Hasta La Creative!

In September, creative powerhouse Wieden & Kennedy won the TurboTax media-buying account, two months after pulling in that brand’s creative business. This led Ad Age’s Rupal Parekh to write, “This move could be a sign that scale is growing less important compared with integration.” Could it? Absolutely. In 2014, we will see a big shift toward the integration of media and creative.

After considering it for years, my agency, Traction, launched a media department last year. The final straw for us was when we made it to the finals in a pitch for Ross Stores. We partnered with a media agency and were told we had lost the business because the client was uncomfortable dealing with two agencies instead of one.

Conventional thinking has had the agency world divided into silos. The economies of scale that large buying agencies could provide meant advertisers could get cheaper rates by buying with the big guys. But technology is changing the playing field.

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OK these are awesome! What’s awesome? These Carmichael Lynch-created spots for Subaru, part of the brand’s Dog Tested, Dog Approved campaign. In four spots, a family of four dogs, The Barkleys, re-enact typical human scenarios that happen to involved a car.

In, What’s the Fuss About, it’s all about barking at the mailman. In In the Dog House, it’s all about wifey disliking hubby’s adoration of a hot poodle crossing the street. In Teenagers, it’s all about the goodnight kiss in the car until a parent appears in the window. And in Road Trip Convenience Store, it’s all about doggy bathroom behavior.

We like the approach. These otherwise boring scenarios are made far more interesting because its dogs re-enacting simple human interactions. We might be bored with most human activity but we’ll never tire of the antics dogs can provide.

Earlier this week we brought you news of the “Good Day Blimp” campaign, an attempt by several creatives to make the “Ice Cube’s A Pimp” Goodyear blimp of his classic “It Was A Good Day” a reality on the date of that song’s good day while raising money for A Place Called Home, a charity serving South Central children and teens. Well, while they were understandably hesitant to display the phrase “Ice Cube’s A Pimp,” Goodyear will indeed be flying a blimp to commemorate Ice Cube’s good day and raising money for A Place Called Home. We think their compromise is more than fair.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

For the latest installment in Carmichael Lynch’s “Subaru Dog Tested. Dog Approved.” campaign, they’re introducing “The Barkleys,” which refers to a family of dogs, not Charles Barkley and family.

The new spots — “In the Dog House,” “Teenagers,” “Road Trip Convenience Store” and”What’s the Fuss About?” (featured above)– imagine the family of dogs in “everyday relatable human experiences.” These range from teenagers making out after a date, the man of the car getting in trouble for oggling an attractive female, that convenience store pit stop that every road trip depends on, and barking as the mailman drives by, which, come to think of it, isn’t really an “everyday relatable human experience.” The spots are simple, relying fun dog humor without any dialog. Dog owners, and especially Subaru-loving dog owners, should eat this right up.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have “They Lived,” a somber spot for Subaru’s “Love” campaign. Based on stories from real Subaru owners who survived crashes, thanks to their Subarus, the spot features an actual Subaru wreck which the driver walked away from. The officer on the scene and the driver who towed the wreck tell those seeing the wreck, “They lived.” It’s an effective way to illustrate Subaru’s crash safety as a selling point, and a reminder of how important that can be. Watch it below, and stick around for one more Barkleys spot, along with credits, after the jump. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Lis Smith, a young political operative, seemed to be an obvious choice for a post in City Hall — until the news media learned about her relationship with Eliot Spitzer.

A phone call has confirmed that Menno Kluin is no longer with DDB New York, which he joined nearly three years ago as ECD/head of art. Kluin’s arrival at DDB NY marked one of said office’s then newly christened CCO Matt Eastwood‘s first notable hires (Eastwood and Kluin pictured l-r). Kluin joined DDB after spending three years at Y&R, serving in a similar role as CD/head of art and putting out efforts such as this. During his career, the creative exec also served as an award-winning art director at Saatchi & Saatchi. No word on where he’s headed to next but we’ll fill in the blanks if and when we find out.

Update: Well, there you go. Deutsch New York has hired Kluin as ECD/head of art & design. Menno starts Tuesday, January 21.  He will be reporting to CCO Kerry Keenan.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.