Talented and Nice.
At DDB, you will find people driven by passion and a relentless ambition for excellence. It goes back to Bill Bernbach’s policy of hiring ‘talented and nice’ people. If you have one and not the other, you simply don’t make the cut. It defines the way we behave, the way we treat each other and the way we partner with clients.
Four Freedoms
Nurturing our talent do the best work of their careers means providing an environment that encourages creativity, one that provides the freedoms creativity needs to flourish. To achieve this dynamic environment, we have four core values that are intrinsic to DDB that we call The Four Freedoms. To ensure environments that are inclusive, supportive, and accepting for all, we have five key behaviors that translate into everyday actions.
Freedom from fear
The most innovative work comes from brave thinkers, not timid souls. We will inspire courage in each other if we act with positive intent, share accountability, and have each other’s backs when things get tough.
Freedom to fail
To stretch the limits of what’s possible and create unexpected work, we will embrace failure. Not with reckless abandon, but with the intention of exploring new and untested territories. When an experiment fails, it’s an opportunity to learn, not to blame.
Freedom to be
DDB is a place to grow personally as well as professionally. If we bring our whole selves to work, and combine our unique perspectives and passions, we will make each other more interesting. We’ll enjoy the space for personal fulfillment, laughter, joy and celebration. And it will show in the things we make.
Freedom from chaos
We all deserve to be treated like our time and energy are valuable. Together we will strive to make the objectives clear, the processes simple, and the workplace free of unnecessary drama, so we can focus on what we do best and love most.
Defined by No Duplicates
Today, as ever, a vital source of inspiration is the diversity of our people. Bill Bernbach, from the very beginning, was determined to build an agency where difference was viewed as essential fuel for a culture sparking with creativity.
He once observed: “We don’t care about how people dress or what they do after work or how they vote. We just demand quality from them.” Creativity thrives on diversity, and our goal is to build an agency where no one is quite like anyone else. Our mantra is ‘No duplicates.’
We look for diverse people and perspectives at all levels in our agencies and in the partners, we work with, determined to attract top talent to create genuinely equitable, inclusive environments. Places where everyone strives for fresh perspectives to keep Unexpected Works emerging, surprising and resonant with our evolving audiences.
We embrace differences in our workforce, in the way we work, and in the work that we do at DDB. We recognize that Unexpected Works needs unexpected talent. It’s rooted in our DNA – after all, DDB invented the copywriter and art director duo, believing that our strength lies in our differences.
We aspire to have greater representation and respect for diversity across all dimensions, visible and invisible, driving equitable outcomes where all employees can belong, contribute, and thrive. We have six employee resource groups (ERGs) to unite our community:
