The community, a cross-cultural, global creative ad agency that’s part of the Publicis family, is opening an office in London.
Based on Great Titchfield Street, the new office launches with a small group of clients, including Tesco Mobile and Britain’s Beer Alliance. In addition, the London agency recently won a global pitch for a leading beauty brand in partnership with the Miami office.
This expansion comes off the back of several successful years for the community (still la comunidad in Buenos Aires), which has seen the agency nearly triple in size. 2016 was the agency’s biggest year yet, posting over 50% growth fueled by existing clients and key new business wins such as General Mills and Verizon. The agency has also continued to build on its creative reputation by amassing more than 100 awards in the last 12 months alone and a Grand Prix in Cannes in 2015.
“The community’s expansion into London isn’t just the product of growth, it’s the product of something bigger,” said agency co-founder Joaquin Mollá. “José and I have respected the work from the UK our entire career and admired how involved clients are in making great ideas come to life. It’s a dream come true to open in London and be a part of that dynamic.”
“We always believed that our approach to culture was relevant on a global level,” said co-founder José Mollá. “What better way to make that a reality than opening an office in London.”
The office opens its doors in the UK with Mark Hunter as executive creative director. He will lead the creative effort in London and help grow the community into a truly global, culturally-driven creative boutique. Hunter was a partner and chief creative officer at Deutsch LA while also serving stints at TBWALondon and Havas London.
The community believes that today’s world is more culturally complex and digitally savvy than ever, especially with younger generations. This reality has a profound impact on brand-building and has changed the nature of the problems brands are trying to solve.
“These guys live at the intersection of creativity, culture and technology,” said Gaston Legorburu, chief strategist at Publicis.Sapient and executive sponsor for the community, “It’s what’s been driving their growth in the Americas. It’s not a specialty; it’s just who they are.”
Headquartered in Miami, the community also maintains offices in New York and Buenos Aires. The shop has created work for such brands as Verizon, BMW, VW, Google, Sauza and Hornitos Tequilas, Apple, Converse, Corona Extra, Modelo Especial and ESPN.
Canada orders TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved but won’t block app
Canada announced Wednesday it won't block access to the popular video-sharing app TikTok but is ordering the dissolution of its Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind it.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is meant to address risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
"The government is not blocking Canadians' access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice," Champagne said.
Champagne said it is important for Canadians to adopt good cybersecurity practices, including protecting their personal information.
He said the dissolution order was made in accordance with the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments that may harm Canada's national security. He said the decision was based on information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada's security and intelligence community and other government partners.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of local jobs.
"We will challenge this order in court," the spokesperson said. "The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive."
TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny... Read More