New York Times Ends Relationship with Droga5, Adds 72andSunny to List
The New York Times has ended its relationship with Droga5 and added 72andSunny to its creative roster to work on major brand campaigns, ADWEEK has learned.
The Times said it does not have an agency of record and works with a list of agencies to meet various needs.
“We work with many agencies and have done so for a long time. We will have more to share about future campaigns once they are ready to launch,” a New York Times spokesperson said.
But according to sources, 72andSunny’s job will replace Droga5’s position creating big-brand campaigns for the publication.
“We are excited to work with The New York Times and share a belief in the power of creativity to drive change in business,” said Bryan Smith, director of global strategy at 72andSunny.
Droga5 did not respond to a request for comment.
Building the Truth platform
The relationship between The New York Times and Droga5, which began in fall 2016completed earlier this year.
The agency launched the Times’ “Truth” brand platform in early 2017, shortly after Donald Trump entered the White House, when trust in news institutions hit an all-time low and misinformation began. to skyrocket.
Since then, the campaign has gone through numerous iterations, including “The Truth Is Worth It” (2018), “The Truth Matters” (2020), and “The Truth Takes a Journalist” (2021).
In April, Droga5 launched a campaign highlighting the Times’ breadth of content beyond news, called “More of Life, Brought to Life,” to support subscriber growth.
Changes at Droga5
The shift in The New York Times’ agency relationships occurred before Droga5 laid off 4% of its New York bureau in November, impacting positions of varying seniority in the areas of creation, data strategy, communication strategy and accounts.
The agency is facing a global review of its relationship with Kimberly-Clark, after being named agency of record for its childcare brands in 2019.
Droga5 has also seen some executive departures over the past year. In January, New York CEO Dan Gonda and co-chief strategy officer Colleen Leddy joined new agency Quality Experience as CEO and chief strategy officer, respectively. In July, Lindsay Cole, Co-Head of Account Management, joined Uncommon Creative Studio New York as President.
In August, Droga5 named Mark Green, co-founder and former CEO of sister agency The Monkeys, as head of Droga5 and global CEO. Shovel Sjoenell joined as global creative director in March.
