Teens give parents ‘The Talk’ and ForwardPMX merges with Assembly: Agency Brief

The family safety platform Life360 has teamed with Wunderman Thompson for its latest campaign centered around “Parent Puberty.” The effort includes a TV spot where roles are reversed, with a teenage daughter giving her mom “The Talk.” As the school season is in full swing, the campaign pokes fun at the awkwardness and anxiety parents go through when their children become teens and tweens. The campaign includes 15-second mini-tutorials on how to use the location tracking app and a 50-page illustrated guide, called “I Feel Funny,’’ to help parents with this phase in their lives. The book highlights the signs of Parent Puberty, such as anxiety flashes, unexpected tingles and worry sweats—all with comical illustrations. "This universally awkward and challenging parenting phase that nearly all parents go through lacked a name, so we named it,” Jared Kozel, executive VP, executive creative director at Wunderman Thompson, said in a statement. “We pulled cues from the visuals and tone of classic public health materials to bring the campaign to life. Our goal with this campaign is to help normalize this weird and worrisome phase of parenthood while demonstrating how Life360 can help ease away much of that awkward parental anxiety." An FYI for DIY enthusiasts Epoxy and adhesive company J-B Weld has launched its first campaign with Madison, Wisconsin-based Planet Propaganda, which took on agency-of-record duties in November 2020. The “Be Your Strongest Self” campaign focuses on encouraging DIYers to complete any home project. The effort consists of seven spots that will run nationally on linear TV, connected TV and digital channels. The spots focus on four homeowners who gain confidence to complete projects after being encouraged by mini-cartoon versions of themselves. Animations were created by J.J. Sedelmaier, who is famous for helping to create “Beavis and Butt-Head” and Saturday Night Live’s “Saturday TV Funhouse.” F&B global executive hires Forsman & Bodenfors has named Lyndsey Corona president of its New York office and Po Kay Lee president of F&B Singapore. These moves were made by Global CEO Toby Southgate, who replaced Guy Hayward in May. Corona will take on duties previously held by Hayward, who was also heading up the New York office during his tenure. Po Kay will run F&B Singapore together with CEO Susanna Fagring, who will return to Sweden’s office taking on a new in the first half of 2022, according to a spokesman. Po Kay previously spent nearly seven years as head of development, Asia at WPP’s SuperUnion, where she ran the Singapore office. Corona previously served five years as chief growth officer at McCann North America. Find your independence Bitso, the largest cryptocurrency platform in Latin America, launched a new digital and TV campaign in Brazil. Creative strategy and production were led by Argentina-based agency Landia while ad buying and execution were handled by Publicis’ Sapient Media. Released to coincide with Brazil’s and Mexico’s September independence days, the effort highlights the many ways people fight for freedom. The call to action: inviting the audience to join Bitso so they can use money the way they want. In May, Bitso raised $250 million in Series C funding. The investment, co-led by hedge fund Coatue and investment firm Tiger Global, puts the company’s valuation at $2.2 billion. ForwardPMX merges with Assembly Stagwell agencies, Assembly and ForwardPMX are combining globally under the Assembly name. The newly combined agency will have 1,500 employees in more than 20 countries and 30 locations across the globe and will work with brands including Nike, Adobe, Ralph Lauren, Con Edison and Red Robin. Assembly will be part of the Stagwell Media Network, which manages nearly $5 billion in media across seven agencies. The agency will be led by ForwardPMX Global CEO James Townsend, who is also the Global CEO of Stagwell Media Network. “Assembly’s omnichannel media capabilities and buying scale paired with ForwardPMX’s digitally-led talent and global footprint can deliver something that is truly market-leading, and capable of driving change and growth for CMOs and marketing leaders worldwide,” Townsend said in a statement. Baking from the heart Organic sweetener brand Wholesome partnered with Hungryman Productions and Fortnight Collective to create mini-documentaries: “Baking Change in Communities,” “Rising Above Bakery” and “The Batchmaker.” The videos highlight small-town bakers as they discuss the deeper meaning they have found in baking. Fortnight Collective was named AOR for the brand in October 2020. Treasure Hunt Windstar Cruises, with the help of New York-based agency Episode Four, has unveiled a treasure hunt that is running until Oct. 1. The grand prize includes a Windstar Cruise for two but there is also a prize within the prize which, according to Windstar Cruises, the winner will discover “while sailing on an exotic cruise to a fabled port-of-call.” To find the location of the hidden treasure, players must go online and watch 11 short videos that are hosted on Windstar’s social channels and on the sweepstakes landing page. Each video contains a number, letter or symbol that, strung together, form a Google+ code revealing the destination of the treasure. Once players crack the code, they can earn up to $200 shipboard credit and are entered to win a Windstar cruise to retrieve the treasure. The cruise winner will then embark on a treasure hunt with a partner of their choosing to retrieve the grand prize. Just briefly S4 Capital’s Media.Monks and digital transformation services firm Zemoga have merged, which is a “significant” first step toward building a third practice area around technology services for the agency, according to a statement by Media.Monks. VaynerMedia has appointed Aaron Howe as executive creative director of its Los Angeles office. Prior to taking on the newly created role, Howe was an ECD at Wunderman Thompson, where he oversaw a number of businesses, most notably the integrated and social media business for Microsoft and AT&T. Prior to joining Wunderman Thompson, Howe worked at a number of agencies, including 72andSunny and Deutsch and began his career as a designer at Rolling Stone Magazine. Boston-based agency Connelly Partners has launched a new dedicated health practice called Connelly Partners Health. The health practice will specialize in working with life science, medical tech and healthcare organizations. Launch clients include FluidEdge, Corning, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Public Health Institute. Healthcare marketing industry veteran Stephen Piotrowski has joined the agency to lead the practice. Most recently he has served as a managing director for JPA Health. Amp Agency, a division of Advantage Solutions, has named Michael Mish as president. Mish, who joined AMP Agency in 2012, most recently served as senior VP, general manager, and previously as senior VP of business development. He is replacing founder and CEO Gary Colen who is taking on the role of president, marketing and digital commerce solutions group, for Advantage Solutions. Colen will retain his status as CEO. Lucky Generals has brought on two new senior hires, Paul Mallon and Chloe Davies, for newly created roles. Mallon will be the agency’s first head of special ops while Davies joins as the agency’s first head of social impact.

Teens give parents ‘The Talk’ and ForwardPMX merges with Assembly: Agency Brief

Featured Stories