A mockumentary about returning to the office and Martin Agency wins Sabra: Agency Brief

Providence, Rhode Island-based agency Nail has created a mockumentary-style video that makes fun of the adjustment people have to make when returning to the office. In the video, the office has an “Emergency pants” box for people who forget to wear trousers; there are employees working from a bed in the office; and employees need mirrors directly in front of them because they miss seeing themselves on Zoom. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight. “Businesses all over the country are wrestling with what ‘going back to the office’ looks like,” Brian Gross, creative director for Nail, said in a statement. “So in an attempt to remind everyone that going back to the office isn’t just about productivity and efficiency—it’s also about just enjoying the company of other humans—Nail Communications has documented those first awkward days back in each other’s company.” Gross added that the video is a “simple metaphor for where this country could be if everyone made that same tiny sacrifice." The video ends with the statement “Everybody in this video has been vaccinated. Just like you should be.” Currently, the agency is marking Tuesdays and Wednesdays as “suggested in-office days,” according to Lizzi Weinberg, partner at Nail. Sabra dips into relationship with Martin Agency Hummus brand Sabra has named The Martin Agency as its lead creative agency. Previously the brand had worked with VaynerMedia on creative, which included the airing of Sabra’s 2020 Super Bowl ad. The scope of Martin’s work includes a creative platform with supporting activations, plus a new product launch in 2022. This is a significant move for Sabra’s CEO Joey Bergstein, who joined the company in August after serving as CEO of Seventh Generation. “We’re excited to team with Martin to keep Sabra in the spotlight, and hummus in every fridge,” Jason Levine, chief marketing officer of Sabra said in a statement. “We share a passion for sustainably-inspired growth, breakthrough creativity, and meaningful cultural engagement. There’s a real opportunity for Sabra to build brand awareness in unique ways. ” JBL hires Doner as AOR JBL has named Doner as its lead U.S creative agency following a competitive review. Previously, Doner served as the global strategy and creative content lead and will continue in that role while adding U.S. strategic and creative duties. This is an expansion of Doner’s 11-year partnership with the audio manufacturer. “At JBL, we aim to enhance experiences through sound across a variety of settings,” Ralph Santana, CMO of JBL said in a statement. “Doner has served as a JBL creative partner for over a decade, consistently delivering outstanding strategic insight and creative excellence. Doner has demonstrated its understanding of how to develop brand activations that connect with culture, and we look forward to seeing how that expertise helps us further elevate JBL in the U.S market.” Doner’s new U.S. market work will debut this winter. It's official: OKRP is nerdy OKRP definitely has a sweet tooth. The Chicago-based agency was named the agency of record for Ferrara’s Nerds brand following a competitive review. The agency will handle advertising and activation initiatives for the candy brand’s growing portfolio, which includes products like Nerds Gummy Clusters, Nerds Ropes, Big Chewy Nerds and its latest product, Nerds Candy Corn, which was created for this Halloween season. According to a statement by Ferrara, the Nerds brand has been experiencing a “rapid growth spurt,” and OKRP will be tasked with building on that momentum and will introduce a new brand platform for its products in early 2022. This is the agency’s first assignment in the confections category. “Nerds plays to our sweet spot—a fun-loving brand that inspires joy,” Tom O’Keefe, CEO of OKRP said in a statement. Xbox 360 sneaker drop This week Xbox and Adidas teamed up with Jam3 to help create a virtual drop experience for a collaboration sneaker that is part of Xbox’s larger “Always Played In. Never Played Out” campaign meant to celebrate Xbox’s 20th anniversary. The campaign focuses on three distinct eras of Xbox history marked with sneaker drops inspired by each iconic Xbox console. This particular experience was dedicated to promoting the sneaker collaboration emulating the Xbox 360 console. Titled "In Queue," the mobile experience takes users through an unreasonably long scroll to get to the front of the line. The longer users scroll, the more they are able to unlock prizes, interact with cultural moments, and tap into familiar game-play. If users stop scrolling, after 30 seconds they are bumped to the back of the line and have to start all over. If they can make it to the front of the line, users will be shown a surprise reveal of the Xbox 360 Forum Mid shoe. The experience lasted from November 3-5. To promote the campaign Adidas Originals and Xbox shared the experience on their social channels, and FaZe Clan member FaZe Temperrr also announced the experience on his Instagram stories and feed, Reddit, and Discord. Busting myths with Kwikset Lock and lockset manufacturer Kwikset has teamed up with Irvine, California-based SCS to launch a new brand campaign featuring "Mythbusters" co-host Adam Savage. The “Smarter Kind of Simple,” campaign includes a series of videos of Savage admiring Kwikset’s door locks. In one video, Savage is looking to help his friend change a lock by blasting it with a giant "Mythbusters"-style weapon. The two are stopped by a neighbor who tells them about Kwikset’s product that allows users to re-key their lock themselves. “Coming to the market at this point in time with a fully integrated brand effort makes perfect sense for Kwikset, as the brand has never been stronger and our products are delivering extra value for people adapting to changing environments at home and at work,” Matt Zimmer, VP of marketing and security hardware