A partnership to take pride in
One month ahead of Pride (honored annually throughout June), Havas Media Group and Gay Times Group have partnered to start the celebrations early. The two companies debuted an educational awareness program that provides Havas Group’s more than 20,000 employees with real answers to honest questions about the LGBTQ community, “so they can become more aware and informed allies,” according to a statement from the companies. Throughout May, the “Havas Pre-Pride” initiative will answer employees’ anonymously submitted questions in part with links to resources from Gay Times contributors. Gay Times will also provide resources and best practices around the topic of Pride marketing in the current landscape. The partnership stems from Havas Media Group’s Meaningful Media initiative that studies and champions “media that matters most to audiences,” i.e. media that is engaging, trusted and influential.
“We’re passionate about creating LGBTQ+ media that affects real social change, and that’s why Havas’ Meaningful Media initiative was so exciting to us,” Gay Times Group CEO Tag Warner says. “We're so often asked genuine questions that may seem naive but are important to answer if we all want to do better for the global LGBTQ+ community. I hope Havas colleagues will be able to use the information we provide in the coming weeks to push the dial and affect real social change.”
Circus Maximus helps Shack Shack come to your shack
Shake Shack tapped Circus Maximus for a “Stay at Home” social media series. The creative agency says it will be helping the fast-casual food chain develop a social media initiative in response to the “changing market conditions and a desire to bring value to a community of consumers tuned into the digital space during this time.” Shake Shack announced last month it had transitioned to a “to go”-only model—just pickup and delivery are available—like every other restaurant was forced to do as well due to the pandemic. It also introduced a new line of online offerings including the ShackBurger kit, a DIY meal package in partnership with Goldbelly. Circus Maximus will now be spearheading the new social media series, “Shake Shack at Your Shack,” which features weekly episodes such as cook-alongs with Shake Shack Culinary Director Mark Rosati and Executive Chef John Karangis. The content began rolling out across Shake Shack’s media channels this month.
“We had initially engaged Circus Maximus for a completely different product launch campaign, but things changed nearly overnight,” Shake Shack Chief Marketing Officer Jay Livingston says. “We’re grateful for the agency’s ability to pivot quickly and help us deliver content that supports our changing business needs.”
Brief mentions
Connelly Partners, an independent Boston-based shop, was named agency of record for Liberty Bank, a full-service financial institution and Connecticut’s oldest bank. The agency was brought on as Liberty Bank heads into its next phase of growth. The company recently appointed a new leadership team with David Glidden joining from TD Bank in 2019 as president and CEO. Connelly Partners will lead all creative, media, digital and strategy under the partnership. The agency expects to debut its first work for the company in late 2020. Liberty Bank says it chose the agency for “its size, like-minded philosophy and strong strategic and creative process.”
Phenomenon, a Los Angeles independent agency, hired Sandy Song as its first chief client officer. Song hails from 180LA, an Omnicom shop, where she was managing director. Song has also held positions at Deutsch, Team One and RPA. In her role at Phenomenon, she is tasked with “providing a true partnership” to the agency’s client roster. Song will be dedicated to talent growth, development and representation, “understanding that varied experience in both professional and personal backgrounds are critical to shape thinking and informing the work," according to the agency.
Oberland, a New York-based agency, has been appointed by Tyto Care to raise awareness to its services and drive participation. Tyto Care is a New York-based telehealth company that puts “healthcare in the hands of consumers.” The company has a TytoHome handheld examination device that allows for at-home physical exams of the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat, abdomen and body temperature. Oberland is tasked with developing a purpose-driven brand idea to drive sales of Tyto Care products through all channels, including through increasing the number of healthcare organizations it partners with. Colleen Sellers, Tyto Care’s VP of marketing, notes that “telehealth has never been more essential for individual patient care and healthcare workers on the front line.”
Zambezi, a Culver City, California-based agency, announced a new partnership with Traeger Grills, as well as a fresh brand platform and pandemic-related campaign, which conveys the message “you don’t have to go out for great food; you just have to go outside.” Under the partnership, Zambezi will handle all cross communications, creative and media for Traeger Grills, “the original wood fire grill.” The partnership kicked off with a new brand platform: “Welcome to Traegerhood,” which shows how the company’s products “can bring grilling fanatics together to share in a more flavorful way of life,” according to Zambezi.
Joan, an independent New York agency, opened Joan Studios, a production arm. The studio specializes in full-scale shoots and direct-to-client productions including TV commercials, video content, documentaries, online advertising, social, gaming and photography. Joan says the studio also has a remote production model in place due to the pandemic, working with creators from their respective locations to develop video, CGI, motion graphics, photography, collage and hand-drawn art and illustration. The agency hired Daniel Marin, an ex-consultant and veteran of Publicis and WPP, as president of Joan Studios.
Match Marketing Group, a North American consumer engagement agency, bolstered its U.S. and Canada creative teams with two senior hires: Eric Moncaleano, executive creative director of North America, and Gary Westgate, VP and head of creative for Canada. Moncaleano will be responsible for overseeing creative for Match’s clients in the U.S. and Canada including Ford, PepsiCo, Nestle, LG, Diageo and Adidas. He most recently was senior VP and executive creative director of Publicis North America. Westgate will lead the creative department for Match’s Toronto-based operations and report to Moncaleano. He most recently was leading his own creative consultancy and prior to that was a creative director for Anomaly in Toronto.