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Sony has selected WPP's Mediacom to handle media for its worldwide mobile business and support electronics in various global markets.   

Sony only reviewed electronics in select markets, not including the business that IPG’s UM supports in North America and India

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The annual Small Agency Conference and Awards Show, to be held in Portland, Oregon, is just over one month away. So it's the perfect time for a preview of the event program, which will feature a mix of the inspirational and practical, in addition to a special keynote from Wieden & Kennedycofounder, Dan Wieden.

We kick off the day with the NHL Exec VP-Marketing Brian Jennings, who will talk about the league’s latest marketing efforts and the challenge to reinvigorate a passionate but less-than-pleased fan base after a lockout that shortened the most recent season by almost fifty percent.

How do you infuse creative energy into the banking category, one consumers typically find almost as frustrating as air travel? By reinventing it, of course. Lani Hayward, exec VP-creative strategies at Portland’s own Umpqua Bank, will talk about the company’s creative mission and a philosophy that takes inspiration for its branches from the likes of coffee shops and museums.

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Yum brands' Pizza Hut has launched a review for its creative account.

The business has been with Interpublic's Martin Agency since 2009, when the shop succeeded longtime incumbent, Omnicom's BBDO. Martin said that it was defending the account but referred all other questions to Pizza Hut.

"Pizza Hut is continually looking at fresh ways to enhance its marketing efforts and strengthen relationships and points of engagement with pizza lovers. As a result, we are conducting an advertising agency review," said the marketer, noting, "We are thankful for the commitment The Martin Agency has made to our business over the past 3 1/2 years and have invited them to participate in the review process."

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The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Tuesday awarded its first Grand Prix in the innovation category, which was just introduced this year. The category was created to honor pioneering forms of technology that have made ideas possible, and the top prize was awarded to Cinder, a software developed by Cheil-owned digital agency The Barbarian Group. 

What it is: “Cinder” is an open-source platform for creative coding. It’s free to use, and so is the recipe that makes it. Created for “hardcore developers,” it runs on Mac OS X, the iOS and Windows, and was originally created to serve the VFX industry. It is a “toolbox” that lets you program graphics, audio, video, networking, image processing and computation geometry.

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The Philippines has won its first Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity  --  and it’s all thanks to a clever way of making using of old-school technology. Rather than trying to replace old analog cell phones all over the country, an outpost of Omnicom Group's DDB dreamt up a way to make use of them to the benefit of citizens. 

What it is: A simple idea that used old-school cell phones took home the big prize in the mobile category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Tuesday. “TXTBKS,” developed by DDB Manila, won the Grand Prix. The idea was to solve the issue of the decreasing use of textbooks in a country where many people cannot afford tablets or e-readers and where most families own old feature phones. The campaign, done by client Smart Communications, collaborated with textbook publishers to condense books into text messages. Those messages were then put onto old SIM cards, which were repackaged into “Smart TXTBKS,” creating a new brand of textbooks.

The jury: The jury was chaired by Rei Inamoto, VP-chief creative officer of AKQA. He said mobile was an especially interesting category for him because it was so pervasive, but also so new. “I’ve judged a few categories at Cannes and this was the most passionate jury,” he said. “There were a lot of arguments and disagreements.” There were no women on the jury. When asked why this was the case, Matias Palm-Jensen, chief innovation officer at McCann Erickson, said that the problem could only be solved by the press going back to their countries and telling their representatives to change the ratio. He added that in Sweden they are mandated to ensure that half their jury members are female. He also said that he should not have to defend the jury composition. "I don't want to feel uncomfortable as a man," he said.

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L’Oreal has named Firstborn its digital agency of record for its luxury portfolio of brands in the U.S., including Lancôme, Kiehl's, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Clarisonic, Giorgio Armani and Urban Decay.

The selection followed a competitive review during which more than 15 agencies responded to its request for information, the company said.

Interpublic Group’s R/GAis the incumbent on the account, which it won in May 2011. The shop did not participate in the recent review but will continue to work with its L’Oreal Paris client. 

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Nearly every week brings news of an ad-tech firm getting ready to go public, and recruiters say ad-agency executives are increasingly eyed as advisers or board members for these high-flying companies. While such a position can offer prestige, insight and career growth, the arrangements can be fraught with potential conflicts.

