Hasta La Creative!

Johannes Leonardo in New York is hiring a new chief executive, Michael Duda, and bolstering its creative team as well.

Consumers are twice as concerned about their mobile phone data being accessed from internet banking than they are about it being used for advertising, a study has found.

Five months ago, Boston-based agency Allen & Gerritsen acquired Philadelphia-based Neiman, expanding their staff to approximately 200. This gave both agencies the challenge of getting to know each other.

The folks 0ver at Allen & Gerritsen decided that simple names on emails amd faces in profile pics weren’t enough. What better way, they decided, than a friendly, cross-office game of Tic-Tac-Toe. But instead of simple Xs and Os, they decided to use nine “radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, a Wi-Fi enabled Arduino Yun, and Instagram” to put a new spin on the game. They dubbed their creation Pic Tap Toe. Here’s their explanation of the rules:

• Each office takes turns by placing a special game piece on sections of a custom game board consisting of RFID readers and an Arduino.
• Instead of Xs and Os, photos from employees’ Instagram streams appear on one of the 9 corresponding screens in each office.
• Screens update in real time in both locations, becoming a digital connection point and a way to glimpse into our coworkers’ lives through the photos they’ve taken.

It’s a fun take on getting to know new co-workers, and an innovative use of technology. Beyond the immediate benefits to their newly expanded organization, Allen & Gerritsen see the game as a great example of the “huge opportunities in RFID and the ability to customize a message and communicate it wirelessly to an individual at point of sale.” Allen & Gerritsen sees RFID as a groundbreaking tool with limitless potential, and Pic Tap Toe will give their employees valuable experience with RFID while also letting employees from their different offices get to know each other. Check out the video above for a more detailed look at Pic Tap Toe and RFID and let us know what you think in the comments section.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Advertising Agency: McGarrah Jessee, Austin, USA
Creative Director: James Mikus
Art Director: Ross Aboud
Copywriter: Kevin Dunleavy
Illustrator: Jim Salvati
Directors: Ben/Dave
Producer: Meredith Saidel Roach
Designer: Jeff Miller

Mattel has appointed Lola, Lowe & Partners’ Madrid-based agency, to handle its European advertising and digital account, which includes Barbie, Hot Wheels, Monster High, and Max Steel, as well as new product launches.

The win comes after a pitch — conducted without a consultant and led by the procurement team at Mattel — that took four months from the initial Request for Information to agencies until the decision. It is not known which other agencies pitched for the business, but Ogilvy & Mather has handled Mattel business for more than half a century.

Miguel Simoes, CEO of Lola, said, “This is a huge opportunity and a chance for us to help [Mattel] get a powerful position in the negotiations between child and parent it’s a process that involves a lot of emotion. Mattel is really in the international entertainment business, so this is fertile creative territory.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Just when you thought CEO Marissa Mayer’s Yahoo was about tools and tech, the portal goes and hires one of the biggest (and most expensive) names in TV news past and present: Katie Couric.

She’s just the latest big name in news to join Yahoo under Ms. Mayer, who personally courted the former co-host of “Today” and anchor of the “CBS Evening News.” She arrives right behind former New York Times tech writer David Pogue, New York Times Magazine staffer Matt Bai and editor Megan Liberman.

She joins Yahoo next year as global anchor of its news division, but because Ms. Couric is retaining her syndicated daytime talk show, how much of her time Yahoo will get remains to be seen.

Continue reading at AdAge.com