at Spectrum Brands said in a statement. The campaign will reach across broadcast television, CTV; paid and native social content; and display advertising throughout the end of 2021 and into the summer of 2022. There will be refreshes to the content along the way that will be informed by consumer insights and in-market performance monitored and curated through SCS’s proprietary marketing intelligence platform. A Boost for Publicis Publicis Groupe is celebrating yet another win this week after Kärcher, the German cleaning and care solutions provider, hired it as its global agency partner following a competitive pitch. In line with its “Power of One” strategy, Publicis is creating a dedicated unit called “Publicis Boost” to service the business, based out of Hamburg and co-ordinating all communication measures for more than 70 markets worldwide. The client and the agency are also setting up regional hubs. "Publicis convinced us that their tailor-made agency approach is also the forward-looking model for large, globally active family-owned companies,” commented Bernd Rützler, executive VP corporate marketing and brand management at Kärcher. Chicken fight Wieden+Kennedy’s attempt to defend its KFC account was short-lived. The chicken chain, which launched a U.S. creative and media agency review in late September, will part ways with W+K. An agency spokeswoman confirmed the decision: “We had such a great seven years working with this brand. The work we did together changed them and changed us. Thank you to all of the people who were part of this chapter." The review is expected to wrap in December. Shops in contention for the creative account include FCB, Johannes Leonardo, Mullen, Fig and Arnold, while Publicis Groupe’s Spark Foundry, WPP’s Wavemaker and IPG’s UM are vying for media, according to people familiar with the matter. There’s a pro for that Fire and water cleanup restoration services company Servpro launched its “There’s a Pro for that” campaign created by its AOR Buntin. In addition to the campaign, the company is unveiling a brand refresh featuring changes to its logo and several significant updates to its website, including a new "look and feel." This is the first time Servpro has updated its logo since 2013. "While we're well-known for our work in fire and water cleanup and restoration, 'There's a Pro for That' also creates a framework for us to promote the other services we offer as well as potential future offerings," Servpro’s CMO Mike Stahl said in a statement. Putting her best foot forward Ly Tran, associate partner and chief media officer of Proof Advertising in Austin, Texas, is leaving the agency after 13 years and planning on opening her own company early next year. Tran, who last year was a speaker at the Ad Age Small Agency Conference, says her new venture will be "a certified minority-owned, woman-owned business and as I see it, a creative-media cooperative" that will partner with "brands that reflect my same core values and stand for similar principles." She hasn't revealed the name of her new company, but Tran, who is known for her vast footwear collection—she has 350 pair of shoes—said the moniker will be "inspired by all the shoes I own." Just briefly Kumon North America has tapped Florida-based agency Curious Jane as its lead agency in the U.S and Canada following a seven-month review process. New York-based agency Bandujo Advertising + Design was the incumbent for the education company’s U.S business. Bandujo wasn’t immediately available for comment. “We are excited to work with Curious Jane to attract new families and new Kumon instructors,” Leah Coyle, VP of branding at Kumon North America said in a statement. “Together, we will launch a new creative campaign that builds on Kumon’s niche as the premier after-school math and reading enrichment program.” Doner has launched its new Chicago “Talent Hub.” The new hub will be led by Julio Desir, who joined Doner this January and has been promoted to executive VP, executive creative director. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight. “Julio Desir joining Doner and leading this new talent hub is emblematic of our growth and how top talent continues to choose our agency,” David DeMuth, CEO at Doner said in a statement. “With this move, we have created a door to a very long hallway to Detroit, marrying two great Midwestern cities and connecting our agency and clients to more top industry talent.” Sandra Alfaro has joined DDB Chicago as its head of business leadership. Prior to taking on the newly created role Alfaro served as executive VP and managing partner of Horizon media’s culture-first agency 305 Worldwide. Cactus has been named agency of record for the North Carolina Education Lottery. Under the three-year contract, the new partnership began in October with new work coming out early in 2022. The North Carolina Education Lottery typically launches 48 to 52 scratch-off games each year, and Cactus will support monthly launches of new scratch-off games with unique creative campaigns as well as supporting various draw games with campaigns throughout the year. Cactus will also take the creative lead on campaigns for branding, beneficiary, and responsible gaming messaging. Boston-based agency Soldier Unlimited has hired James Wilkinson as its chief creative officer and Shanthi Bretz as executive director. Prior to taking on the newly created roles, Wilkinson was chief creative officer for Seattle-based agency Pop and Bretz was an executive director for the same agency. Two by Four has named Ted Klauber as its VP, strategy director in its San Francisco office. The role was previously held by Joanna Borgione who is no longer with the agency according to a spokeswoman for Two by Four. Prior to this, Klauber served as a marketing strategist for HP. Contributing: Alexandra Jardine

A mockumentary about returning to the office and Martin Agency wins Sabra: Agency Brief

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