Late last month, for example, a pre-IPO securities filing for Tremor revealed that Starcom Mediavest Group CEO Laura Desmond was granted hundreds of thousands in options in the video ad-tech startup for sitting on its board. The filing also showed that clients of her agency group provided a large chunk of the ad tech's revenue. Despite disclosures that Ms. Desmond recuses herself from any business involving both SMG and Tremor, observers decried her role as overly beneficial to her personally.

Ms. Desmond and SMG said they couldn't comment for this story due to a quiet period at Tremor.

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Innocean -- the Korean agency owned by Hyundai Motors chairman Chung Mong Koo and his daughter Chung Sung-yi -- is pushing forth with its quest to be known around the world as more than an "in-house" agency.

While the rest of the ad market eyes Asia and Latin America for growth, Innocean is making its bet on Europe -- a counterintuitive move given the continent's economic woes over the past few years.

“Most people think that opportunity is moving East, but we see Europe as a market full of untapped potential, particularly as the economic climate drives businesses to seek out more creative, integrated and effective ways of doing business," Ike Kwon, president-CEO of Innocean Worldwide Europe, said in a statement. "Innocean is investing heavily in its European operations, and we look forward to reaping the benefits alongside our clients in years to come.”

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One of the campaigns widely predicted to win big in the South of France this year -- "Dumb Ways to Die," a safety-promoting campaign for Metro Trains by McCann, Melbourne -- picked up two Grand Prix awards on the first day of the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

It won the Grand Prix in the PR category, as well as the Grand Prix in the direct category. While it's been expected to perform well at the festival this year, the campaign's win in the PR category will likely be unwelcome by the PR-agency community; this is the fifth year PR has been a category at Cannes, and the Grand Prix has been won by an ad agency all five years.

What it is: This campaign, a public-safety message to encourage people to be safer around trains, was anchored by an original song about rail safety, "Dumb Ways to Die," that positioned dying or getting injured by a train as the dumbest way one could expire. It was released on YouTube as a three-minute animated music video and garnered 20 million views in a week. The song was played by radio stations as music programming and, after the agency released a karaoke version of the song, people started recording their own cover versions. The campaign also had a direct component, encouraging people to pledge to be safe around trains via outdoor billboards, a smartphone game and a children's book. According to the campaign case-study video, the metro has seen a 21% reduction in accidents and deaths compared with the same time last year.

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What it is: There's nothing more passionate than a Brazilian soccer fan. So what if that same zest could be applied to one of the nation's real problems? That was the idea behind the organ-donor push Ogilvy Brazil dreamt up for soccer club Sport Club Recife. Called the "Immortal Fans" organ-donor card, Brazilians were told that their hearts could keep beating for their team -- even after their death, or in the body of a rival team supporter. Cards could be downloaded via an app or received in the mail. The campaign featured real patients on transplant lists. “When my lungs go to a guy from a rival team, he will breathe Sport Club Recife!” exclaimed one donor who was included in the case-study video. There were tearful tales told by others about their lives being saved and program's impact on families. According to the agency, the campaign resulted in 51,000 organ donors and counting. The waiting list for heart and corneal transplants went to 1,000 from zero.

The jury: The 24-person jury was helmed by president Rob Schwartz, TBWA Worldwide's creative president, who is based in the Los Angeles office of the Omnicom Group network. “I'm pleased to say I’ve judged with more women than I have ever in any show, so it’s nice to see that happening," he said. "Thanks to the gals and thanks to the dudes.” In addition to presiding over a diverse jury, Mr. Schwartz laid out some grand rules about how to pick winners. First was ensuring that pieces engaged the consumer and had immediate calls to action. Second, the jury was instructed to look for entries uniquely of this category -- there’s a lot of blur with other categories in the show, and the jury focused on choosing a Grand Prix winner that was decidely promotional. And third, the jury was asked to look beyond examples of good advertising for examples of things they felt "moved by" as humans.

Why it won: Results were a big part of what swayed the jury, and this campaign claimed to improve the organ-donor rate in Brazil by 54%. The campaign also felt like one that could have a lasting impact, which the jury was looking for, especially on the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Lions show. "It's something 60 years from now people will say, 'That was really timely, and yet really timeless,'” said Mr. Schwartz.

