Agency news you need to know this week

Party Land aims to score Super Bowl work Super Bowl season is right around the corner, and Party Land wants in on the action. As a result, the Los Angeles agency, which is known for its comedic chops, is offering marketers “two free rounds of creative on any Big Game brief.” To spread the good word, Party Land turned to Cameo—enlisting "Real Housewives of New York City" star Sonja Morgan, musician Kenny G and Santa Claus to share personalized messages. “We knew we were already racing against the clock,” Party Land Managing Partner Andy Silva said in a statement. “That’s why we turned to Cameo, confident we could take the idea from concept to market in under a week.” Party Land’s offer is valid until Dec. 31. All brands need is a “realistic Super Bowl brief and a committed media buy,” according to a statement from the agency. The shop is promoting the deal with paid media on LinkedIn, along with added PR and direct marketing efforts. X lawsuit prompts agency rebrand Media Matters Worldwide has been around since 2005, but when watchdog organization Media Matters for America was sued by Elon Musk’s X, MMWW experienced a strange and unexpected side effect—people started confusing the two entities. As a result, the female-owned agency decided it was time for a change. Effective Wednesday, MMWW has rebranded to Ars x Machina (AXM). Check out the reveal video below. Johannes Leonardo brings back the chief creative officer role Johannes Leonardo has promoted Jonathan Santana to chief creative officer. Santana, formerly executive creative director at the indie shop, assumes a role that had been vacant since Julia Neumann left in 2023. At that time, the agency said it was eliminating the role. Johannes Leonardo is reversing course on that decision due to its growth over the past year, the agency said in a statement. The agency’s revenue increased 24% in 2023, and it has recently added clients such as -196, which is part of Suntory’s portfolio of brands. “This was the right moment for us to elevate our creative leadership in recognition of their work,” Johannes Leonardo said in its statement. In addition to Santana, Johannes Leonardo has promoted Zoe Kessler, Jeph Burton and Hunter Hampton from group creative directors to executive creative directors. FCB New York Group Creative Director Lex Beltrone has also been hired as an executive creative director. A new specialist agency launches Geezer, an agency founded by creatives John Kieselhorst and Karen McKinley, launched this week to better target individuals over the age of 50. Kieselhorst and McKinley have worked at agencies such as Crispin and Leo Burnett, respectively. Geezer is the latest new agency focusing on older generations. Strategic consultancy Five0 and agency Openly Gray launched this year to help brands reach consumers aged 50 and older. More: 8 surprising specialties at niche agencies Just briefly The National Pork Board has named BarkleyOKRP as its consumer marketing agency of record following a competitive review. There was no incumbent on the account, according to a spokesperson for the independent agency. U.K.-based digital marketing agency RocketMill has been fully integrated within PMG following an acquisition announced last December. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. PMG now has more than 900 employees and works with clients such as Apple, BYD, Dropbox, Experian, Kimberly-Clark and Nike. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here SickKids Foundation, the largest charitable funder of child health research, learning and care in Canada, appointed Interpublic Group of Cos.’ agency FCB Canada as its creative AOR following a competitive review. Indie shop Cossette was the incumbent on the account. Following a national search, Best Buy has selected Rise and Shine and Partners as one of its “primary agency partners,” according to a statement from the independent agency. It wasn’t immediately clear whether there was an incumbent shop.

Agency news you need to know this week

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