What the [email protected]#k is a hybrid

Digital marketing agency Technology, Humans and Taste also known as THAT teamed up with Alt Labs, the experimental arm of Altimeter Group, to create its “Work from Wherever” campaign, which takes a satirical angle to the “return to office” conversation. 

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The campaign includes a series of videos that will run across social media that show one man confused about what terms like hybrid and hot desks mean. The videos also show characters dealing with annoyances of working from home like sitting next to someone who is constantly snacking.

As part of the campaign the agencies also created a “Work From Wherever Collection” which transforms digital WFH tools we’re all familiar with into limited edition objects, including non-virtual background posters, engraved wooden emoji cubes, and in-person concrete mute buttons.

Also, for a limited time only, people can enter their stressed-out boss into the WFW giveaway, and the winner decides if they want the entire collection of physical products or digital 3D rendered NFTs. A winner will be emailed Nov. 15.

It starts with Splenda

Splenda’s latest campaign looks to reposition the sweetener company as a wellness brand. The “It starts with Splenda” campaign emphasizes the brand as a low-calorie option compared to other sweeteners for those who are looking to eat healthier, manage weight, or are controlling diabetes.

The campaign and repositioning have been led by Blue Chip, which was named agency-of-record for the brand in March.

Variations of two commercials are running on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. A 30-second spot focuses on managing weight with depictions of people preparing and enjoying daily meals. 

“It starts with Splenda, every delicious way you’ll manage your weight today,” the voiceover in the spot states. “Enjoy the delicious taste of sugar without excessive calories or carbs. Why wait? Start with Splenda and see the difference today.”

The second ad focuses on managing diabetes with Splenda. All variations of the videos include the line, “The No. 1  brand recommended by doctors and dieticians” on the screen.

Video ads will appear on Amazon TV and Hulu starting in November, and on cable TV channels beginning in January. Splenda has also established partnerships with Meredith Magazines and WebMD, along with several other publishers, for recipe and lifestyle content.

Waze drives to the Lone Star State

Waze has teamed up with Fig to launch the latest extension of its “Waze Knows” campaign that launched in August. The campaign, which is targeted towards users in the Houston metroplex, aims to reduce the stress of local drivers and improve their ability to drive safely by highlighting all the extra things about the challenges of the city's roads, including construction, traffic and more. 

"Traffic is a big problem for Houston drivers,” Fig Creative Directors Ross Fletcher and Howard Finkelstein said in a  statement. “We're excited to put songs on their car radios and stick playful billboards out their windows, to give these frustrated drivers a smile and a reminder that Waze is here to help."

The animated campaign will show up on social media, car radios, and billboards. Fig partnered with motion graphics and animation company Buck to bring this execution to life. The campaign will run in the Houston market beginning the week of Oct. 18 through Dec. 26.

VaynerMedia hosts TikTok week

VaynerMedia spent a whole week on TikTok, with events designed to educate the entire agency on the ins and outs of the popular app. The week ended with TikTok Day where everyone in the agency was invited to create and post a TikTok video of their own. A brief was given in advance and people were guided through the process. The event was created to ensure all of the agency, not just those who create ads, understood the platform so they could help clients who might not have the strongest understanding of the platform.

“As the platform gains more recognition, we’ve seen barriers that hinder clients from taking full advantage of the platform, a spokeswoman for the agency said. “Many of these barriers stem from a lack of understanding of the platform and the ability to move with the speed of culture, due to structures for the “old” way of social.”

The week included a high-level of involvement from TikTok itself, with sessions led by Sandie Hawkins, general manager of North America; Jorge Ruize, global head of marketing science; and Bryan Cosgrove, director of commercial music and creative licensing.

In total 280 Vayner videos were created, garnering 650,000 views to date. 

AOR frenzy

Planet Fitness has named Huge as its digital agency-of-record following a competitive review that lasted two months. In this role, Huge will support the continuous evolution of the gym chain’s mobile app, website and in-club digital experience. The agency will also be tasked with improving member retention and continue to drive the company’s “brick with clicks” strategy, which combines providing members with in-person experiences as well as virtual experiences. This is the latest agency decision Planet Fitness has made recently.

In September the New Hampshire-based gym chain selected Team Lift, a bespoke unit within Publicis Groupe, as its agency-of-record. Team Lift handles all creative marketing, media duties and data and analytics.

Tonal has named UM Worldwide as its media AOR, according to multiple people close to the situation. UM declined to comment and Tonal wasn’t available for comment by press time. The news comes a week after the home fitness brand launched a new campaign by R/GA featuring NBA superstar Lebron James.