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Here’s a puzzler: the same week an agency nails a big account, the CEO leaves.

Bill Ludwig, the chairman-CEO at Campbell-Ewald, is stepping down at the Detroit-based shop after more than 30 years, according to executives familiar with the matter. The agency is expected to tap an internal successor in a matter of weeks. The top contender for the spot? Jim Palmer, currently the agency's chief client officer. Various other execs at the agency are expected to be promoted under Mr. Palmer.

Representatives for Campbell-Ewald said only: "The executive team at CE is in place." The agency's parent, Interpublic Group of Cos., said: "It's our policy not to comment on rumors, especially ones that involve individuals or personnel."

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Samsung is conducting a PR agency review to promote its consumer electronics business globally, according to multiple execs familiar with the matter. 

The move is intended to build a united brand for the group at the corporate level and across regions, the execs said. Samsung's consumer electronics department encompasses smartphones, TV, tablets, cameras and laptops.

The Korean company's representatives in the U.S. didn't respond to a request for comment by press time.

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Two months after exiting JWT New York, creative Ryan Kutscher has launched his own shop. 

Mr. Kutscher most recently served as co-chief creative officer at the JWT office, and before that was a creative director at MDC Partners' CP&B. His time at JWT was short-lived; less than a year after he was appointed to the senior post, the agency parted ways with him.

In short order Mr. Kutscher has landed in a very new place, one that takes him out of the big agency world.

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David Deutsch, who founded ad agency David Deutsch Associates in 1969, passed away today at the age of 84 from natural causes.

Mr. Deutsch built a strong reputation for his agency, transforming it from a creative-service shop in its early days to an agency associated with classy, meticulous print work. By the time his son, Donny Deutsch, joined the firm in 1983, David Deutsch Associates was a full-service agency that represented top-notch brand names such as Pontiac.

Before setting up his agency in New York, Mr. Deutsch had previously worked at McCann-Erickson for 13 years and Ogilvy & Mather for four years. But he loved the independence he had at his own creative boutique, telling Ad Age in 1970, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

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One of the quirky things that's readily apparent about R/GA founder/chairman/CEO Bob Greenberg is the fact that he likes to dress in all black and wear his hair longish and unkempt, under a black fedora, beatnik-style. It makes sense given his creative roots, yet it's a curious ensemble for someone who, more fittingly, should be wearing a cowboy hat.

In the '70s and '80s Mr. Greenberg pioneered his way through the entertainment space creating memorable special effects and titles out of his company R/Greenberg Associates.

Now, his agency R/GA has brought digital to the forefront of advertising with groundbreaking work for Nike, including the Nike+ platform and the more recent Fuelband. The latter earned top honors this year at the One Show Interactive, where R/GA was also named Interactive Agency of the Year. In 2012 Fuelband also earned multiple Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where Mr. Greenberg will be serving as chair of the Cyber Lions Jury next week.

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The Super Bowl this was not.

And it wasn't exactly Coney Island on July 4, either. But you would never have known it based on the wild cheers coming out of a bar in New York's Garment District last night. Instead of touchdowns prompting the applause, it was the first Agency Hot Dog Eating contest hosted by Taykey -- a real-time-marketing startup -- and Major League Eating.

Taykey hatched the idea for the contest to so that agencies could hobnob with one another in a social atmosphere. Major League Eating and hot-dog marketer Nathan's Famous were more than happy to provide the food. 

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As discount retailer Burlington Coat Factory prepares for a brand re-launch, it’s tapped a new agency partner to help: Silver & Partners.

The indie agency, renamed  Silver & Partners from Amlgamated, picked up the creative after a review that began in January. Chicago-based independent Cramer-Krasselt was the incumbent, working on the account since 2008. Cramer-Krasselt declined to participate in the review and declined to comment. Media duties, which are handled by Interpublic’s Initiative, were not affected by the review. 

Silver & Partners will be responsible for developing creative to increase the frequency of shopping visits and boost “top-of-mind awareness” among the brand’s core 25-to-49 year-old value-conscious customers. “As we continue to grow our business we wanted a new partner and a new campaign to ignite customer interest in Burlington,” said Burlington Chief Marketing Officer Bart Sichel. “We have done a good job over the past few years communicating the functional benefits of our brand, but we wanted to develop a richer relationship with consumers.”

