On the rare occasions I print something out, I'm always shocked to see those junk fax ads for insurance sales leads or a budget cruise trip in the paper tray. But 20 years ago, you might have found something more exciting — at least, if you subscribed to a little something called the Advertising Age Daily Fax, which I just learned about today. So retro.

I decided to go through the archives and take a look at the Daily Fax from July 27, 1998. Here, some highlights from 20 years in the past.

Just like it did this week, IPG's second quarter earnings made headlines: Net income in the quarter rose 24.8 percent to $116.4 million from a year prior. Shares on the 27th closed at $29.31.

Toyota had a new campaign: Toyota Motor Corporate Services in New York broke a print campaign in national magazines touting how its technologies help preserve the environment. The company worked with Oasis Advertising out of New York.

Newt made it in Ad Age: We reported on then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had dropped plans to write FDA tobacco advertising rules into law after ad groups and congressmen warned it would raise First Amendment issues that could tie up enforcement in the courts for years.

I also spotted some familiar names: Beau Fraser was named president of Pagano, Schenck & Kay (he's now president at The Gate). And Russ Klein (now-CEO at the American Marketing Association), Dave Moeller and Marty Sherrod were named exec VPs, Foote, Cone & Belding, Chicago. Also this week 20 years ago, Don Lorenzet joined Mullen as a VP and account director (he's still there as an SVP and group account director at MullenLowe).

Read on for real agency news that is not 20 years old. See you next week.

Vroom vroom
Marketing company Engine Group, which owns digital agency Deep Focus, is rebranding as Engine. The brand consists of Deep Focus, business intelligence firm ORC International and media agency Engine Media. It also recently launched a data platform, "Engine Connect," to combine client data with that of Engine's.

It's the Brooklyn way
Dentsu Aegis Network-owned branding and design agency Character is opening a New York office, led by Manuel Dilone and Virgilios Santos (who had previously worked together as creative directors at R/GA). Dilone and Santos were named partners and executive creative directors and will oversee the Brooklyn office of the San Francisco-based agency. The new office, they claim, will be "the next generation of creative spaces [with] rich and diverse events from industry-related exhibitions and launch events, to one-off experimental shows and more." And, hopefully, free snacks!

On the move…
TBWA/Chiat/Day New York has promoted Managing Director Nancy Reyes to president, a new position for the agency. She'll continue to report to agency CEO Rob Schwartz, who called Reyes "the perfect balance of IQ and EQ, and one of the most inspiring and compassionate leaders in our industry today." She joined the agency in 2016 from Verizon, where she was VP of marketing creative.

Tweet of the week

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— adcontrarian (@AdContrarian) July 26, 2018