Agency news you need to know this week

McCann 215 shuts down McCann Worldgroup shut down its San Francisco-based McCann 215 office, whose biggest client was Xbox. The office’s work and future projects will be handled by McCann New York as part of a consolidation move, according to a statement. Several McCann 215 employees were laid off as a result of the move, though the agency did not provide specific details. The news comes just a few weeks after it was announced that IPG agency Performance Art would be folded into McCann and MRM. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Creativity Award winners here Arnold Worldwide debuts first campaign for PNC Bank PNC Bank launched a new brand campaign embracing the notion that the business of banking is a dull one. “Brilliantly Boring since 1865” is Arnold Worldwide’s first for PNC since becoming its integrated marketing and creative agency last June. The multimillion-dollar effort features a one-minute spot with actor Chris Diamantopoulos (“Silicon Valley“ and “The Three Stooges.”) The ad shows how being boring or predictable with finances can lead to exciting outcomes such as vacations, early retirements, and successful startups. The campaign includes TV, online video, digital, social media, audio, out-of-home, print, branch merchandise, sponsorship and experiential activations, and will be rolled out gradually through the year. R/GA’s ex-global chief strategy officer launches consultancy agency Tom Morton, former global chief strategy officer at R/GA, launched Narratory Capital, a strategic consultancy for creative businesses and brands. “When I left R/GA, I said that I wanted to help build new, future-facing businesses and brands,” Morton wrote on LinkedIn. The consultancy serves clients in the U.S. and Europe, assisting with tasks including developing post-merger strategies and helping consultancies create intellectual property, Morton said. Epsilon and Opendorse partner for NIL deal With March Madness underway, name, image and likeness technology company Opendorse is partnering with Publicis Groupe’s Epsilon to help secure NIL deals for women’s basketball players. Athletes who share videos on Instagram describing what teamwork means to them will be eligible to receive a compensation fee of $500 until the end of April. As part of the “Work Together to Win Together” campaign, Epsilon will also offer players career planning resources and mentorship opportunities focused on team transition, for example. Also read: Women’s March Madness is in marketing demand Division I women’s college players are projected to earn just 20% of what their men’s basketball counterparts make, according to Opendorse. “As a former Division I women's basketball player, I am so honored to be a part of a company that supports NIL initiatives,” said Daryl Rappe, senior director of recruiting at Epsilon, in a statement. Impossible Foods introduces bold red packaging Impossible Foods unveiled a new brand identity during the Natural Products Expo West on March 14—red packaging aimed at reinforcing its shelf presence among real meat products. The design marks a departure from the green and white palette that often signals plant-based foods. The rebrand, created through a collaboration between the company’s in-house teams and branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie, will debut in the U.S. in the coming weeks, starting with the Impossible Beef Hot Dog. “We’re not just growing a brand, we’re growing an entire category,” said Leslie Sims, chief marketing and creative officer at Impossible, in a statement. “For a long time, meat eaters didn’t see us as something for them. But our mission relies on attracting meat eaters, so we wanted to do what we could to be more inviting in our approach and messaging. We’re confident that once they try us, they’ll be in.” The company expects to unveil the vibrant packaging overseas later this year. JKR has previously worked on brand redesigns for Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins, Burger King and M&M's. Just briefly Wasserman announced the rebranding of CSM Sport & Entertainment to Wasserman. This is part of an integration effort between the two companies since CSM was acquired by Wasserman in 2023. The consolidation will continue throughout the rest of the year, with CSM’s Middle East organizations expected to rebrand at a later date. Jägermeister appointed Glow as its global social agency of record after a six-month review process. The premium herbal liquor said it hopes to strengthen its social media presence worldwide with Gen Z through this partnership. Glow’s first work for the client will debut on Jägermeister’s global social media channels in early April. Last year, the drink brand hired Mother as its first global creative agency of record. Born Social was its previous global social agency of record. OK COOL has appointed Benjamin Arnold as its North American CEO. Arnold is the first to take over the position, overseeing key regional brands including Nike, Spotify, Bumble and Away. Most recently, Arnold was the president of the AI platform, Adludio. Before that, he was the CEO of We Are Social. Condado Tacos has appointed Doe-Anderson as its first agency of record for strategy, creative and national media planning and buying. The agency’s initial project for the taco joint will debut later this year. The Shipyard has been selected for three new accounts. Care management and homecare services provider Arosa has appointed the agency as its creative and media agency of record; Georgia-based manufacturer of epoxy and adhesives J-B Weld appointed it as its media agency of record; and the eyewear company Flexon hired the agency for a strategic and creative assignment. The appointments come after approximately a four-month pitch review process for each, according to the agency. It was not clear which agencies previously held the accounts. Screenshot Media, which specializes in marketing to 18- to-24-year-olds, launched Screenshot Micro Boost, an initiative created to service micro-influencers. Screenshot Micro Boost aims to provide brands with a means to connect with nano-influencers (1 to 10,000 followers) and micro-creators (10,000 to 100,000 followers). This ensures that brands connect with the right audiences and target their demographic through content that resonates with consumers.

Agency news you need to know this week

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