Trail-makers: wob's 38-Year Journey with BBN International, with Carola Hecker

Welcome to our Trail-makers series - special episodes celebrating the incredible agencies that have shaped BBN's rich history. These episodes honor those relationships and reflect on how they've evolved over the years and benefited from being part of BBN, as we build towards BBN's 40th anniversary celebration in 2027.

Today we celebrate wob and their remarkable 38-year partnership with BBN - the longest partnership we have, beginning in 1987 the same year BBN was founded as one of our founding partners. We're joined by Carola Hecker, their Client Services Director, who has spent several years on the BBN advisory board.

In this milestone episode, Carola Hecker reflects on wob's extraordinary 38-year journey as one of BBN's founding partners, starting from 1987. She shares how BBN has evolved from being "nice to have" like a hotel swimming pool to becoming a core element of what wob offers and a key driver for their success. Carola takes us through memorable moments including hosting the annual agency meeting with a medieval castle banquet, and details their complex global campaign for WEG - a $7 billion Brazilian company - that showcased true matrix collaboration across continents. The conversation explores how BBN has grown more business-oriented while maintaining its inspiring and colorful culture, and reveals the personal leadership lessons learned from working in this international environment.

Key Points:

• From Founding Partner to Core Success Driver: How BBN evolved from a "nice to have" service to a core element of wob's offering over 38 years
• Personal Connection Through Shared Experiences: Building lasting business relationships through memorable events like medieval banquets and getting to know people beyond job titles
• Matrix Collaboration in Action: Managing a complex global campaign for WEG with 120 users across four user groups, with different agencies leading specific expertise areas
• Cultural Intelligence in Global Work: Learning that "culture eats the best intentions for breakfast" and adapting leadership style for international environments
• Business Evolution: BBN feeling "more grown up" today - still fun and inspiring but significantly more business-oriented with sharpened methodologies and aligned processes
• Knowledge Exchange Beyond Geography: Gaining insights from Japanese business etiquette through BBN partners to better serve European clients