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The U.K.’s top creative awards show, D&AD, has given its highest honors to just two advertising entries this year - “Dumb Ways to Die” for Metro Trains, and “Meet the Superhumans” for Channel 4’s Paralympics TV coverage -- boosting hopes of success for both campaigns at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity next week.

At the ceremony in London on Wednesday night, the campaigns each won a Black Pencil, the top award, and also collected a batch of Yellow Pencils in different categories. Of the 51 Yellow Pencils awarded, McCann Erickson Melbourne’s campaign for Metro Trains won five, and the Channel 4 work, by in-house agency 4creative, won four.

D&AD, which awards design as well as advertising creativity, also gave Black Pencils to Thomas Heatherwick’s Olympic cauldron, which kept the flame alight during the Olympic Games in London last year, and to a government website, GOV.CO.UK, for writing and digital design. The latter also earned the Design of the Year nod at the Design Museum's annual awards fete. 

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WPP appears to be winning the battle over CEO Martin Sorrell’s pay package, as 74% of shareholders voted in favor of his remuneration agreement at the group’s annual general meeting today at London’s Savoy Hotel, where the focus shifted to another issue, succession management.

WPP chairman Philip Lader, who will himself step down at the end of 2014, sought to reassure shareholders that a plan is in place to replace Mr. Sorrell, who is 68, when the time is right.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting,  Mr. Sorrell referred to the hit-by-a-bus scenario that is shorthand for the sudden loss of a company’s leader, saying, “We know what we’d do in the so-called ‘red bus situation’ and in the long term situation. Of course I’m involved. We take succession management very seriously in preparation for whatever might come.”

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Fledgling Chicago agency O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul has made its way onto Pizza Hut's agency roster, picking up the creative account for Pizza Hut’s WingStreet brand.

O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul will handle marketing and advertising for WingStreet, PizzaHut’s chicken-wing brand launched in 2003. A spokesman for Yum Brands’ Pizza Hut said the agency “will be providing support for WingStreet as we continue to grow the brand." Pizza Hut last year spent about $239 million on measured media, but less than $2 million was allocated to WingStreet, according to Kantar Media.

Pizza Hut’s lead shop is Interpublic’s Martin Agency, which handled the WingStreet business. The Pizza Hut spokesman said “Martin handled all creative work for us, including WingStreet, and they will continue to support our core business.” Martin did not comment.

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All agencies know what it's like to get that phone call: the one with bad news on the other end telling you a big account is walking out the door. 

That's what Fallon went through today when General Motors informed the shop that after three years, it was being replaced by a trio of Interpublic Group of Cos.' shops: Hill Holliday in Boston, Campbell Ewald in Detroit and Lowe. Together, they form an offering dubbed "Rogue." 

In explaining the automaker's decision to staff, Mike Buchner, CEO at the Publicis Groupe-owned agency in Minneapolis, said it was undeserved and defended the agency's work. General Motors declined to comment on the memo. 

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McCann Worldgroup Chairman-CEO Harris Diamond is continuing to make a series of management shifts in an effort to revamp the Interpublic Group of Cos.' agency network.

His latest hire is Suzanne Powers, who joins McCann from MDC Partners' CP&B, where she served as global chief strategy officer. She takes on the same role at McCann, and succeeds Daryl Lee. He was promoted to global CEO at UM, the network's media arm.

Ms. Powers joined CP&B in 2010 after spending a decade at Omnicom Group's TBWA, where she worked on Nivea, Mars and GSK. 

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Southwest Airlines is conducting a digital agency review, according to people familiar with the matter.

WPP's Kansas City-based VML is currently working on the airline's digital business. WPP's Wunderman also works on various digital tasks. Southwest and its digital shops didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The review follows the appointment in April of Craig Maccubbin as Southwest's chief technology officer and Randy Sloan in May as the company's chief information officer. 

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General Motors is prepping a shift of its Cadillac creative account from Publicis Groupe's Fallon in Minneapolis to a team at Interpublic Group of Cos., according to multiple executives familiar with the matter.  

Cadillac declined to comment, but the General Motors’ luxury division is expected to make a formal announcement within the next 24 hours. 

