair care brand,” apparently unaware the initiative is not a product line. To be clear, the platform was launched in 2006 with the goal of spotlighting and empowering Black women, supported by a variety of P&G brands. In recent years, the concept has expanded to cover broader Black issues—it has arguably become a heat shield for P&G. Do your research.

 

• Mallick wrote, “P&G shows us that when serving the Black community on an issue as deeply personal as hair care and beauty, you can hire an all-Black creative and all-Black production team. No more excuses. The talent is out there waiting to work with you.” Okay, except that most of the prominent pieces—which received greater attention and budgets—were handled by White advertising agencies. And there’s zero evidence of hiring all-Black production teams. For example, “The Talk” was done by White advertising agency BBDO, who reportedly hired a Black consultant to uncover the insight that served as inspiration for the spot.

 

• Related to the previous point, contrary to Mallick’s implications, P&G does not provide equal opportunities to Black-owned advertising agencies—rather, the advertiser delivers crumbs. No knock against Cartwright Advertising, but the shop is backed by WPP and Grey, longtime sycophants of P&G. Sorry, it wouldn’t be surprising if WPP and Grey viewed Cartwright Advertising as a heat shield of sorts.

 

• Mallick closed by stating, “P&G’s film Unbecoming serves as a best-in-class example and a reminder of how we as marketers can represent and serve the Black community; not with shortcuts or by checking the boxes, but with authenticity.” No, it serves as a worst-in-class example of patronizing propaganda. P&G is probably checking plenty of boxes with My Black is Beautiful.

 

• In summation, Mallick ought to consider what P&G is not doing. The global client has the power to demand diversity from its White advertising agencies, to positively affect meaningful and measurable change in an industry plagued by systemic racism. Instead, the premier advertiser has failed to hold any talks with or alter looks at the offices of predominately White partners, which is quite unbecoming indeed. Oh, and P&G has not helped to elevate the status of Black-owned advertising agencies—ironically, Black shops have not significantly benefited from My Black is Beautiful.

 

P&G Continues to do the Work in Its Allyship Journey to the Black Community

 

The latest campaign film Unbecoming digs deep into consumers’ lived experiences

 

By Mita Mallick

 

In Procter and Gamble’s latest film for My Black is Beautiful hair care brand, Unbecoming, we see Black women and girls slowly and gently undo their hair. The campaign tackles the acceptance of Black women and natural hair.

 

The stunning film joins a series of acclaimed P&G films hitting on the stereotypes and the racism the Black community faces, which includes “The Talk,” “The Look” and “The Choice.” It’s clear that P&G continues to do the work on its journey to be an ally to the Black community.

 

Marketers, it’s time to take notes. P&G reminds us once again that we can represent and serve the Black community authentically, without shortcuts, quick fixes or checking the boxes.

 

Here are three lessons to remember as we race to build products and campaigns.

 

Diversify your portfolio of production partners

 

Too often, I have heard “I’m all for diverse talent as long as they are good,” “It’s a pipeline issue” or “The talent is just not there.” P&G shows us that when serving the Black community on an issue as deeply personal as hair care and beauty, you can hire an all-Black creative and all-Black production team. No more excuses. The talent is out there waiting to work with you.

 

Make hiring an all-Black creative and all-Black production team a priority from the start. Don’t keep that priority a secret; share it with the broader team. Build a diverse slate of agencies to consider, just like you would create a diverse slate of candidates when hiring for a role. Start with resources like Agency Spotter, Agency Vista and WP Engine; they share an expansive list of Black-owned agencies that have expertise in digital, creative, production and more.

 

Make it an ongoing priority to meet with new agencies even when you don’t have a particular project in mind. Because when there’s a campaign you do need help on in the future, you can with intention invite the right partners into your ecosystem.

 

Dig deep into consumers’ lived experiences

 

“When we got this brief, we realized we had never seen undone Black hair and unfiltered Black womanhood celebrated on screen together,” says Cartwright creative partners Chelsea Ceasor and Taylor Whitelow, who led the creative work for the P&G film. The film goes on to tackle all the things “they” (society) tell Black women they need to become: patient enough, desirable enough, manageable enough. And that Black women are taught and told that beautiful is something “we become.”

 

The film redefines what the word “unbecoming” means for Black women; that by unraveling themselves, and their hair, they are free to define beauty as who they are. It ends with: “What’s unbecoming of a Black women? It’s becoming who you are.”

 

As marketers, let’s not forget it’s that powerful insight we uncover that helps us understand how we can surprise and delight our consumers. In order to find that insight, we need to truly understand the lived experience of our consumers.

 

The P&G film reminds us we have a responsibility to help shatter stereotypes of what Black women face every single day. This includes facing white beauty standards that do not represent and reflect who they are, as well as the pressure they face to conform to what society deems is beautiful. We as marketers have the power to help reimagine and redefine what beautiful means in the beauty industry.

 

Deliver products that serve the community

 

“While Black women love the versatility, pride and strength derived from their hair, there is inherent tension there,” shares Lela Coffey, P&G Beauty’s vp for North America hair care. “Through Unbecoming and our My Black is Beautiful products, we are re-affirming our prioritization of hair health for Black women, with formulas that embrace the inherent beauty of their hair texture.”

 

P&G’s journey to be an ally to the Black community doesn’t just include representation of Black women in this film; it also includes representation with products that work for Black women. The My Black is Beautiful collection celebrates Black beauty and culture, created by Black women for Black women. All products are designed to nourish type 4 natural hair, for healthy coils and curls, from styling, scalp care and moisture for natural hair, with specially formulated ingredients like coconut milk, turmeric, ginger, honey and coconut oil.

