The agency’s Amazon ad, “Before Alexa,” starring Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, was a hit with audiences, landing No. 3 on Adweek’s list of 2020’s best Super Bowl ads and No. 7 in the USA Today Ad Meter. The spot also stole some thunder from fellow London agency Lucky Generals, which had created Amazon ads for the 2018 and 2019 Super Bowls.

“Before Alexa” owed its existence to Droga5 London’s excellent campaigns for Amazon Prime Video in recent years, inspiring the client to give the agency “a bite at the Super Bowl apple” and further opportunities, according to chief creative officer David Kolbusz.

“I love being in the trenches with them, from concept to execution,” says Simon Morris, Amazon global ecd. “They are nonstop, super talented, multiskilled, great human beings. You have to invest in creative relationships, and doing so with these guys is easy, a privilege and a pleasure.”

To be sure, Amazon is a highlight, but it’s only part of the Droga5 London success story. With a strong portfolio of brands like Barclaycard, frozen burger maker Rustlers, tech company Setapp and more clients on the way, Adweek’s 2020 International Agency of the Year stayed true to its creative ethos, even during a pandemic. 

Most impressively, though, the Accenture Interactive-owned shop managed 15% revenue growth, 60% of which came from new business across a range of territories. Its new international assignments include Coca-Cola for Coke Energy; the European launch of VW’s new sports car, the Cupra, in Europe; and Kimberly-Clark’s baby and childcare business in the EMEA, Latam and U.S. regions. (Droga5 London won the latter from incumbent WPP.)

“You don’t want to be reliant on one client,” says Droga5 London CEO Bill Scott. “I think that we have a big shop window, if you will. It’s a broader aperture on more of a global scale.”

Work that resonates

Creatively, Droga5 London has a consistent sensibility that often keeps humor at the fore. But with an increasingly global assignment list, Kolbusz notes that universal themes need to come through in a way that is appealing, stands out and is rooted in behavioral truths. 

“We always try to make sure that the work is witty rather than necessarily funny,” Kolbusz says. “Intelligent humor resonates more, and I think that just telling a dumb joke for the sake of it doesn’t resonate or have richer meaning in the human experience.”

Indeed, Droga5’s Amazon canon is filled with pleasant gems, and Setapp borders on the absurd, with everyone in on the joke. In the U.K., the agency’s work for Rustlers could be considered classically British, with bizarre twists and turns that land on a satisfying payoff, revealing that the brand’s microwaveable hamburgers are “better than you think.” 

“[The platform] was validated in research, and already after the first wave, our brand equity scores have increased,” says Adrian Lawlor, commercial and marketing director of the foods division at Rustlers parent company Kepak. “Droga5’s team genuinely cares about getting the best outcome for our team, our brand and our business.”

Perhaps most notable in terms of reflecting the realities of 2020 was Droga5 London’s work for Barclaycard, a three-year client of the agency, mainly focused on coaching consumers on better financial habits, especially the use of credit cards. The work pivoted due to the pandemic without losing its edge, enlisting actor Stephen Graham to show the benefits of the financial company’s app. And armed with research that showed Britons were paying off billions in debt during the pandemic, Droga5 created the “Sidekicks” campaign with comedian Nick Frost, which included advice on paying down debt and managing liquidity in unpredictable times. 

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