Common advocates for local Chicago news
Chicago PBS station WTTW and ad agency Two by Four teamed up with Common, the rapper, actor, activist and Chicago native, to tell the stories of the Windy City’s communities.
Agency Brief
Agency news you need to know this week
Snapchat creates an agency video game, Rapper Common supports a PBS station, WPP opens a new Paris campus and more
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Chicago PBS station WTTW and ad agency Two by Four teamed up with Common to tell the stories of the Windy City’s communities.
Credit:
WTTW
A spot narrated by Common features the neighborhoods where some of Chicago’s greatest stories were told, such as Kenwood, where Barack Obama lived before becoming president, to the Second City comedy club, which launched the careers of comedians includingBill Murray, John Candy and Tina Fey.
Chicago has always been a city that gave Common “so much,” he said.
“It’s a city that has been the foundation of many of the stories I have told throughout my career,” he said in a statement. “Through my work with Art in Motion and the Common Ground Foundation, I’ve realized there are so many stories just like mine that deserve to be told with reverence.”
The multi-channel campaign includes television spots, radio and audio streaming spots, digital and social display, online video and outdoor in and around Chicago.
WPP opens new Paris campus
WPP is bringing together 18 of its agencies under one roof with the unveiling of a campus in the northwest of Paris. The campus includes flexible workspaces, two restaurants and a rooftop terrace.
The holding company, which is based in London, said in a statement that it expects the campus to regularly hold events, guest speakers and art installations.
Keeping with WPP's goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2025, the building has been certified with the international Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology accreditation for its environmental sustainability.
Snapchat schools agencies with video game
Snapchat is using a video game to educate its agency partners on how to use the social app to get better results for clients. Agency Adventure is a desktop game set in a fictional agency where players engage in four mini-games simulating a pitch process, with the objective of creating a media plan on Snapchat.
Snapchat’s Agency Adventure game lets players design their own character and complete a client brief through four minigames.
Credit:
Snapchat
In addition to a custom game award, agencies can compete to win a $4,500 donation to a Snapchat-approved charity.
Starcom rebrands ahead of 25th anniversary
Publicis global communications and media agency Starcom received a facelift ahead of its 25th anniversary. The agency’s red and yellow starburst graphic was recently replaced with a diamond star. The new logo comes in gold, white and navy blue, meant to represent knowledgeable authority, according to the agency.
Starcom also introduced the tagline “Move People. Move Business” to highlight the agency’s dedication to finding what moves people and using that to move clients’ businesses forward.
The rebrand was spearheaded by Global Chief Marketing Officer Robert Schwartz, who was hired by Starcom Global CEO Michael Epstein to make the company “the most modern media agency out there.”
DDC Public Affairs launches reputation management offering
DDC Public Affairs is partnering with sister Omnicom agency Portland to launch Fortify Global, a multi-national risk and reputation management offering. Fortify Global was designed to give companies a guide to navigating the increasingly fragmented political landscape across local, national and transnational governing bodies.
Fortify Global offers a group of communicators across DDC and Portland that specialize in research and analysis, data and security, stakeholder outreach, policy advocacy, government relations, crisis management and strategic communications.
Just Briefly
VMLY&R Commerce created a host of global and digital commerce positions to scale with the agency’s expansion. Toseef Butt is joining as regional commerce director and head of CaaS for the MENA region, Roger Timmer is joining as regional commerce director and head of CaaS responsible for the DACH region, and Wayne Blum is joining as executive director digital commerce.
Austin-based agency GSD&M hired Dave Zwickerhill as its new VP, Group Director of decision sciences. He was previously senior director of data, analytics, research and testing at Code & Theory.
Integrated performance agency o2kl Advertising is expanding by opening its first new office in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. The agency is headquartered in New York.