Pharmaceutical company Perrigo has chosen Gale as its North America media agency-of-record. Gale, which had been handling media, digital creative, influencer and medical marketing for Burt’s Bees Infant Formula, a Perrigo licensed brand, was invited to join the RFP pitch process in fall 2020. Gale will lead all media planning and buying efforts for Perrigo’s portfolio of nine brands in North America through 2022, including Prevacid, ScarAway, and Ranir.

Autism Canada has chosen Public Label as its strategic and creative agency partner. The agency will be tasked with developing a new brand narrative and redesigning the Autism Canada website. The rebrand is important for the non-profit organization because it saw a shift in donation behavior, during the pandemic, where Canadians have been halting or donating less due to pandemic-related financial difficulties.

“Although there’s a rising rate of ASD, there is still broad confusion around what it means to have autism,” Anne Dean,  senior VP and general mananger of marketing solutions at Public Label said in a statement. “Autism isn’t a single, simple categorical entity, but a complex, inconsistent and individualized experience, which makes it difficult for Canadians to understand. Our goal is to create a greater understanding of ASD that generates compassion and galvanizes Canadians to support the cause.”

Key executive hires

Wunderman Thompson has appointed ​​Rodrigo Maroni as its new chief strategy officer for its New York office. He replaces Ingrid Bernstein, who left the agency earlier this year according to a spokeswoman for the agency. Maroni will report to Wunderman Thompson New York CEO Audrey Melofchik, who joined the company in May. Prior to this role, Maroni spent 10 months as the head of strategy and data at CPB’s Brazil office.

“This is a pivotal role for the office and ensuring our work is sharp and dynamic,” Melofchik said. “So, my first focus in joining WT NY was to find the right leader. I met several wonderful candidates that could have all done well in this role. But Rodrigo was special for many reasons and as soon as our team met him, we knew he was the one.”

New York-based agency Burns Group has hired the first-ever chief creative officer in its 15-year history.  Arturo Gigante joins from his own agency Spork, which he co-founded in 2013 after a 14-year tenure at Ogilvy. Gigante will play a role in the agency’s goal to grow its staff to service post-pandemic growth. The agency, which has over 30 employees, has made a commitment to double the size of the creative department over the next year under Gigante.

“Great work starts with great strategy and gets elevated through collaboration, not decision making in silos,” Gigante said in a statement. “Over the course of my career, the work I’ve been most proud of has been the byproduct of teams bringing talent and resources together to find innovative solutions for brands. I’m so excited for the opportunity to eliminate boundaries, reframe agency roles, and create a culture where big ideas come first.”

Cheil Worldwide agency Barbarian has hired Eliza Yvette Esquive as its chief strategy officer. She replaces Andrew Dawson, who was with the agency for four years before deciding to leave Barbarian and take a sabbatical with his family, according to a statement by the agency. Esquive joines from IPG’s FutureBrand, where she held the same role. Before FutureBrand, she was a senior executive leading global brand strategy at Microsoft and Mondelez.

Squeeze it in

JConnelly teamed up with Ludwig+ to launch an advocacy campaign running through Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The “Squeeze it In” campaign serves as a call-to-action for women delaying getting screened for cancer. One of the taglines reads “ A mammogram takes just 15 minutes, take time to squeeze it in." According to a statement by the agencies the campaign is placing a special focus on the PR, marketing, and advertising industries, “where women dominate a workforce that face notoriously demanding schedules that make it tougher on those women to take time out of their day for a screening.”

The campaign was unveiled during Advertising Week 2021 in New York City. The campaign will also run across all social platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram

”The advertising and PR worlds are pivotal in driving conversations and influencing behavior," Ludwig+ Founder and CEO Barbara Yolles said in a statement. "As two female business owners, Jennifer Connelly and I not only believe in this message; we live it. We know how hard it is to juggle work, family and other responsibilities. That's why we've teamed up to create a groundswell of support that goes well beyond marketing, PR and advertising, to remind all women to take 15 minutes and put their health first."

Just briefly

IPG Health’s data, analytics, and media company, Solve(d) has hired five people for newly created senior leadership roles. James Parisi joins as head of data and analytics; Alice Dure joins as senior VP, media; Colin Harewood joins as head of business operations; Justin Sorrentino joins as head of integrated search and social; and Kimberley Tempas joins as group director of data and analytics. 

ICF Next has hired Jackie Hopkins to lead its U.S communications and marketing teams. Prior to taking on this newly-created role Hopkins had spent ​​15 years at Edelman, most recently as executive general manager of the firm’s Atlanta office.

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Chicago-based creative agency Upshot has hired Ted Jun as its VP of business development. He is replacing Jay Davidson, who has moved into a senior leadership role at Minneapolis-based SixSpeed, which like Upshot is also owned by Advantage Solutions. Prior to joining Upshot, Jun held director of business development positions at Hiebing and at DentsuMB, amassing over 15 years of experience.