IBM has appointed Stagwell as its new lead creative partner, ending a 32-year relationship with WWP agency, Ogilvy. Ogilvy declined to participate in the review. Code and Theory and Anomaly will manage the account jointly and the move follows IBM naming Omnicom as its global media agency earlier this year. Incumbent, WPP Media declined to participate.

The review prioritised strong creative, strong tech and an ability to help IBM “move in a lot more flexible way, with a lot more speed” than it had in the past, according to Jonathan Adashek, IBM senior VP, marketing and communications.   

Code and Theory and Anomaly will operate as a a unified team to evolve IBM’s long-standing Let’s Create Smarter Business campaign across all global markets.

The first work with IBM’s new creative partners is expected in August. “Flexibility is about taking advantage of opportunities that come quickly and really shortening the creative cycle for us,” Adeshek added.

“What this moment demands is creative force and operational precision simultaneously, at the speed the market now requires,” stated Mark Penn, chairman and CEO, Stagwell. “Code and Theory and Anomaly bring the full range of what that takes, and operating as one team, under one accountability structure, they will deliver it. The convergence of the C-Suite is where this partnership lives, and that’s where IBM will win.”