Agency News

Why Sustainability Doesn't Apply to Ad Creative

Viewpoint: Recycling Ideas Is Simply Bad for the Business

Posted by Tom Sullivan on 03.15.10 @ 08:00 AM

Tom Sullivan

Isn't it great when you come up with a ridiculously smart idea for your client? When, instead of sweating bullets, you're psyched to get into that first strategy meeting to show off your skills and prove to everyone how creative you are? You can just picture the team high-fiving you, saying: "That's it! You nailed it!"

Then, doesn't it suck when someone on the team says: "Dude ... that's been done before. Blankety-blank agency did that for flippity-flap brand two years ago in Argentina."

Destroyed, you dash to your favorite search engine to find the flippity-flap campaign. And you do. And shit, it does look pretty close.

Ari Merkin Heads Back to Crispin to Shore Up Miami Outpost

Will Assume Role as Exec Creative Director After Toy Finishes Winding Down

Posted by Rupal Parekh on 03.15.10

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Ari Merkin will rejoin Crispin Porter & Bogusky as executive creative director in a bid to reinvigorate the agency's Miami office. The move comes as Toy, the New York boutique shop Mr. Merkin co-founded five years ago, prepares to close its doors.

Hiring Freeze Starts to Thaw as Agency Business Hunts for Talent

WPP, Edelman, BBH, OMD Look to Hire; LinkedIn Lists 1,300 Openings

Posted by Michael Bush on 03.15.10

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- After a nearly yearlong hiring freeze and having shed 14,000 employees, WPP chief Martin Sorrell had a bit of good news last week: The holding company is staffing up.

Why the $7B Media-Consolidation Windfall Isn't Good News for Small Shops

Mars, Reckitt, Visa, Intercontinental Put Huge Chunks of Business Up for Grabs, but Mainly Big Agencies Benefit

Posted by Michael Bush on 03.15.10

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- While everyone gripes about procurement, another buzzword in marketers' lexicons is being overlooked: consolidation. Consider that in the past 12 to 18 months, a wave of blue-chip marketers including Mars-Wrigley, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Reckitt Benckiser and Visa have consolidated a total of $7 billion in media business at just a handful of shops.

Ikea Taps Ogilvy for Communications Account

Shop's Hispanic Partner SCPF Will Also Work on Biz

Posted by Natalie Zmuda on 03.12.10 @ 12:28 PM

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Ikea has selected Ogilvy & Mather to handle its integrated-communications account. Ogilvy's Hispanic partner, SCPF, will also work on the account.

Hilton Hotels Puts Creative Biz Into Review

Unclear if Incumbent Y&R Will Defend $51 Million Account

Posted by Jeremy Mullman on 03.09.10 @ 05:03 PM

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Hilton Hotels has placed its creative advertising account in review, a spokesman said.

"I can tell you we are conducting a closed review of a small group of agencies," said a Hilton spokesman. "It's a great opportunity for us to find a partner who can support our global presence."

Carat Picks Up More Work From Pfizer

Pharma Marketer Taps Agency to Handle $250 Million in Media Buying That Was Previously In-house

Posted by Michael Bush on 03.09.10 @ 01:30 PM

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Pharma giant Pfizer has consolidated under Carat all of its media buying for Wyeth DTC brands, industry executives say. The additional business was previously handled in-house by the Wyeth division and is estimated to be worth some $250 million in billings.

Activision Blizzard Drops Crispin From 'Guitar Hero,' Taps TBWA

Marketer Says It Was Impressed With Shop's Work on 'Call of Duty'

Posted by Rupal Parekh on 03.08.10 @ 03:39 PM

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Activision Blizzard has yanked creative duties for its "Guitar Hero" franchise from MDC Partners' Crispin Porter & Bogusky, tapping Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat/Day to market the games going forward.

National Pork Board Selects Schafer Condon as Agency of Record

Seeking New Ideas, Marketer Considers Scrapping Longtime Tagline, the 'Other White Meat'

Posted by Jeremy Mullman on 03.08.10 @ 12:47 PM

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Pork might not be advertised as "the other white meat" for much longer.

Beiersdorf Picks Aegis' Carat For $100 Million Media Planning, Buying

Account Was at Omnicom Group's OMD

Posted by Michael Bush on 03.08.10 @ 10:07 AM

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Beauty marketer Beiersdorf has awarded its $100 million U.S. media planning and buying account to Aegis' Carat after a review that included the longtime incumbent, Omnicom Group's OMD, executives with knowledge of the situation said.

Other shops involved in the review earlier in the process included WPP's Mediaedge:cia and Havas' MPG.

Beiersdorf is the maker of skin-care and beauty products including Nivea, Eucerin and La Prairie. The review began as a pricing exercise between the cosmetic company and OMD back in November. OMD -- which won a media Lion at the annual Cannes advertising festival last year for Nivea's Good-bye Cellulite product line -- referred all calls to the client, as did Carat. Beiersdorf did not return calls before press time.