Agency news you need to know this week

Networking through NFTs Plus Company, the private equity-backed marketing holding company that acquired Mekanism in June, launched a gamified NFT experience that acts as an employee networking tool for its 3,000 employees. PlusConnect NFT was created to celebrate the official launch of the company. Each employee across its 25 agencies will receive an NFT that starts off as a simple 3D shape and evolves into a new structure and color with every connection made between two employees. Each connection an employee makes unlocks additional experiences and perks, such as gift cards, vacation days, exclusive events as well as chances for employees to meet in real life. The NFTs were developed with the help of agencies We Are Social, Socialize, Fuseproject, computational artists radarboy3000 and NFT art advisor Valuart. They will be live for a total of three months, at which point the entire collection will be locked and stored on the blockchain. "Ensuring our employees have unfettered access to new technologies, exposure to new ways of thinking, and experience across disciplines, is essential to staying relevant and ahead of the curve for producing groundbreaking work," Akanksha Goel, VP and regional lead in the Middle East and India for We Are Social, said in a statement. See all of Ad Age's 2023 Agency A-List winners here Red Lobster’s new creative AOR Red Lobster has named Barkley its agency of record for creative and strategy in North America following a review that began in May. The agency will be focused on the restaurant chain’s sustainability plans, culture, product and service innovation, design and experience and marketing. “We chose Barkley because of their experience with the restaurant industry as well as their success tapping into the essence of iconic American brands and bringing them to life for today’s consumer,” said Red Lobster’s Chief Marketing Officer Patty Trevino, who took on the role in January. The first creative work from the Kansas City, Missouri agency, called the “Finer Points of Dining,” launched earlier this week. The multimedia campaign features a new tagline, “Welcome to Fun Dining,” and includes two 15-second TV spots that will also run through social, digital display, and Red Lobster’s own channels. This is the latest win for Barkley, which recently won back Planet Fitness’s creative account. Unity and Media.Monks Gaming engine Unity named Media.Monks its first global media agency of record following a review process led by Tenx4, a search consultancy that specializes in connecting global B2B brands with agencies. “Media.Monks is the right fit for our business given our shared expertise and belief in how RT3D, the metaverse and the next phase of the internet are changing not only gaming but many other industries,” Unity’s CMO Carol Carpenter said in a statement. Many major games are built using Unity’s software, including "Among Us" and "Call of Duty: Mobile." Weeks after Unity rejected an unsolicited $20 billion offer from gaming software maker AppLovin, it reaffirmed its plans to buy Israeli mobile app company IronSource for $4.4 billion. Last month, the company also signed a three-year, multi-million dollar contract with the U.S. Government. Media.Monks has experience using Unity software. Last year the agency built an augmented reality experience called “Anne Frank House: The Bookcase for Tolerance.” Chasing your dreams Northwestern Mutual launched a new campaign from its agency of record Mirimar titled “The Great Realization,” which highlights the stories of people who have delayed chasing their dreams due to financial insecurity. “As we looked at what’s been happening around us through the pandemic, we recognized we’ve all endured a shared experience,” Tim Gerend, executive VP and chief distribution officer at Northwestern Mutual, said in a statement. The pandemic was "an experience that’s forced us to press pause on what we want and need, bringing about a collective awakening that’s motivating people to re-architect a better life both for themselves and their loved ones.” The campaign, which includes a 2-minute video, TV commercials, digital and social media, launched during the 2022 NFL season opener between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams. The new campaign coincides with the appointment of Lynn Teo as Northwestern Mutual's new CMO. Prior to this, Teo served as the CMO for Thomson Reuters. Back to School TastyKake launched its first campaign from its new creative agency of record PPK, which was also recently named creative AOR for Wonder Bread, both of which are owned by Flowers Foods. TastyKake’s back-to-school campaign spans radio, digital and social media. “Those who cherish a uniquely sweet treat know there is nothing that satisfies a hectic micro-moment better than Tastykake, especially during back-to-school time,” Ashley Hornsby, brand manager of Tastykake, said in a statement. The campaign, the statement said, "is meant to capture and convey the back-to-school rush that every parent goes through, whether it's school science fairs, practice at the field, or ballet recitals.” Vanessa Hudgens joins the BetMGM crew BetMGM's new commercial debuted during "Thursday Night Football." The “IT’S ON” campaign by 72andSunny includes an inaugural spot that shows Jamie Foxx trying to get sports betting tips from various celebrities, including Kevin Garnett, Wayne Gretzky, Jalen Rose, Barry Sanders and Vanessa Hudgens. The campaign will appear across broadcast, out-of-home, digital and social channels. Additionally, the celebrity brand ambassadors will use their personal social channels to promote the videos. Just briefly Dentsu Creative has hired Riccardo Fregoso as its chief creative officer in Italy. He most recently served as an executive creative director at Publicis Italy. This is the latest chief creative officer hire for Dentsu Creative, which is bringing on BBH USA Chief Creative Officer Rafel Rizuto as its chief creative officer to lead the U.S. and Hispanic Latam regions. Last month, former co–Chief Creative Officer at Energy BBDO Pedro Pérez was named the chief creative officer of Dentsu Chicago. United Arab Emirates airline Etihad Airways has retained Crossmedia as its global media AOR, according to a statement by the agency. Agency network Conspiracy Theory has acquired performance marketing group The Alchemy Collaborative, which will integrate with the network’s performance marking company Pivot CMO. Richmond-based marketing agency Dotted Line has hired Jonathan Goldberg as its first executive creative director. Prior to this, Goldberg held creative leadership roles at Ogilvy DC and the Burns Group. See all of Ad Age's 2023 Agency A-List winners here

Agency news you need to know this week

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