Agency news you need to know this week

Not voting is a red flag Maybe dating app BLK and Atlanta-based agency Majority should start their own record label. The dating app, which caters towards Black singles, launched a campaign that includes a music video starring rappers Trina and Saucy Santana. With the 2022 midterm elections just around the corner, “No Voting No Vucking” is intended to get more young Black citizens interested in voting. The song focuses on the theme of singles who don’t vote being a “red flag” or a negative when searching for a partner. One of Santana’s lines sums it up best: “He got mad jokes, he don’t seem broke, the only red flag–he say he don’t vote." “Attraction boils down to how one prioritizes the physical, emotional and intellectual," Majority Founder and CEO Omid Farhang said in a statement. “To encourage more singles to vote, we're formally adding civic duty to that priority list." The campaign also includes a new digital hub within the BLK app where users can register to vote and learn more about political issues within their community. This is the latest example of Majority launching a music video based on a topical issue. Last year the agency tapped rappers Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, and Mia X for a song called “Vax that Thang Up,” a vaccine-themed song that parodied Juvenile's hip-hop song “Back That Thang Up.” FCB London’s new CEO FCB Global has promoted Katy Wright to CEO of FCB Inferno, the network’s London agency, a vacant role since founder Frazer Gibney became chairman last year. Wright, who will report to FCB Global CEO Tyler Turnbull, has been managing director at the agency since January 2021. She has been instrumental in winning and leading accounts including Zurich U.K., Unite Students, BMW, Valspar and Kimberly-Clark brands Andrex and Kleenex. Wright has also championed creative work including Virgin Group’s “Dyslexic Thinking,” which won FCB Inferno’s first-ever Titanium Grand Prix at this year's Cannes Lions, and has been open about her own dyslexia. “Katy is consistently described as compassionate and competitive. Two words that are difficult to hold at the same time. But Katy does,” said FCB Global Chair and Global Chief Creative Officer Susan Credle in a statement. “These qualities make her a champion and a leader of world-class creativity. She shares the FCB belief that creativity is a beautiful economic multiplier. I cannot wait to watch her continue to positively contribute to our industry as CEO of FCB Inferno." Gut North America’s new chief creative officers Gut has elevated its North America executive creative directors to leadership roles. Ricardo Casal and Juan Javier Peña Plaza are now chief creative officers overseeing the agency’s offices and six executive creative directors in Miami, Toronto and Los Angeles. “You don’t get any more ad nerd than this duo,” Anselmo Ramos, Gut's co-founder and creative chairman said in a statement. “When I step back and see how long I’ve known them for, and how much they’ve grown over the years, I’m so proud to see them become Chief Creative Officers and all that they’ve accomplished in such a short time here at Gut.” In addition to Casal and Peña Plaza, Gut Miami has promoted Dean Paradise and Bruno Mazzotti from creative directors to executive creative directors; Andy Tamayo, Alexander Allen, Lauren Cooper and Cara Johnson from associate creative directors to creative directors; and Junia Parodi from creative manager to director of creative operations. The agency also named four people as its new team of associate creative directors: Sofia Rosell, previously senior writer; Paulo Damasceno, previously senior art director; Tina Assadpour, previously senior copywriter; and Daniel Jaramillo, previously senior art director. Gut Toronto also recently named Sophia Kossoski, previously a senior art director, and Laura De Santis, previously a senior copywriter, associate creative directors. Conill’s new chief creative officer Publicis Groupe’s multicultural agency Conill has named Veronica Elizondo chief creative officer. She most recently served as executive creative director of Conill's Toyota business and will be taking over for Gustavo Sarkis, who the agency announced is leaving on Oct. 14. Elizondo joined Conill in 2005 as an art director. She has worked on a number of brands including Alaska Airlines, Aflac, Budweiser, Nestlé, T-Mobile and Toyota. Krystal wants to be your side chick Southern fast food chain Krystal is promoting its new “Side Chik” chicken sandwich in a campaign by Atlanta-based agency Chemistry that features influencer Brittany Renner, who has spoken about being a “Side Chick” (a person who dates another person’s partner on the side) in the past. This is the first new menu item for the restaurant brand since it brought on rapper 2 Chainz as its head of creative marketing in January. “We know everyone has a favorite already, so instead of fighting to be your go-to, we’re happy to be your little something on the side,” 2 Chainz said in a statement. ONE goes to school abroad WPP has partnered with The One Club for Creativity to launch ONE School U.K., a free 16-week online portfolio program designed to open doors to a career in advertising for U.K.-based Black creatives. ONE School initially launched in the U.S. in 2020 as a free alternative to ad schools. Since its inception, the school has had an 80% hire rate at agencies and brands for its 128 graduates to date, 65% of whom are women, according to a statement by the organization. The U.K. school will welcome its first cohort in March 2023 and will be run by Ez Blaine, founding creative partner at Uncommon Experience Studio in London. Forget the metaverse: There’s an agency staking out the universe StartRocket has big ambitions as “a fully committed space agency,” according to a press release from the company, which is setting its sights on marketing efforts such as zero-gravity cookoffs, orbital fireworks and sending brand customers into outer space. Though the company has no formal clients yet, it does have experience in the, uh, space. The shop was founded four years ago by Vlad Sitnikov, a local partner for Wunderman Thompson in Russia before WPP ceased operations there at the start of the Ukraine war. Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Sitnikov initially tried orbital display billboards and projecting a Pepsi logo in the sky. But that ran into concern over regulatory hurdles and fears it could impede aviation safety. So Sitnikov has now created an agency dedicated to an "integrated, strategic approach to communication where space is at its center." “The main goal is to really help scientists to do their work, maybe faster, because not just investors and government can invest in their projects but brands and people,” said Sitnikov, whose shop is scouting for investors and pitching campaign proposals. StartRocket’s five-person leadership team operates in San Francisco, London, Milan, Tel Aviv and Dubai and the agency has about 50 employees, according to Sitnikov. Hogarth hosts a Black legacy art exhibit WPP’s Hogarth is debuting an art exhibit called LEGACY: Artists as Activists & Community that will showcase the “intersection of activism and community within Black culture throughout generations,” according to a statement by the shop. The experience will be hosted at Hogarth’s New York office on Oct. 7 and will feature artwork from artists Alonzo Adams and his son Kyle Olani Adams as well as famed photographer Charlie Phillips. Just briefly WPP has acquired Passport Brand Design, a Los Angeles-based design agency founded in 2004. The agency will join VMLY&R’s global network. Wunderman Thompson has appointed Preeya Vyas as its global chief experience officer. Vyas was most recently chief strategy and innovation officer at DeVito/Verdi, and previously served as chief experience officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. While the agency didn’t have a global lead for its customer experience offering, Sherine Kazim, who left the agency at the end of 2021, was chief experience officer for WT’s North America region. Havas Health & You has appointed Paul Pfleiderer as president of its healthcare agency, Havas Life New York. He joins from TBWA\WorldHealth, where he most recently served as U.S. managing partner and, prior to that, global chief strategy officer. Los Angeles-based agency Zambezi has launched a media agency called Scale by Zambezi. Scale, which is an extension of its media offering, will function as its own business entity while also existing as a fully integrated division within Zambezi. The media entity will focus on mid-market brands whose media spends range from $1 million to $20 million or more. Jaclyn Ruelle, who served as a senior VP, managing director of The Martin Agency’s Culture Impact Lab, is now a VP head of brand at Papa Johns. She was with Martin for over three years. BMW and Mini have named Dentsu’s iProspect as offline media agency of record for Europe following a pitch. De'Longhi Group has appointed Mediaplus as its North America media agency focused on media planning and buying. The account was previously handled by Wavemaker, which won the business in September 2021. Ad Net Zero has appointed former OMD U.S. CEO John Osborn as U.S. director of the organization, which focuses on promoting climate initiatives in the ad industry, as the group looks to expand into the U.S. Portland, Maine-based Via has been named social agency of record for Card Conduit, completed a branding project for Sebago Clean Waters and is partnering with the C3 division of LiveNation to build out its festival properties. There were no prior agencies. DDB Europe has launched a fashion innovation agency called DDB Fresh focused on creating sustainable products and campaigns for non-fashion brands. Independent New York agency Barker has been named creative and strategy agency of record for Maidenform and Bali, both of which are part of HanesBrands. Chicago-based agency Blue Chip celebrated its 40th anniversary in the metaverse, where more than 100 employees participated in various virtual activities including a dance party, scavenger hunt and competitions for who has the best avatar. Prizes included gift cards, and avatar winners will be featured on Blue Chip's social channels. Moving forward whenever someone visits the space, the avatars will be featured by department, with winners getting “special features," according to a spokesman for the agency. Independent agency Marcus Thomas has launched a college scholarship program focused on Northern Ohio Students. The program will provide one scholarship to an “adult learner" at least 19 years old with at least one year removed since graduating from high school. The other scholarship will be given to a graduating senior from a Northeast Ohio high school. Kentucky-based agency Doe Anderson has appointed two new senior hires. Lauren O’Toole joins as VP, group brand director; E. Slody joins as VP, group creative director. Slody was previously as a creative director at Havas New York and O’Toole was VP, senior director at BBDO, where she worked on the agency’s Home Depot account. Adam&Eve’s Berlin office has hired Christina Antes as its first managing director. She joins from DDB Germany, where she served as chief marketing and growth officer since May 202. Across the Pond’s San Francisco office has hired April Kwang as a senior art director. Kwang was previously a senior art director at Toaster. Independent agency PureRED has appointed Brian Cohen as its CEO. Cohen, who previously served as the CEO of Match Marketing Group, takes over for Amy Reach, who will continue in her role as president.

Agency news you need to know this week

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