 

As marketers, let’s continue to educate ourselves on the deep inequities Black women have faced in the beauty industry. According to a recent McKinsey Report, Black consumers are three times more likely to be dissatisfied with their choices for hair care, skincare and makeup vs. non-Black consumers. And addressing these racial inequities in beauty is a $2.6 billion opportunity.

 

We must go beyond just simply casting Black talent in campaigns and sharing their stories; we must also provide products and services that meet their beauty needs. P&G’s film Unbecoming serves as a best-in-class example and a reminder of how we as marketers can represent and serve the Black community; not with shortcuts or by checking the boxes, but with authenticity.

15971: Champion Deserves To Play With Champs, Yet Settles For Chumps.

 

Adweek reported on a new campaign from Champion that hypes the brand as inventor of the hoodie. Sorry, but this does not feel like an accomplishment to tout for motivating consumer interest. A competent planner—and decent advertising agency—might have devised a better game plan. Besides, it’s tough to call out hoodies without thinking of Trayvon Martin, no?

 

Champion Invented the Hoodie Nearly 100 Years Ago. Now It's Ready to Talk About It

 

The brand is looking toward the future as it seeks to engage Gen Z consumers

 

By Leslie Blount

 

Champion is calling an audible on its penchant for modesty.

 

For the launch of its “Be Your Own” campaign, the centenarian athleticwear brand proudly proclaims “Champion invented the hoodie,” the wardrobe staple that’s transcended sports into music, fashion and popular culture since it was created by the brand’s founding family more than 80 years ago.

 

A new spot—produced by agency partner Energy BBDO—is slated to debut on ESPN during the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame football game on Sept. 3 and features a diverse cast modeling a colorful array of hoodie styles.

 

Amid quick cuts of the models playing various sports, the narrator channels his inner hype man to inform the wearer “we invented that,” before declaring they ultimately “make it their own” by wearing it.

 

In addition to ESPN, the campaign will run on linear TV, online and streaming video, in-store displays and across the brand’s social media channels.

 

While many brands might use archival footage to present receipts documenting historic achievements, Champion vp of global marketing John Shumate said the goal was to look toward the future.

 

“We wanted to reach a young consumer,” Shumate told Adweek. “Our data points revealed that [we were] skewing a little bit older. And we wanted to connect with that 14- to 24-year-old. We wanted to let the younger audience know that the hoodies they were wearing were developed and innovated and originated by the Champion brand.”

 

Shumate—who joined the brand a little over a year ago after stints with PepsiCo, MGM Resorts and sports teams including the Miami Dolphins and the Orlando Magic—acknowledged that millennial and Gen Z consumers may not be as familiar with the brand’s history, but they are digitally native, which presented an opportunity to challenge them to get to know the brand better—and to engage with it.

 

“This [campaign] is really just to grab attention, really have the energy. Get people excited and thirsty and hungry for more,” he said.

 

He describes this particular campaign as long overdue. “We have a very rich and strong heritage,” he added. “But one of the key things we realized is that we’re not telling anyone about it. We want to do a better job of storytelling.”

 

That’s in part because the word “champion” is typically associated with success, and the brand is looking to broaden that definition.

 

“We all know that there’s more to life than just winning,” Shumate said. “It’s about playing the game. It’s about the effort in the things that you did to be the best person, and sometimes it’s just going out and just doing your best.”

 

Legacy brand(ed)

 

Originally founded in 1919 in Rochester, N.Y., as the Knickerbocker Knitting Mills, the company was renamed Champion in the early 1920s when brothers William and Abe Feinbloom inherited the business and transitioned it from producing traditional knitted goods to heavy wool knit sweaters that protected outdoor workers from brutal Northeastern winters.

 

The sweaters would later become popular at military academies, before the brothers expanded their product assortment to include athleticwear and began selling directly to college athletes and coaches.

 

Those relationships led to the creation of the hoodie, which was designed in the 1930s through the input of athletes who wanted a warm-up garment to wear while sitting on the sidelines between games and practice sessions.

 

It was also in the ‘30s when the brand revolutionized the flocking process, which allows college logos and screen-printed letters and numbers to be added onto jerseys and other apparel.

 

In fact, the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired one of the brand’s oxford grey Reverse Weave hoodies from the ‘80s for its permanent collection of society-impacting fashion items in 2017.

 

“A lot of collegiate students get introduced to the Champion brand in the college bookstores with our Reverse Weave product,” said Shumate, who called it “the O.G.” of the brand.

 

“We’re a 100-year-old-plus brand, and we’re really trying to establish ourselves for the next hundred years,” he added.

 

Still in the game

 

In addition to celebrating the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Reverse Weave hoodie, Champion also has partnerships in the works with Disney and upscale street fashion retailer Social Status, with whom it is collaborating to design an HBCU capsule collection.

 

The brand was also featured in a challenge on Amazon Prime’s reality fashion competition series Making the Cut, which Shumate said resulted in strong online sales for both Amazon and Champion.

 

But sports are indisputably Champion’s specialty.

 

The company recently expanded its partnership with the Premier Lacrosse League to include the uniforms worn on the field during play, and will continue to work with high schools and small college athletic programs. In the coming weeks, the brand will also launch a page dedicated to merchandise designed exclusively for its college and university partners.

 

For Shumate and the brand, it all falls under a mission to bring community, comfort, celebration—and fun—to whoever makes Champion products their own.

 

“Champion is an authentic athleticwear brand,” he said. “[The Feinbloom brothers] came to the United States and really changed the game. They put the consumer first. And we want to continue to do that.”