72andSunny wins Wilson creative business

Wilson Sporting Goods Co. selected 72andSunny as its creative agency, making it the company’s first brand-level creative partner. The news, announced by Wilson and 72andSunny, comes as Wilson parent company Amer Sports files for an initial public offering. 

The partnership is the next step in the evolution of a brand already known for sporting equipment—aided in part by the Wilson volleyball that famously costarred in “Cast Away” with Tom Hanks over 20 years ago. With 72andSunny, the company is now focused on strengthening its brand equity and raising awareness that Wilson is the official ball of the NBA, WNBA, NFL and U.S. Open. 

“It’s time we convert our hard-earned equipment trust into brand lust,” Amanda Lamb, VP of brand at Wilson, said in a statement. 

72andSunny is responsible for creative and brand strategy. The first campaign is expected to launch in 2024. 

The Ad Council and CDC warn of prediabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnered with the Ad Council to celebrate World Diabetes Day by reminding Americans to “Be Your Own Hero.” The campaign, created by Subject Matter+Kivvit, encourages viewers to take the prediabetes risk test. 

In the 60-second spot, the viewer follows an adventurer as she races through a forest before sinking into a pit of quicksand. As a voiceover warns, “Even the mighty might not see it coming,” the woman thinks fast and takes the one-minute prediabetes risk test, saving herself.

The PSA is the latest in the “Do I Have Prediabetes?” initiative, which first launched in January 2016. 

Dow Jones picks three agency partners for ad business

Publisher Dow Jones has named three agency partners following a review that began in March. Mother will lead creative and strategy; Mediahub will field media; and EG+ will handle production.

The review, which was led by Oystercatchers, included the development of an in-house acquisition media team and “centralizing” the company’s marketing operations across its portfolio to improve “consistency and efficiency,” according to a statement by Dow Jones.

Dow Jones is the publisher of publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and MarketWatch. It is also the owner of business intelligence products such as Factiva, Risk & Compliance and OPIS,

Omnicom collabs with Getty Images for generative AI

Omnicom is collaborating with Getty Images to receive early access to the media company’s Generative AI by Getty Images, which launched in September. The new tool uses Getty Images creative content for commercially safe and legally indemnified generative artificial intelligence content. 

As part of the Alpha testing program, Omnicom has integrated Generative AI by Getty Images into its Omni open operative system to give agency teams a commercially safe way to create content for clients. The agency will also be able to customize outputs using clients’ proprietary data for branded campaigns. 

The partnership is just the latest investment Omnicom has made in the future of AI. In June, the company announced a partnership with Google to use Google’s generative AI models in the agency’s ad tech. 

Church & Dwight retains Wavemaker as its U.S. media agency

Church & Dwight, the owner of brands such as Arm & Hammer, Trojan, OxiClean, Nair, Spinbrush, First Response and Vitafusion, has retained WPP's Wavemaker as its U.S. media agency of record following a competitive pitch. 

Church & Dwight led the pitch internally.

“Through data-driven insights and innovative strategies, the Wavemaker team demonstrated that they are very good at navigating the complexities of the digital marketplace to drive demand for our products,” Barry Bruno executive VP, chief marketing officer and president of Church & Dwight, said in a statement. “We were particularly impressed with Wavemaker's holistic approach to media, commerce and content to strategically reach audiences at scale.”

This move continues Wavemaker's 18-year relationship with the marketer.

Just Briefly

Omnicom Media Group’s OMD appointed Suzy Ryder as its U.K. CEO. Ryder, who served as a chief digital officer at OMD UK since 2021, replaces Laura Fenton, who was recently named the CEO of OMG U.K. The agency is currently looking for a replacement for Ryder’s previous chief digital role.

OKRP hired Rony Castor as group creative director to oversee the agency’s Metro by T-Mobile account, which the agency won earlier this year. Castor joins from Goodby Silverstein & Partners, where he was creative director. 

Business-to-business technology marketing agency Fox Agency opened its first U.S. location in New York. The office will be led by Chief Operating Officer for North America Paul O’Malley, who joins from Kingpin Communications. 

Stagwell’s Gale signed the Working with Cancer Pledge, an initiative launched by Publicis Groupe to erase the stigma of cancer in the workplace. Signing the pledge was a way to maintain a “supportive and inclusive environment,” said Gale CEO Brad Simms. 

The United States Air Force’s Rapid Sustainment Office chose digital marketing agency CourtAvenue as its direct agency of record. CourtAvenue will be responsible for strategic, creative and digital work. 

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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the details surrounding the appointment of Suzy Ryder.