FWD names DDB as lead regional agency for brand and creative strategy

Pan-Asian insurer FWD has named DDB Group as its regional lead agency for brand and creative strategy following a multi-market pitch against undisclosed competitors.

The agency will support FWD across the region, with the Hong Kong office driving the account. DDB is already at work on a regional brand campaign that will roll out late this year or early next year.

The pitch took place in Q4, and the agency learned of its appointment in Q1. The brand previously worked with Saatchi & Saatchi on a regional basis.

FWD is active in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The company says it has 13,000 agents and 4,100 staff serving more than 2.7 million customers.

“As a challenger brand, we aspire to continue being surprising, fresh and relevant to customers across Asia," Tim Oliver, FWD Group chief commercial officer, said in a release. The company's vision to change the way people feel about insurance starts with a differentiated and exciting brand proposition, and DDB is a "like-minded partner" that's "fearless enough to come with us on the next stage of this journey”, he added.

Andreas Krasser, DDB Group’s chief strategy officer, said the agency is thrilled to be working with a brand that is creating "ripples of change" in an extremely challenging sector and is "a challenger brand in every sense of the word".