Is there a more unnecessary job than a mandarin orange product demonstrator? Probably not.
Citrus brand Peelz partnered with Venables Bell & Partners to launch its first national campaign “This Iz Peelz'' which introduces a character, John Birk, whose sole job is showing people how to peel oranges.
Birk, who graduated from the "Institute of Citrus Technology," is aware of the futile nature of his job, but hopes that one day he will be able to teach one person how to peel a Peelz. Throughout the video, he is accompanied by a boisterous choir that sings about his redundant job and weird life choice to pursue this as a career
The video ends with Birk stating to the camera that “99.999% of everyone in the world probably knows how to peel a mandarin.”
The integrated campaign includes broadcast and online video, out-of-home and social media assets.
VMLY&R brought on Joydeep Dey as global chief strategy officer on WPP’s Ford account, with responsibilities for marketing communications, experiences, technology, and commerce. Dey replaces Mike Bentley, who has retired to pursue new challenges according to a VMLY&R spokeswoman. Most recently, Dey served as Publicis Groupe’s global head of strategy for Citigroup, where he led global strategy teams across creative, cultural insights, performance, analytics, and media. He will work alongside Jason Xenopoulos, who was named global chief creative officer of the Ford account in September.
Dentsu International has hired Alex Hesz as global chief strategy officer. Hesz will join the Dentsu International global executive team and will report directly to Wendy Clark, global CEO. Hesz will pioneer Dentsu International’s global corporate strategy and go-to-market strategic execution. “Alex’s appointment is game-changing for Dentsu. He is one of the foremost strategic leaders in the industry. On our journey to optimizing from 160 to 6 global leadership brands, this role is critical to integrate our total offering across Media, CXM, and Creative, delivering growth and creativity for clients at the speed and efficiency demanded by the marketplace,” Clark said.
Havas Media has named Sarah Ivey as its new chief strategy officer, North America. The appointment comes after Meghan Grant, who previously held the position, was named president of Havas Media Group U.S. and Chief Client Experience Officer for North America last month.
A campaign is sure to be legendary if it includes a legend like Dennis Rodman, right? Unless The Worm is upstaged by a dog.
Creative agency Boathouse came up with a fun way to bring legendary status to a pug named George rather than Rodman. The pug is shown the ad for Nations Lending getting the “George treatment” while Rodman goes unnoticed. The goal is to make the average person feel as if they can and will get treated like royalty when buying a house, no matter whether they are famous or not.
“You shouldn’t have to have 10 million Instagram followers to get treated like you matter, particularly when you’re buying a house,” said Joshua Kruger, creative director at Nations Lending. “We take care of our loan officers and branches so that they take care of you, and that’s exactly how it should be.”
Although the company was founded in 2003, it has yet to get into advertising in a significant way. The new 30-second video will be airing ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, CNN, and The NFL Network, among others. The campaign will run in the Dallas-Fort Worth market before expanding nationally. Media will run across out-of-home, linear broadcast, over-the-top, social, and programmatic channels.
Stagwell Group (formerly MDC Partners) has launched the newest first-of-its-kind agency called DonerNorth in Canada. Agencies Union and 6 Degrees came together to help create DonerNorth on “the belief that big unifying ideas should be designed to connect and convert from the start," the company said.
DonerNorth is a part of Doner Partners Network within Stagwell Group. The company left Canada a decade ago after doing work for clients like Mazda Canada, Leon’s, and Canadian Tire’s original Bike Story. Union and 6 Degrees have shared clients with Doner between borders.
Three people from Union and 6 Degrees will take on the leadership roles: Catherine Marcolin, president; Lance Martin, chief creative officer and former co-founder of Union; and Adrianne Gaffney Wotherspoon, chief strategist and former managing partner of 6 Degrees.
“As consumers move through living, shopping and buying moments quickly and seamlessly in a way they never have before, an agency that uses data, strategy and insight to be as impactful creatively as commercially is not only unique but necessary in a post-Covid and soon to be post-cookie world,” Wotherspoon said.
Toronto-based agency Zulu Alpha Kilo paid a tribute to its old office the only way we would expect from the agency that is known for making unique content, a farewell video. Days before the lease on its office for 13 years expired, the agency’s founder and chief creative officer, Zak Mroueh and a small crew documented the final days of the original office with a tribute and walk down memory lane.
The film begins with Mroueh walking into the building for the last time. It then somberly juxtaposes the empty desks and boardrooms with real audio clips of special moments in Zulu’s history.
In one moment, the camera pans down an empty boardroom table as you hear staff cheer the news that the agency had won the entire Coca-Cola account in 2010. Some examples of other soundbites come from moments like when Zulu’s President and CEO Mike Sutton shaved his head (after Mroueh jokingly promised a client that Mike would go bald like him if they won the business), or from Zulu’s 2008 launch stunt “Thinking Inside the Box," where Mroueh and his fledgling team set up shop in a giant white box in the middle of a bustling downtown square to provide on-the-spot creative solutions for problems posed by passersby.
“There are so many memories and emotions tied up within those walls,” Mroueh said in a statement. “This video is our way of saying goodbye and moving on, not just to the office we grew up in but a way of working we’ll probably never return to.”
The agency recently purchased a building in one of Toronto’s up-and-coming Eastend neighborhoods. The new location will serve as a hub as Zulu adopts a hybrid model which will see staff divide their time between home and the office.
Gardening charity The Royal Horticultural Society has appointed Essence to lead its media strategy, planning, and buying, as part of a three-year contract. Looking to capitalize on an increased interest in gardening since the lockdown, Essence will be focused on helping the charity appeal to new audiences, increasing and diversifying its membership base, and growing visitors to RHS Gardens and Shows.
Chicago-based Two by Four has been named agency-of-record for premium golf club fitter company Club Champion. The agency will be tasked with increasing brand visibility and boosting sales across the U.S. Two by Four’s scope includes brand strategy, creative services and website redesign.
Media.Monks has merged with Salesforce specialist Maverick Digital. The move signals the agency’s entry into the Chicago market, expanding its U.S. presence beyond its current hubs in New York, Los Angeles and Denver.
Labellium has tapped Diana de la Torriente, former senior VP client services at Havas Media International, as its senior VP talent development, Americas, which is a new position at the agency.
Amplify has chosen Bonnie O’ Hara as its executive VP of its Los Angeles office, a newly created role. The move marks a return to the agency for O’Hara, who was Amplify’s third employee when it originally launched in London in 2008. The appointment comes off the back of Amplify winning a number of new clients this year, such as Pinterest, Mitsubishi, Westfield and social impact bank Rallius.
