Agency news you need to know this week

Another reason to scream for ice cream Rebel Creamery wants you to face some sad realities—and cheer up with ice cream. In a new “Feel Better Ice Cream” campaign, sorrowful ads offer solace through ice cream that contains only one gram of sugar. Created by agency of record TDA Boulder, it's the first major, multi-channel brand awareness campaign for the creamery. The darkly comic ad “Bunny” starts with a girl and her father tearfully releasing her pet bunny into the wild. As she waves a final goodbye, a hawk screeches from the sky and her father quickly covers her eyes from the bunny’s inevitable fate. The ad then cuts to a still that reads “Feel Better” and suggests Rebel Creamery ice cream. Digital ads will call out sad realities such as, “You'll spend an entire year of your life in traffic,” “You're staring at a screen 7 hours a day” or “You’ll spend 1/3 of your life at work” followed by the “Feel Better” messaging. The time-sensitive digital ads coincide with events such as rent day, Mondays after long weekends, disappointing sports games and bad weather. Vital Farms hires Gut Miami as AOR Egg and butter brand Vital Farms has chosen Gut Miami as its agency of record after working with Preacher. Gut is charged with building brand awareness for Vital Farms with its “no gut, no glory” mentality, according to Kathryn McKeon, chief marketing officer of Vital Farms. “Gut approaches creative with courage, transparency, and intuition and they think holistically about our business and how to meet our consumers where they are,” McKeon said. Vital Farms and Gut Miami first worked together on the “Put an Egg on it” Valentine’s Day campaign that included a contest to win a lifetime supply of eggs and ads of couples popping the question with an egg during the so-called “egg-flation” conversation. Michaels names OKRP as AOR Arts and crafts retailer Michaels has hired OKRP as its new agency of record following a review. The independent agency will work to refresh the brand and marketing, including design, visual identity and advertising. OKRP will also help Michaels with strategic marketing, targeting customers beyond traditional crafters. New work is expected to launch in August. Three years ago, the Irving, Texas-based chain began focusing more on the brand's “humanity,” moving away from a reliance on deals in work including a campaign called “Made By You” created with R/GA. Last year, Michaels melded the two strategies together. Colle McVoy obtains B Corp status Colle McVoy is the latest agency to announce it has obtained B Corp certification, and is the first Stagwell agency to do so. B Corp certification is handed out by B Lab as “a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials,” according to the nonprofit's website. “B Corp Certification is vital as we work to create new futures for brands in our increasingly purpose-driven and values-based economy when consumer expectations are higher than ever,” Colle McVoy CEO Christine Fruechte said in a statement. Colle McVoy also pledged $1 million to pro bono branding support for national nonprofit organizations dedicated to sustainability. Last month, Wieden+Kennedy announced its B Corp status. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Just briefly Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has selected Chicago-based agency Tom, Dick & Harry Creative Co. as its agency of record for its Wyndham Rewards loyalty program following a review that focused on creative and strategy. It’s unclear which agency was the incumbent on the account. A new Wyndham Rewards campaign is expected to launch in the second quarter. Global brand consultancy Interbrand has launched a brand integrity and ethics offering, which will operate in partnership with ethics advisor Principia. The goal is to help brands navigate societal and ethical issues including politics, technology and the economy. Doe-Anderson is expanding its Maker’s Mark team by hiring Jennifer Billiot Garrett as VP and strategy director and Alex Goulart as creative director. Lexington, Kentucky-based agency Coomer has hired Greta Pittard Wright as its first chief operations officer and head of strategic planning. She most recently served as a senior VP of production at Wrigley Media Group. Moose Toys has named Crossmedia its media agency for digital media planning, buying and holistic measurement in the U.S. and Canada. The review was led by Mercer Island Group.

Agency news you need to know this week

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