JCPenney consolidates media business

JCPenney has named Dentsu X as its U.S. media agency of record following an internal review. The appointment marks an expansion of JCPenney's relationship with Dentsu X, which worked with the retailer for 17 years “largely in the search and performance media space,” according to a statement by the agency. 

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Dentsu will now handle all of JCP's media buying and planning across platforms. That business was previously handled by OMD Worldwide, which declined to comment.

The 120-year-old retail chain has had its fair share of struggles lately. In 2020, JCP filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, from which it emerged after its acquisition by Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners later that year. As of now, there are 689 JCPenney locations in operation, down from more than 1,110 in 2012.

JCP spent $85.8 million on U.S. measured media in 2021, up from $69.6 million in 2020, but still lower than the $203.5 million it spent in 2019, according to Kantar.

This new business win comes on the heels of Dentsu X US being named Santander Bank’s U.S. media agency earlier this year.

"Dentsu has evolved with us through many different phases of the JCPenney brand, always with a focus on performance,” said Bill Cunningham, VP of marketing, JCPenney. “We’re eager to scale up the agency’s responsibilities and leverage their people-based approach across our media strategy to drive relevancy for our customers and ultimately fuel growth.”

Dream floor

LL Flooring, formerly Lumber Liquidators, has named Barkley as its agency of record, consolidating its creative and media business under one agency. Fallon, which led the company’s rebrand last year, previously served as creative agency of record and Zimmerman as media AOR.

“After our rebrand to LL Flooring in 2021 we were looking for a partner that could not only help us develop great creative, but also develop and manage brand and media strategy as we seek to provide the best customer experience from inspiration to installation,” said Mike Dauberman, chief growth officer at LL Flooring. “The partnership and strategy go hand-in-hand with our plans for aggressive growth.” 

The agency’s “Dream Floor” campaign, the first from the new partnership, includes multiple spots showing different consumers finding the floor that fits their needs whether they have kids or a dog, or are shopping on a budget.

Crunch names a new AOR

Crunch Fitness has named Richmond, Virginia-based agency Familiar Creatures as its creative agency of record, expanding on the shop’s project-based relationship with the fitness chain. Familiar Creatures launched Crunch’s “Crunch Mode” campaign earlier this year.

Following the launch of the campaign, the gym company experienced a 28% increase in leads and a 6% increase in memberships in the first quarter of this year compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. It also showed double-digit jumps in year-over-year membership and revenue, according to the agency.

This is Crunch’s first AOR relationship after having worked with Strawberry Frog, Code and Theory and VaynerMedia subsidiary Sasha Group on a project basis, according to a spokeswoman for Familiar Creatures. The agency will release more work for the brand later this year and next, including a new TV spot and national radio work.

"Familiar Creatures helped us reintroduce Crunch to consumers ready to get back to the gym with entertaining, memorable, and effective work highlighting the fun, value, and variety we bring to fitness,'' said Chad Waetzig, executive VP of marketing and branding at Crunch. “It only made sense to cement our partnership so we can continue to make work like that for years to come."

The gym chain’s ad spending has stayed relatively the same over the past few years. In 2021 Crunch spent $1.1 million on U.S. measured media, slightly down from $1.2 million in 2020. It spent $1.1 million in 2019.

Bakery flies away with Arajet account

Arajet Airlines, a startup based in the Dominican Republic focused on providing low-cost flights in the Caribbean and North and South America, has named Bakery as its agency of record handling creative. Ken Media, Bakery’s newly launched media agency, will handle media planning and placement.

The airline is backed by Bain Capital and Griffin Global Asset Management and is expected to commence operations from Las Americas International Airport of Santo Domingo with flights to the Caribbean islands and Central America starting this spring. Arajet expects to add flights to key North American markets later this year, including New York, Boston, Miami, and Chicago. In total, the company will launch with 25 routes in American port cities and the Caribbean.

The decision was made after an internally-led RFP process that included agencies BBDO, Publicis, Ogilvy, and The Table as participants, according to a statement by Arajet.

Publicis U.K. promotes a new CEO

Publicis Groupe U.K. has appointed Chris Kay as the new CEO of its creative practice, overseeing Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas, Leo Burnett, Publicis Poke, Octopus, PGOne and Turner Duckworth. Kay, who will also remain as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, succeeds Magnus Djaba, who was named global chief client officer in November 2021. Kay joined Publicis in October from 72andSunny, where he spent nine years as a global partner and five years in the Stagwell Group's Los Angeles office, where he was managing director before setting up its Asia Pacific offices as CEO for the region based out of Sydney and Singapore.

Proud DNA

Seattle-based agency DNA has become a certified LGBT Business Enterprise, earning the distinction through the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and is now recognized as an LGBT-owned business. The agency has also recently launched the “Come out to Work'' initiative meant to support more LGBTQIA+ individuals to come out at work. 

“Our agency has worked really hard to be true to the ethos of diversity, equity and inclusion with an emphasis on accountability—which to us means walking the walk,” said Chairman Alan Brown, a majority owner at the agency.

As part of the #ComeOutToWork program, the agency asks people to submit videos of themselves talking about what motivated them to come out at work, how that’s made them more authentic and how their journey is going. The videos will be shared on the “Come out to Work” Instagram page in June for Pride month. Videos can be submitted here.

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Just briefly

Tombras has named Juan Tubert as its first chief technology officer. Previously, Tubert served as senior VP of technology USA at R/GA, where he worked for the past 17 years.

Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp., also referred to as "Ski Town U.S.A.," has named Fortnight Collective as creative agency of record. The first work from the partnership will launch this fall.

Independent media agency Noble People has brought on Melanese Richens-Moody as its first chief people officer. Prior to her new role, Richens-Moody served in various talent development and HR roles at agencies including Hearts & Sciences and M&C Saatchi.

Denon Electronics has named Brooklyn-based Madwell as its first creative agency of record following a pitch led internally. The first global brand campaign work for the brand will break in the second half of 2022.

Verizon’s digital wireless carrier brand Visible has named Gut Miami as its social media agency of record. The agency will lead Visible’s content across all social channels including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The scope also includes content and channel strategies, cultural insights, content mining, community management and more, according to the agency. Gut will also be responsible for Visible’s content-led creative campaigns. 

Milwaukee agency Hanson Dodge hired two people for newly created positions. Sara Theis joined the agency in the role of account director, overseeing the agency’s expanded Keen footwear assignment, as well as its newly added Colectivo Coffee and Grand America Hotels & Resorts businesses. Mason Widmer joins as senior media strategist, primarily responsible for the agency’s newly added Now account along with other media businesses, according to a statement by the agency.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism has hired Chicago-based agency Two by Four as lead agency for social, email marketing and website development.

Contributing: Keira Wingate