There are wildly creative agency self-promos and swaggering (read: rather quite dull) ones. Twenty, a Danish hybrid between a strategic consulting firm and a creative agency, has gone for attention in a strikingly different way. It’s an op ed about tackling one of the biggest issues in the advertising industry today, stress, burnout, and work-life balance.
It begins, “At Twenty, all employees have small children. “It has to be possible to be a woman, mother, and partner in the advertising industry without facing burning out,” says co-founder, Farah Dib (ex Droga5).”
Here is Twenty’s story:
In recent years, the agency has created major campaigns for Volkswagen, Toms, FCK, and adidas, and it has just secured deals with Nestlé and Velux. It’s busy. Yet, the agency manages to maintain a focus on well-being, diversity, and flexibility in everyday life for all employees. How does that work?
Many perceive the advertising industry as male-dominated, with daily life full of tight deadlines, strict budgets, and stress. This is an image that Farah Dib, co-founder of Twenty, recognises from previous jobs. While Twenty also moves at a fast pace and strives to make a positive difference for its clients, according to Farah, there’s still room for flexibility, diversity, and family life in the day-to-day.
The agency was founded in 2020 by Farah Dib (partner & co-founder) and Thomas Bjerg (partner & co-founder), both of whom have many years of experience in the advertising industry. Farah comes from London agencies Droga5 and AKQA, and Thomas is the founder of VERY (sold to Egmont in 2018) in Denmark. They missed an agency that offered both international scale, meaningful projects, and a good balance between personal and professional life.
With Twenty, they have built an agency that promotes flexible work environments and views diversity as a competitive advantage. The entire creative team consists of women, and there’s also space for freelancers with side music gigs, artists with personal projects, and parents who want to spend quality time with their children.
Attracting Talent from Around the World
The agency’s creative core consists of Ioana, Lea, and Farah, who have all played key roles in successful campaigns like Volkswagen’s Always On A Roll and FCK/adidas’ FCK Forever. These three women have vastly different backgrounds and were born in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, respectively, but met while working at one of the world’s leading advertising agencies in London.
“We’ve all experienced working at large agencies where late nights are expected, and burnout is almost inevitable at some point. That kind of culture is simply not compatible with a healthy family life, and that’s why I chose to start a new agency with Thomas—one with a different culture. I was lucky to bring along some of the industry’s most talented creative women,” says Farah Dib.
Quality and Well-Being Drive Greater Success
With a leadership focus on fostering well-being and giving employees room to pursue personal dreams, the agency has struck a balance that offers both a competitive advantage and the ability to attract large commercial clients and international senior expertise.
According to Twenty’s founders, this formula is what will secure the agency’s long-term position in the Danish advertising industry, where clients are increasingly demanding flexibility, creative innovation, and long-term collaborations with loose contracts, all focused on projects and results:
“The setup that both we and our clients are increasingly seeking provides a lot of freedom and flexibility, which can translate into well-being, energy, and, ultimately, greater quality in creative projects. It’s a strategy that makes perfect sense for us, and so far, it’s been a great success,” concludes Farah.
The agency, now celebrating its 4th anniversary, has built a strong portfolio of cases with key clients, focusing on creative quality, professional execution, and where brand community plays a central role.
Here’s a glimpse of the work a female-led agency with work-life balance can create:
