At adam&eveDDB, Brynna Aylward Is Embracing a Challenger Spirit

Last month, adam&eveDDB announced that Brynna Aylward would be joining the agency as chief creative officer across its New York and West Coast offices. Brynna joins the team off the back of almost five years at GUT where she was instrumental in delivering work for one of Canada’s biggest brands (Tim Hortons), alongside other household names including Microsoft and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. 

Brynna’s arrival at adam&eveDDB also means that, for the first time, the agency has a CCO operating outside of its London office. Her approach to creative leadership is to treat it like a craft - akin to copywriting or art direction - and it’s something that she’s been cultivating throughout her career up to this moment. 

To find out more about her plans for adam&eveDDB across the US, and why now was the right time to make the move, LBB’s Adam Bennett caught up with Brynna… 

LBB> Brynna, congrats on the new role! Why was now the right time for you to make this move to adam&eveDDB? 

Brynna> Thanks so much, excited to be chatting! 

adam&eveDDB is at a pivotal moment right now, particularly in the US. There are powerful brands that are eager to do great work, a lot of incredible talent, and a passionate and driven leadership team - really, what more could someone ask for? 

LBB> And what’s exciting you most about overseeing the agency’s creative direction out of New York and the West coast? 

Brynna> I’m most excited by the energy of the team. They’re hungry. Hungry for opportunities, for briefs, and to create work that makes an impact. It feels like adam&eveDDB US has something to prove, to the market, to our clients, and to ourselves. And to me, that’s a really exciting place to be. 

LBB> What would you say are your top priorities for the role? 

Brynna> My top priorities are always to support my people and make great work. In the short term, that means helping solidify and define the internal culture here in the US - a combination of the adam&eve challenger spirit with the storied DDB legacy; and pushing for work that really makes people feel something. 

LBB> What kind of impression did you have of adam&eveDDB’s work as an agency before you joined? 

Brynna> I’ve been a huge fan of adam&eveDDB for years - from John Lewis to Harvey Nichols to Marmite. The ability to make work that transcends a ‘house style’ and just simply connects with people is the ultimate goal in my mind. 

LBB> I understand that you see creative leadership as a craft in its own right. So, how do you hone and practise your creative leadership? 

Brynna> While there are many incredible books, articles, and podcasts about leadership that have taught me a lot, for me the real practice is learning from the people around me, figuring out what motivates them, helping them problem solve, and having transparent conversations about things that are working and things that aren’t. 

The easiest (and the most challenging) part is just making it a priority. In the daily onslaught of ‘fires’ and ‘more important’ things, just taking the time to talk about how we’re leading, what issues are coming up, and how we can get better can make all the difference.

LBB> Has your approach to creative leadership changed at all over the course of your career so far? Is there any part of the role that you feel you put a greater emphasis on now, for example? 

Brynna> As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve grown to value candour more and more. In going from the Midwest to Miami to Canada to NYC, I’ve found that cultural norms and approaches vary, but the necessity and ultimately the kindness of transparent feedback is consistent. Delivering it is how I’ve grown as a leader and how I’ve helped my people grow and it’s something I’m always working to get better at.

LBB> To what extent would you agree with the following statement: “It’s never been more difficult for brands to cut through the noise and be heard than it is in 2024”? 

Brynna> I think this is true to an extent based on the sheer volume of conversation out there. But just like any time in history, compelling ideas always have the power to break through the clutter. 

LBB> Finally, imagine we were to have this conversation again in a year’s time. What do you think we’d be talking about, and why? 

Brynna> Well, let’s definitely chat again in a year and see, but I’m going to manifest that you’ll be talking about how far adam&eveDDB US has come in the last year, how much great work we’ve made, business we’ve won, and all the rising stars on our team. 

I’ll probably be thinking about how far we still have to go to reach the high bar we’ve set for ourselves, the agency, and the work.