News

TBWA deletes Whybin name just months after founder’s departure

Barely five months after the retirement of Whybin\TBWA founder Scott Whybin from the agency he launched 20 years ago, TBWA has subtly dropped his name from the agency over the weekend.

Scott WhybinThe move was made with no fanfare as part of a release announcing a campaign for new client, Virgin Mobile.

A PR source initially told Mumbrella that the Whybin name was missing from the brand due to an oversight.

“It was just left off”, the agency spokesperson told Mumbrella.

However, CEO Paul Bradbury later confirmed the decision to remove Whybin’s name from the company.

“Going forward the agency will be known as TBWA Sydney, TBWA Melbourne and TBWA Auckland,” Bradbury said.

Whybin announced his retirement from the agency he founded in April, explaining that after 21 years the last thing he wanted to be doing was just ads.

The adman was one of the early success stories to come out of The Campaign Palace in Melbourne in the 1970s and 1980s, helping TBWA establish its Australian beach head.

The erasing of Whybin’s name from the agency marks the second time TBWA has expunged a founder from its brand.

The group removed reference to the late Neil Lawrence from Whybin Lawrence TBWA’s Sydney office after the late adman left the agency in 2004.

Scott Whybin said he plans to set up a new operation that would not be defined by the traditional conventions of advertising.

“There are a lot of things I want to do and you can’t do that in the traditional agency structure,” he said.

“There is a restlessness in me and the landscape has changed so much.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.