UM Worldwide

Last Thursday we marked Stand Against Bland Day, UM’s global initiative that unites every market in championing bold ideas, sparking creativity, and celebrating what sets us apart. In Dublin, the occasion came to life through thought-provoking talks, hands-on workshops, exciting challenges, and moments that showcased our philosophy in surprising and energising ways. To Stand Against Bland is to refuse the easy option — it’s about embracing complexity, valuing difference, and leading with courage and originality through increasing automation. A huge thanks to our partners Sky Media Ireland, Mediahuis IRL, and Media Central for making this day possible – and to everyone across UM who is showing what it truly means to Stand Against Bland.

Stand Against Bland Day at UM Indonesia was a celebration of bold outfits, big laughs, and even bigger ideas ✨ We kicked off with an inspiring session from our leaders Roman & Ayu, sprinkled with games to spark creativity. The energy carried into our workshop, where teams battled it out to win coveted briefs and budgets. Nothing was off limits: yes, even a matcha-flavoured condom or a new money-scented deodorant made it to the board! The room was buzzing with unexpected ideas, fearless thinking, and nonstop laughter. In between, we recharged by exploring the aviary park, interacting with animals, boosting our endorphin levels, and returning refreshed. By the end of the day, we weren’t just entertained, we were energized and ready to bring this boldness into our Q4 campaigns. Proud to be part of this global movement, joining UM offices worldwide in saying loud and clear: we stand against bland. #StandAgainstBland #momentUM UM Worldwide UM APAC IPG Mediabrands Indonesia

Stand Against Bland Day delivered! ♥️💗💜💙💚💛 Last week, UM MENAT united to bring our Stand Against Bland philosophy to life, to show how embracing complexity over conformity creates breakthrough thinking. Our Regional CEO Joe Nicolas kicked off the day with an inspiring keynote on "The Age of Intelligence," challenging us to teach AI to amplify what makes brands distinctive, not average. Our Chief Product Officer, James Dutton, FCIM, along with John Tippins, Regional Strategy Director, Léa Koyess, Business Director, and Abdelnabi Alaeddine, Regional Digital Director, then brought the Stand Against Bland Manifesto to life across strategy, innovation, and client partnerships. Transformative workshops and panels with regional partners followed across the MENAT offices, where we surfaced bland habits, reimagined how we should avoid defaults in media thinking, and co-created tangible "Blandness Busters". But the real power? Watching our teams embrace complexity instead of stripping it away. From breakout sessions to cross-regional collaboration, we proved that Standing Against Bland isn't just a mindset, it's something we apply to everything we do, every day, here at UM💥 Swipe to see photos ⤵️ #StandAgainstBland #StandAgainstBlandDay #UMMENAT Susana Tsui Fitzpatrick | Hanan Tabsh | Dina El Houssainy, MBA | Hani Dajani | Mehmet Koyuncuoglu | Omar A Dargham UM Worldwide | UM London | UM Qatar

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chairing the closing panel in the London chapter of Stand Against Bland Day 2025, UM's global day for heroing creativity, innovation and Full Colour inspo. Our session focused on purposeful media. First, we heard from Talitha Marden, who shared an overview of how to bring to life clients' campaigns in ways that deliver positive impact, whether towards inclusion or sustainability. I then hosted a chat with Michelle Halpin from Channel 4, Solomon Thomson from GAY TIMES and Vanessa Vidad from ISBA, who shared their assessment of the latest trends and opportunities in this space. It was a great conversation, full of inspiration, and we had a lot of fun too! Thank you to our fabulous contributors for bringing their perspectives to our day. We also celebrated Solomon's promotion to Managing Director of GAY TIMES, a very happy development, as he is a longstanding friend of the agency. Thank you to Kate Marsom, Leila Norris, Mollie Smith-Halvorsen, Veronica Moro and to everyone who made yesterday such a banger 💥 #FullColourMedia

I had the pleasure of spearheading Stand Against Bland Day in London yesterday - and it has been one of those days that reminded me exactly why I love UM. What started as a philosophy came to life with 160+ of us gathered to celebrate difference, spark bold thinking, and show the real power of our proposition at UM. Leading this was fun - I loved shaping the day, seeing so many fresh perspectives emerge, and proving that Stand Against Bland isn’t just words, it’s how we work. From workshops that unlocked creativity (special thanks to Lee Bofkin DPhil FRSA, Alex Vale and Emma W.), to panels that stretched our thinking on everything from AI and distinctiveness to inclusion and purpose - the energy was incredible. Thanks to our wonderful panellists: Joe Hayes (Amazon), Martina Pozzi (Quantcast), Hrshida Vekariya (Kinesso), Lynn Barclay (Mediabrands Content Studio), Michelle Halpin (Channel 4), Solomon Thomson (GAY TIMES) and Vanessa Vidad (ISBA), who shared brilliant reflections on the opportunities we have to create campaigns with real impact. This day only happened because of the amazing people across UM who put so much passion into it. Thank you Adam Morton, Talitha Marden, Aimee Langham, Joe Ismail, Kayla Jaffe, Alex Vale, Emma W., Enyi Nwosu, Michael Albert Brown - and to Ben McAuliffe, Aeron Corrigan, Jodie Coulson, Andy Duke, Steve Rock and Mariê Borges for stepping on stage to share your takes on what it means to Stand Against Bland. And to the incredible team behind the scenes - Mollie Smith-Halvorsen, Kate Marsom, Leila Norris, James Simkins and Oliver Poole - you brought every detail to life with such care and creativity. This was a beautiful way to close a chapter before heading into motherhood. I couldn’t be prouder of UM, of what we stand for, and of how we showed it yesterday. ♥️ UM Worldwide

Yesterday marked the #STANDAGAINSTBLAND day at UM Worldwide, featuring an insightful introduction from Susan Kingston-Brown on how brands navigate the era of AI and performance advertising. The discussion emphasized that branding is not merely black or white, driven solely by KPIs, metrics, leads and algorithms. Instead, it is the authenticity, the human emotions and experiences generated through storytelling that capture the nuances that differentiate a brand. Mastering data and AI tools is essential for 2025, and the challenge for professionals is to find the balance between being led by AI and being powered by it. Being powered by AI means integrating it into daily business to enhance processes, save time, reduce costs, and find shorter paths to becoming relevant for customers. While our daily decisions are often data-driven, relying entirely on AI for decision-making risks compromising brand identity. Data is crucial for informed decisions, but it is not sufficient on its own. Experience, a desire for innovation, intuition, and gut feelings are vital for making that extra 10% count and truly making a difference. If everyone adheres strictly to algorithms and AI decisions, who will lead the innovation? I am proud that innovation and challenging the status quo are integral to our culture at Porsche Holding and Volkswagen, and we are keen to make a difference and leave our mark. A special thank you to Mihai Trandafir and Victor Croitoru for the opportunity to be part of the panel "What happens if brands play it safe?" alongside Cornel Crihana, Andrei Bereanda and Costin Bogdan .

Juče je bio važan dan ne samo za nas u UM Beograd, već i za UM kancelarije širom sveta. Obeležavajući Dan borbe protiv bezličnosti, okupili smo se da razgovaramo, delimo primere najbolje prakse i razvijamo nove ideje kako bismo zajedno sa klijentima kreirali kampanje koje se zaista izdvajaju. Upravo nas je ta posvećenost različitosti i autentičnosti vodila kroz ceo proces, vrednosti koje su u srcu našeg pristupa i koje se savršeno ogledaju u platformi Full Colour Media.   Hvala svim koleginicama i kolegama na učešću, inspiraciji i energiji koju ste uneli! Zajedno gradimo komunikaciju koja ima boju, ton i karakter.   #StandAgainstBland #StandAgainstBlandDay UM Worldwide

SAB Day Moments (Part 1/2): Teams, Energy, and Colour! Lodestar UM offices united for Stand Against Bland Day—stepping into a space filled with connection and creativity. From Mumbai to Gurgaon to Bengaluru, colleagues across teams brought the 3Vs to life with energising warm-ups, an in depth 3Vs workshop and the first round of learning and activities. Swipe through for candid moments, team vibes, and the energy that kicked off our celebration! #StandAgainstBland #LodestarUM #TeamSpirit #Culture UM APAC UM Worldwide Rajeshwari Narayanan Ankita Deshpande