Burn baby, burn
It’s the new multitasking: Being productive and burned out. Two seemingly opposing reports show there are plenty of both to go around in marketing land. We’ll start with Fishbowl’s survey which found that people are getting more burned out as the pandemic marches on. Nearly 79% of the 18,195 participants in its survey late last month said that they are more burned out than in June, when (only!) 68% of respondents said they felt that way.
Where you live also influenced the rate at which you were reaching the end of your rope: 84% of Californians answered positively, showing the highest rate of burnout, followed by Maryland and D.C., with about 81% each. (We’ll refrain from political comment). If you’re looking for less stress you might want to move to Nevada, with a 67% burnout rate, which came lowest in the survey, or Alabama, at 70%, or Oregon, at 71%. Wieden+Kennedy, get ready for those resumes!
Survey respondents were not just from agencies but from all kinds of companies, including IBM, JP Morgan, Facebook, McKinsey, Deloitte, Bank of America, Amazon, Edelman, Nike, Google, KPMG and more.
Now, consider Float’s Global Agency Productivity Report of 200 agency workers, which finds that 98% of agency employees want to be able to work from home permanently. The report finds half of agency teams surveyed feel healthier working remotely despite 66% admitting to working longer hours remotely. Go figure.
Maybe we’re just too burned out to reconcile the two surveys, so we’ll just let Float’s numbers speak for themselves. It found that 69% of agency teams reported they get through four hours of “deep work” (defined as working without interruption) at home versus in the office, where 55% said they manage only 2 hours or less per day. Two-thirds of those working longer hours find it harder to switch off from home and 40% attribute that to more meetings.
But despite all those wishes to continue to work from your dining room table, that might not be possible: Some 15% of agency owners and principals want their employees back in the office.
Bambach rises at Grey
Grey London has elevated Laura Jordan Bambach to president and chief creative officer. Bambach, a co-founder of Mr. President and an Ad Age Europe Woman to Watch, joined Grey less than a year ago as chief creative officer. Grey says that in her new role she will be working in partnership with Javier Campopiano, creative chairman in London and chief creative officer Europe.
Bambach has held roles in shops including Deepend, Glue London, LBi and Dare, and Grey says she is “perfectly placed to build on the opportunities, collaboration and synergies with AKQA London following the newly formed AKQA Group,” which was announced by WPP back in November.
Bambach is also a longtime advocate for gender equality and diversity who co-founded SheSays, a volunteer network that helps women break through in the creative industries. She co-created VOWSS, a showcase for the best work created by women, and co-founded The Great British Diversity Project to show that diversity powers effective creative work.
You didn’t miss the deadline—yet!
So you procrastinated in applying for the Ad Age Creativity & A-List Awards, and while it’s now going to cost you more to apply, the good news is that you still have time: The final deadline is March 2. This past year has tested the industry's creativity, resilience and ability to pivot like no other, and the 2021 Ad Age A-List and Creativity Awards will honor the players and the people that have succeeded despite the odds. Taking home this honor during a year of pandemic should be especially significant. Enter here.
Jingle all the way
Quick, what’s America’s favorite jingle? According to a new survey by Quality Logo Products, it’s “Nationwide is on your side.” The survey of 735 U.S. consumers found that 93% of respondents recognized the ditty, which ranked just above McDonalds “Ba-da-da-ba-baa” and the ricocheting “Ricola.” Other fun facts: Liberty Mutual is No. 1 on both the most-hated and most-loved lists, while the most misunderstood is for Sara Lee. Some 75% of respondents think it’s “nobody does it like Sara Lee” rather than “nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.”
And speaking of jingles ...
FCB has been tapped as creative agency of record for Safelite Auto Glass, which is the country’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair (known, of course for “Safelite repair, Safelite replace”). The agency will handle consumer campaign and communications materials including broadcast, online video, social media and digital channels, and the win follows a three-month pitch.
Just briefly
Nicole Cornish, president and chief operating officer at Subject Matter, a Washington D.C., creative advocacy firm, adds the title of CEO. Cornis, who has held positions at agencies like Burson-Marsteller and Direct Impact, succeeds John Buckley, who is stepping down.
Montreal’s Cosette has been named global creative agency of record for BRP, which produces the Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo, Cam-Am Alumacraft and Manitou brands. The shop says it will lead marketing strategies across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, with a specific focus on the U.S. market.
Travellers Autobarn, a camper van rental company, tapped Wagstaff Media & Marketing as agency ro record to increase brand awareness in the U.S. “As a youthful brand that is much beloved and well-established in other markets including Australia and New Zealand, we are excited to gain a larger following in the U.S. and we see a lot of opportunity for our road trip-based tourism model in the States on the horizon,” said Bastian Graf, sales and marketing manager for the company.
