Fast fashion

Universal McCann has retained its role as lead media agency for H&M’s U.S. business following a competitive review H&M confirmed. UM deferred comment to the client, who declined further comment. The Interpublic Group of Cos’ shop first won the business in 2016.

See Ad Age’s 2021 Year in Review here.

The fast-fashion retailer saw its media spend drop last year. H&M spent $11.6 million on U.S. measured media in 2020, down from $17.9 million in 2019, a 35.2% decline, according to Kantar. In September, H&M’s CEO Helena Helmersson said supply disruptions hampered the brand’s sales that month, after its June-August profit surpassed expectations and pre-pandemic levels.

Getting in the Christmas spirit

Movers + Shakers, the agency known for its TikTok prowess, launched an original holiday album titled “All I Want for Christmas is Views.” The collection of five original songs celebrates the agency's favorite trending and meme-able moments of 2021, with each track penned and voiced by the members of the Movers+Shakers team. For the uninitiated, the agency’s co-founder Geoffrey Goldberg is an ex-Broadway performer and director.

Coupled with the album, the agency created a video that mimics the old-school album infomercials.

The album features songs that spoof classic Christmas songs. Some examples of tracks include  ‘12 Slacks of Friday’ and ‘Silent Zoom.’ The album can be heard on the agency's website, Apple Music, Spotify and of course TikTok. 

Wunderman Thompson appoints new North America CEO

Wunderman Thompson named Audrey Melofchik its new CEO of North America, replacing Shane Atchison who stepped down from his role in October. This is a significant promotion in a short period of time for Melofchik, who took on her previous role as CEO of New York in May. She had joined the agency from DDB New York, where she served as the president of the agency in addition to her role as president of Omnicom’s dedicated unit for Johnson & Johnson.

“Audrey is a powerhouse and since she joined Wunderman Thompson we have seen the New York office go from strength to strength, so I’m delighted to announce her appointment to lead the business across North America,” Wunderman Thompson CEO Mel Edwards said in a statement. “As someone who’s passionate about creativity, I’m confident she will deliver inspiration across the region and spearhead growth in one of the network’s key regions.”  

Thompson has made several significant hires recently, including Karyn Rockwell as president of the Midwest region, Jenifer Mollo as managing director of Austin, and Wallye Holloway as managing director of Wunderman Thompson Health New York.

The Energizer Bunny hops into some TV parodies

The Energizer Bunny returns in a national TV campaign by Camp + King that includes two TV spots looking to spoof some traditional commercial tropes. The campaign will also include online video advertising, and social through custom partnerships with Snapchat and TikTok.

One video titled “Holiday Surprise” aired during the last week of November and shows a blindfolded wife and daughter being escorted out of their home, expecting to find a new car in the driveway but they actually find the Energizer Bunny instead. The second spot is titled “Crime Investigators” and will air on January 1st. ​​

Presumably, it will keep on going and going and going.

The spot opens on a drone shot hovering above a nighttime crime scene. The film looks like any typical murder crime scene you would see in a TV drama. It’s then revealed that the victim is a “Little Miss Cupcake” toy that is revived by a detective version of the Energizer Bunny when it replaces the toy’s batteries with Energizer batteries.

“We love that the campaign returns the Energizer Bunny to his roots of parodying other commercials and pop-cultural genres,” Cari Curtis, director of global marketing, Energizer Batteries said in a statement.“We believe having him hop into people’s screens in this way will make him even more beloved.”

Hanging up on negativity

MRM scored Motorola as a new brand early this fall and have launched the first campaign for the company called “#HangUpOnIt.”

The Motorola Razr was a classic flip phone years ago trying to make a comeback by combatting the ongoing challenges of offensive and negative behavior that plagues social media. The company wants to take a stand against the racism, abuse, misogyny and hate that is spread online to others.

The campaign's key message is to show just how easy it is to hang up on someone who may be spreading hate and “if anyone tries to tell you something negative, just hang up on it.” With the Razr’s flip-shut feature, the campaign hopes to create a “universal expression of defiance.” 

In efforts to use social media as the key campaign telling tool, MRM partnered with Giphy, High Snobiety and TikTok to create #HangUpOnIt FISs, GIFs, memes and TikTok videos.

Spread joy

If you were given $100 to make a difference in someone else’s life, what would you do? 

Toronto and New York-based agency Klick Health gave 630 of its employees who volunteered a $100 bill to find out and spread joy. Across 15 states and six provinces, 284 acts of kindness were filmed by the employees and shared in a three-minute-long #SpreadJoy YouTube video. 

Some of the best clips from the video include a sweet note that says “Thanks for being the best bus driver ever,” that was given along with the $100 bill. Some employees teamed up to give even bigger gifts such as giving a bunch of winter coats to the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities and hiring a five-piece brass band to entertain residents of a retirement community. 

