Good news for diabetic nudists

One in 10 people are diagnosed with diabetes, and many feel self-conscious about checking their blood sugar levels. A new campaign called “You’re Good to Pogo” from Cutwater for Intuity Medical starkly shows how the new Pogo Automatic glucose meter can keep those with diabetes feeling free. 

A pair of ads in the campaign take two different looks at the ways people living with diabetes can feel uncomfortable checking their blood glucose levels.

The first is set on a pickleball court, where a nudist league is practicing. Despite her state of dishabille, a woman is self-conscious—about wearing a glucose monitor patch. She’s thrilled when handed a Pogo automatic glucose meter that frees her so she “doesn’t have to wear anything” at all.

Another ad shows a man who takes to the privacy of a bathroom stall to test his blood sugar levels. He makes the space more comfortable with a candle and a picture of his family before being handed a Pogo meter and tossing his lancets as he leaves the bathroom. 

The spots were directed by Hank Perlman from the production company Hungry Man. 

Former Havas exec launches a holding company

Anthony Freedman, who stepped down as chairman and CEO of Havas Group Australia and New Zealand last year, has launched his own holding company called Common Interest. Along with the launch, Common Interest announced its first acquisition: growth consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, which has worked with clients such as Pinterest, Peloton, Instacart, PepsiCo and Mars.

The deal gives the holding company a footprint in London and San Francisco. The goal is for Common Interest to make 10 acquisitions by 2024. Common Interest includes investors from varied industries including film, entertainment, tech, media, gaming and advertising.

Wieden+Kennedy elevates lead McDonald’s creatives 

Wieden+Kennedy has appointed a set of new executives to leadership positions across its Portland and New York offices.  

Former Fanatics Chief Marketing Officer Jason White will take on the role of president in Portland. White previously held marketing roles at MTV, Beats by Dre and cannabis company CuraLeaf. White replaces Jess Monsey, who departed from the role last year. Felipe Ribeiro, currently the chief creative officer of W+K São Paulo, will join Azsa West as co-chief creative officer in Portland.

In New York, Executive Creative Directors Marques Gartrell and Brandon Henderson will be elevated to co-chief creative officer roles, leading the office alongside President Jiah Choi. They replace Scott Dungate, who has left the agency after 17 years to pursue other opportunities. Global CCO Karl Lieberman has “left the door wide open for [Dungate] to return anytime,” according to a spokeswoman for the agency.

Gartrell and Henderson are known for Wieden’s viral McDonald’s campaigns, such as developing its Famous Orders platform, fan-inspired Menu Hacks, the Adult Happy Meal with Cactus Plant Flea Market and, most recently, Grimace’s birthday campaign including the Grimace Shake.

Dentsu launches AI paid search tool

Denstu has released d.SCRIPTER, a tool to help with ad copy development for paid search. The tool, which is only available to Dentsu clients, is used across any search platform to improve engagement rates, increase the velocity and scale of experimentation and reduce the time required to perform optimization tasks.

Typically paid search copy is created manually, but d.SCRIPTER helps with ideation while still following character limits and other guidelines. It takes into account current ads, performance insights and website content to align with brand voice and messaging, and all data used by d.SCRIPTER is secured within Dentsu’s private network. Users also have the ability to check copy for quality assurance and gain necessary approvals before it is uploaded. 

More news: X turns to Google to sell programmatic ads

Back Market shades Apple for wasteful tech promotion

Apple announced the launch of the new iPhone 15 this week, and refurbished tech marketplace Back Market is calling out the company for what it believes is wasteful consumerism. The “Let Them Buy New” campaign, developed in collaboration with independent creative strategy company Gus, parodies Big Tech marketing schemes encouraging buying a new device every 12 to 18 months. 

The accompanying spot seems to be another Apple iPhone commercial at first, with similar direction, art style and music. But as the ad rolls, the satirical nature of the voiceover calls points out the ludicrousy of the reduced features, increased price and overall sameness of the new product. Or, the spot urges, the viewer can buy refurbished as the affordable, sustainable option.

Also: Octavia Spencer is Mother Nature in Apple’s sustainability ad

Back Market’s campaign launched globally with a prank effort called Project R that played off the leak culture prevalent in Silicon Valley. Days before Apple’s keynote, Back Market teased the “R,” purportedly a new phone that promised to be more sustainable and more affordable than its predecessors, through high-profile outdoor ads, prototypes delivered to tech influencers and “leaked” product documents.

During Apple’s event, the “R” was revealed as a refurbished phone. 

Just briefly

Edelman has appointed Pablo Ferrari as executive creative director in Mexico. Prior to taking on the newly created role, Ferrari worked for agencies such as BBDO Mexico, Lowe Concept, Leo Burnett and Young & Rubicam.

We Are Social has promoted and hired for multiple new roles in its U.S. leadership team. Kyle Bunch, former managing director for R/GA Ventures, joins the agency as senior VP of culture communications and innovation. He will report to Dana Neujahr, who has been named managing director and was previously senior VP of strategy and services. Chris Lee, previously a group account director, has been named head of account services.

Out-of-home media company Talon has entered into a North American partnership with Mediaplus for a data-driven approach to out-of-home advertising. This is an extension of Talon’s partnership with the Munich-based agency that started in 2022. 

Valvoline Instant Oil Change has chosen Novus as its brand media agency of record. The independent media agency will be in charge of media planning, buying and analytics for the company’s corporate and franchise stores. The name of the previous agency was not immediately available.

Domino’s Pizza has tasked Interpublic Group of Cos. creative agency Elephant with overhauling the company’s digital ordering ecosystem following a review led by Pile & Co. The redesign is meant to modernize the ordering process while maintaining the personality of the Domino’s brand.