Omnicom’s ‘Toy Boy’ transforms local Omnicom office with uniquely-branded ‘Playshop’

• Jian Yang, Omnicom’s Hasbro business lead based in Singapore, drops in to pass on the Allspark of Inspiration to his colleagues in Sri Lanka

Every once in a while, even the most established organisations need a shake-up in order to remain at the top of their game. 

This is the antithesis of the traditional workshop was organised. Titled ‘CHANGE – The Playshop’, Jian used the fundamentals of thinking without barriers to push the limits of creativity. 

“The way children approach a problem is significantly different from how an adult does,” said Jian. “Because of our prior knowledge (or baggage), we seldom dare to truly think out of the box. Ours is an industry of creativity and constantly pushing boundaries of thinking is what gives us an edge.”

On a bright, sunny Friday, the Sri Lanka Omnicom Media Group gathered in the Imperial Room of the Mount Lavinia Hotel, to take on challenges from converting Optimus Prime from a robot to a truck and sculpting figures out of Play-Doh; each with a lesson on how our minds have reacted to society, and are more closed than we imagine them to be. 

The six thought-provoking modules, each dealing with real issues routinely faced by the team, turned into brainstorms to solve specific pre-identified problems in the areas of thinking without barriers, to new business strategies, to client management.

Change was the name of the game as the teams (Media, PR, Digital and Finance) played together to involve, indulge and inspire – all in the spirit of maintaining an open mind.

‘Locally Rooted, Globally Connected’ has always been the mantra of OMG Sri Lanka; with constant innovation as our differentiator. Through the ‘Playshop’, Jian encouraged the concept of creative problem solving, which leads to the ability of turning a negative into a positive and seeing advantage in the midst of disadvantage. 

The ‘Playshop’ was the second phase of a training programme organised by the company. The Omnicom Media Group kicked off the previous month with Brandon Ingram’s acclaimed program Brand On Thinking: Chapter Two – ‘Introspection 101’. An initiative based on the concept of personal branding, which was hailed by the participants as a deep, self-awakening experience.

“At OMG Sri Lanka we firmly believe that our employees are our most important asset,” said Total Media Group CEO Keith Wijesuriya. “Therefore, one of our highest priorities is to make sure that our employees receive the inspiration and encouragement necessary to equip themselves, as we focus on taking the art of creative communications to the next level in Sri Lanka.”

The Omnicom Media Group in Sri Lanka consists of OMD and PHD Sri Lanka, Total PR and Alternaet, the organisation’s digital SBU.