LA Tourism picks Allied Global for media business

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board has appointed Allied Global Marketing as its global agency of record for paid media planning and buying after a competitive review. Allied Global Marketing is now responsible for increasing visitation to the city by generating awareness and more specifically, conversion in key national and international markets. 

As the tourism industry continues to recover from COVID-19 lockdowns, LA Tourism is focused on programming to draw visitor spending from around the world. In addition to global paid media planning and buying, Allied will provide strategy, SEO and influencer marketing support. The organization is spending $23 million on advertising, according to the agency.   

MBuy had been LA Tourism’s media AOR for almost nine years. Previous tourism campaigns for the city have included a Snapchat filter that brought the LA sunset to eight cities across the country with the help of augmented reality and the #EveryoneIsWelcome campaign from The Many in response to the Trump administration’s 2017 travel bans.

Omnicom Health Group refreshes its brand

Omnicom Health Group has undergone a brand refresh that includes a new logo and other design elements as well as a new brand narrative. The network had not had a “deliberate and creative” brand until now, according to a statement.

The goal is to put DE&I and data more at the center of its departments, which are being rebranded as “accelerators” internally. OHG consists of agencies including Biolumina, DDB Health, Harrison Star, TBWA\WorldHealth and more.

“This reorganization gives Omnicom Health Group the ability to do things other holding companies can’t, such as clinical trial management, advocacy and consulting research,” OHG CEO Matt McNally said in a statement. “We’re digging deeper and finding the value of OHG through the lens of our clients, our agencies, and most importantly, our day-to-day employees.”

Ikea creates anime series to connect with Gen Z

Ikea U.S. is reaching out to Gen Z as they prepare for college with a new anime-style campaign. “Find your Slice of Life,” from Ogilvy New York, is a series showcasing diverse characters in living situations from on-campus dorms to at home with family. 

The campaign, brought to life by the animation studio Clubcamping, evokes the feel-good, homey aesthetic of famed director Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. Characters cook dinner, organize their room or find a place of quiet for studying to the tune of smooth jazz as the ads evoke the feeling that no storage issue is worth stressing over with Ikea. 

The series has launched on TikTok, and in keeping with the tradition of anime, a manga will also be published online featuring bios of each character in the series.

Kraft Heinz hands UK creative work to Wieden+Kennedy London

Kraft Heinz Co. has appointed Wieden+Kennedy London as its creative agency for the U.K., with some work being used for select international territories. 

The first project from the partnership, “It has to be Heinz,” launched last month across the U.K. and Ireland. The out-of-home and social campaign asked consumers to share their weirdest and most-loved food pairings with Heinz tomato ketchup. The campaign was inundated with unusual responses including Yorkshire pudding, popcorn and even bananas. Food stylist Katie Giovanni and photographer Rob Billington lent their talents to the campaign.

W+K London expects more work with Heinz beans, soups and mayonnaise to follow later this summer. W+K New York has been working with the company since 2019.

Book of Hov

Late last week New York-based agency General Idea helped lead the creative direction and design of an exhibit dedicated to the life of Jay-Z. While the exhibit, titled “Book of Hov,” was created in collaboration with Jay-Z’s record label Roc Nation, the Brooklyn-raised rapper wasn’t involved in the project. He saw the exhibit, along with his wife Beyoncé, for the first time last week.

The exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library features artwork, music, memorabilia and work dedicated to Jay-Z’s legacy, 13 albums, and the companies he founded. It includes statues, sneakers, paintings, platinum plaques, trophies and news clippings. Each room is titled based on his lyrics and an audio documentary accompanies the show, alongside a digital exhibition that can be viewed online.

Gravity Global acquires 9thwonder

Global agency Gravity Global acquired  100% of Houston-based agency 9thwonder. 

“Rather than owning a stable of agency brands who have to figure out how to work together, Gravity Global is one agency, with one approach, with integrated practice teams that deliver transformational results for clients worldwide,” Mark Lethbridge, CEO of Gravity Global, said in a statement. “With the integration of 9thWonder we will have more than 500 specialists across 14 locations working together as ‘one-team’ to build our clients’ businesses.” 

9thWonder, which also has offices in South America and Asia, is Gravity Global’s fourth U.S. acquisition in the last 15 months. The company’s client roster includes Embraer, 3M, AkzoNobel, Ameriprise Financial, Honda Powersports, Nemours Children’s Health and Bosley.

Just briefly

Stagwell has acquired marketing and design studio Tinsel Experiential Design. Tinsel, which has clients such as Sony Music Entertainment, Github, Pfizer and Uber, will join Stagwell’s Constellation network of agencies.

The Honey Baked Ham Co. has named Babbit Bodner as its new PR agency of record. The food retail brand previously worked with Edelman.

Wasserman has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CSM Sports and Entertainment. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023.