TBWA\Worldwide Launches OneSandbox

Unique membership-based online resource to showcase and connect brands with diverse creative vendors

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — TBWA\Worldwide today announced the launch of OneSandbox, a curated search platform built to showcase diverse makers and vendors in the creative space, and connect them with brands and agencies looking to develop a more inclusive supply chain.

The TBWA collective of U.S. ad agencies and creative companies have invested over $165 million with more than 200 women and multicultural-owned and operated creative businesses (MWBEs) in the past five years on behalf of its clients. Through OneSandbox, TBWA looks to connect these thriving creators with more agencies and brand partners in an effort to close the opportunity gap for minority suppliers across the advertising and marketing industry.

The platform seeks to make progress in helping diverse entrepreneurs achieve economic equity. Of the 30 million businesses in America, 52% are owned, operated and controlled by a woman or person of color. Yet they get only 6% of domestic business revenues.1

“Today, almost 50% of the country is multicultural, and to say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I can’t help’ is not acceptable,” said Doug Melville, Chief Diversity Officer for TBWA North America. “We created OneSandbox to better inform and better equip our industry peers to do their part to shift the D&I conversation, and make real strides to overcome the disparities for diverse makers and creators. We hope that by making this information easily and readily available, we can eliminate some of the barriers and make some real change.” 

To date, no centralized, unified resource has existed to help producers and creatives locate and explore noteworthy diverse and women-owned creative vendors to bid on projects. OneSandbox works to simplify this process by identifying, evaluating and listing qualified MWBEs. This includes businesses that are either classified or certified by one of several major diversity councils: Women (WBENC), Multicultural (NMSDC), Hispanic (USHCC), LGBT (NGLCC) and Veteran (NaVOBA).

“What’s so powerful about OneSandbox is that brands and agencies will finally have one centralized resource to explore, experience and hire fresh voices and fresh visions that can create work that truly reflects a more diverse and inclusive American audience,” said Rob Schwartz, CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York.

Beyond creative vendors, One Sandbox includes information on more than 40 Diversity & Inclusion themed conferences, 20 D&I award shows, and a real-time aggregated newsfeed highlighting must-read stories from around the web on Diversity & Inclusion, with over 5,000 articles at launch. All of these features are available for public consumption at no cost.

Access to vendor listings is available via subscription to member agencies. Current OneSandbox member agencies include TBWA\Chiat\Day, The Integer Group, GMR Marketing, Eventive, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, The Collective, TBWA\WorldHealth, Nissan United, 180LA, Designory and Engage. The system is also in beta testing across other agencies within the Omnicom People Engagement Network (OPEN), with plans to extend full membership offers across additional Omnicom agencies, followed by the industry at large in the coming year. 

Omnicom SVP and Chief Diversity Officer Tiffany R. Warren commented: “As more and more agencies and clients are looking to increase their spend with women and diverse creative vendors, I’m excited that so many diversity champions within Omnicom could be part of OneSandbox upon launch. It’s important we continue to champion disruptive thinking in this space—and we are excited to have this resource available for our agencies.”

“As a creative who has worked on Madison Avenue and brought that experience and entrepreneurship to start my own shop, Bravely, working alongside TBWA to create OneSandbox was an incredible project,” said Shane Santiago, President and Chief Experience Officer at Bravely. “There is no shortage of incredibly talented and diverse partners out there who rely on partnerships with agencies to grow, yet at the same time, agencies can create really amazing work by partnering as well. So being able to create a community that thrives on that partnership was incredibly meaningful for me personally, having been on both sides of that relationship.”