Interpublic pitched with an integrated agency team -- which it dubbed "Rogue" -- composed of Hill Holliday, Campbell-Ewald; and Lowe . Boston-based Hill Holliday will take the lead on creative and strategic work, while Detroit-based Campbell-Ewald will handle account management. Lowe will work on digital advertising and be tapped to export creative for Cadillac around the globe. The agencies involved either couldn't be reached or declined to comment. 

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Lee Clow's coming back to Cannes.

After a lengthy hiatus, the ad legend is returning to the South of France as the 2013 honoree of the prestigious Lion of St. Mark award—given to an individual for his or her contribution to creativity in advertising. Only Dan Wieden and John Hegarty have earned the award before Mr. Clow.

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MillerCoors has named Interpublic Group of Cos.' Casanova Pendrill as the new agency of record for Miller Lite Hispanic marketing after parting ways with independent shop Lopez Negrete Communications in March.

"Winning with the Latino consumer is critical for Miller Lite and we are excited to welcome Casanova to the MillerCoors team and expect they'll hit the ground running in creating compelling campaigns that drive preference for the brand," Andy England, the brewer's executive VP and CMO, said in a statement.

Costa Mesa, Calif-based Casanova Pendrill, which is part of Interpublic Group's McCann Worldgroup network, ranks as the 16th-largest U.S. Hispanic ad agency with $13 million in revenue, according to the Ad Age DataCenter. The account shift means that Interpublic has recaptured some Miller Lite business after DraftFCB lost the general market account about a year ago when MillerCoors moved Lite to Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi, which still has the account. Media buying for all MillerCoors brands is at Interpublic's Initiative.

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What’s the most popular song at Starcom USA? How about Universal McCann? Or Droga5?

Ad Age and Spotify have launched Resonate to let the ad industry sort through what agencies, marketers and media companies -- and the tastemakers who work there -- are listening to. Resonate, which was designed and built by Portland-based The Brigade, will also track and visualize the trends around their listening habits, from favorite artists and most popular songs to genres and tempos.

Here are five things you can do with Resonate, plus how to join.

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Liberty Mutual has kicked off a creative and media review, according to executives familiar with the matter.

Interpublic Group of Cos.' Hill Holiday has handled advertising for insurer since 2005. Both creative duties and media duties will be part of the pitch, executives said, though there will be two separate review processes taking place. Boston-based search firm Pile & Co. is managing the process.

Hill Holliday declined to comment but confirmed the agency will defend in the review. Liberty Mutual didn't respond to a request for comment by press time.

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Heineken USA has moved PR duties for Newcastle Brown Ale from Formula to Fast Horse, a small independent shop based in Minneapolis.

Fast Horse will be tasked with spreading the news of the brand's ongoing "No Bollocks" campaign, which features lighthearted ribbing of conventional beer-selling ploys, such as fancy glassware and signs. While the campaign gets national TV exposure, the importer's total spending on the brand is relatively modest. It got $5.3 million in measured media support last year, compared with the $76.8 million the importer spent on its flagship Heineken brand, according to Kantar Media.

Fast Horse, which has done work for big marketers such as Coca Cola and UnitedHealth Group, won Newcastle after a formal review that included three finalists. The agency delivered on the "challenger thinking and challenger mindset" needed for a brand like New Castle, said Charles van Es, a Heineken USA senior director of marketing who oversees New Castle and other smaller brands. "We need people who are able to think big [and] breakthrough and still understand the size of the brand and the benefits that come with it. We can be a little bit more provocative."

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Creative executives are a hot commodity at a time when every marketer is looking for big ideas that can boost sales. All that demand means agencies are digging deep in their pockets to compensate the creative department, according to recruitment firm 24 Seven's annual Salary and Job Market study.

The poll of more than 2,000 ad professionals found that 72% of creative execs surveyed saw their total compensation increase in 2013, compared with 69% in 2012. Salaries rose 5.5% on average, compared with last year's lift of less than 4.8%. And more creatives got bumps than those in other roles this year -- a shift from 2012, when there were fewer salary increases for creative executives in comparison with other positions such as account planners or strategists.

The most in-demand creative positions, unsurprisingly, were rooted in digital or mobile. Among them: user experience designer, interactive art director and mobile user interface designer.

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