Other clips include heartwarming moments addressing what has been a challenging year and a half. Four young siblings lost their parents during the pandemic, so Klick Health brought Christmas early with toys for each child and gave their grandmother $4,000 to help with their care. 

In total, over 1,704 clips were submitted and it took over 38 hours to review it all to make the three-minute video. But compiling it was a joy.

Got Milk? Then dance 

Who remembers “Got Milk” posters hanging around the school cafeteria? Well out with the old and in with the new, because now you can watch a TikTok instead. In the latest Milk Processor Education Program, or MilkPEP, with creative agency Gale, JuJu Smith-Schuster will be combining two of his favorite things—dancing in the end zone and French Bulldogs—in a series of videos that will run on social media. Schuster is the fourth and final football player in the campaign; Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert; and Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin were featured first.

The latest video shows Schuster dancing on the field alongside a half gallon of milk. The dance was specifically made for TikTok and called #DotheJuJu. It was choreographed by Phil Wright, who’s worked with Lil Nas X, Will Smith, MC Hammer, TLC, G-Eazy and Cardi B in the past. 

Taking the sexy out of… sexy calendars 

Long gone are the days of sexy firefighter calendars. Now, your average guy or flabby fireman could be hanging above your mantle this year. 

Fire extinguisher brand Element teamed up with ad agency The Local Collective to create the unsexiest fireman calendar to date. Instead of six-pack-packed photos, the annual tradition includes a host of not-so-hot bored firemen “who have been put out of business because its product is so damn effective.”

“We know that most people think there’s only one option for a fire extinguisher and they’re awkward in size and shape—kind of like Mr. September—but the truth is that the military, police, and special forces were using alternative technologies for many years that are substantially safer and more convenient to put out fires,” said Robert Calisi, owner of Element. “We felt that everyone deserved to have these tools available to keep their families and property safe.”

This is Element's first North American campaign, and is themed "Putting fires out of business.” The usual sexy filled calendar now comically depicts firefighters like Pensive Pete, Stacked Steve and Laidback Larry. A percentage of sales from each Element branded fire extinguisher sold during the holiday season will be donated to the National Firefighters Foundation and Canadian Fallen Firefighters Association.

Just Briefly

Adam&EveDDB has been appointed as Dr. Oetker’s global creative agency lead, following an international pitch that kicked off in February. The brand’s incumbent BBDO defended the account.

TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the bespoke agency for Apple, appointed Mariano Jeger as executive creative director in the agency’s Los Angeles office. Prior to taking on this newly created role, Jeger worked at R/GA Buenos Aires, where he has spent the last 10 years of his career, most recently as VP, chief creative officer. 

Dentsu is stacking up its leadership team with multiple new hires. Brian Eden joins 360i as executive creative director after nearly three years at agency Fig; Bridget Jewell is also joining 360i as group director of social creative after eight years at Periscope; Vasili Gavre has been tapped as executive creative director for Dentsu after working with brands like Apple, Nike and Vice Media, and Jason Oke joins Dentsu as executive VP of business leadership after a decade with WPP.

72andSunny New York has hired Tom Naughton as executive strategy director. Naughton joins the New York leadership team working alongside President Brett Edgar; Director of Production Lora Schulson; and Global Co-Chief Creative Officer Carlo Cavallone. 

Joan Creative has appointed Abe Baginsky as its executive creative director. Prior to taking on this newly created position, Baginsky held executive creative director positions at Ogilvy New York and 72andSunny, and served as creative director at Mother New York.

Minneapolis agency KC Truth has been named global brand strategy, creative and media AOR for IT security company Entrust.

Stagwell Media Network is expanding its team with three new executive hires. Jon Schaaf joins as global chief investment officer after previous roles at Omnicom, Publicis and GroupM. Shannon Pruitt joins as global chief content officer. She previously served as president of content of MDC Media Partners and has held various positions at Horizon Media, Dentsu, and Warner Brothers. Rick Acampora joins as chief client officer. He most recently served as global chief client officer at ForwardPMX.

SCS went on a hiring frenzy, including adding new positions. Roman Sandler joins as VP of media; Rebecca Baker Cedrone is the agency's brand director; Ingrid Sandahl joins as senior brand solutions director; and Heather Broscious is senior VP of brand solutions. The agency also promoted from within: Richard Accardi is the newest brand solutions director, replacing Kelsey Oliver who went to WP Engine; Nahla Elshatanofy succeeds Anna Barrett, who left to join eBay, as media supervisor; and Britney White is the newest head of project management, replacing Coreen Face, who left the company. 

See Ad Age’s 2021 Year in Review here.