Hasta La Creative!

BBDO launched a new campaign for Wells Fargo with an emotional ad about adoption.

The 60-second spot, entitled “Learning Sign Language” stars a real life lesbian couple learning sign language. At the end of the ad it is revealed they’re learning sign language because they’re an adopting a girl who is deaf (played by a girl who is deaf in real life). “We’re going to be your new mommies,” they say at the emotional climax of the ad, before a voiceover ties the scene to the bank with the line, “Everyone works hard for a reason. Working together, we can help you prepare financially for when two becomes three.”

The spot follows the trend of inclusiveness in advertising, as evidenced by Hallmark’s recent Valentine’s Day effort and Droga5’s “This is Wholesome” for Honeymaid last year. “Learning Sign Language,” which makes its broadcast debut Monday, is just the first of nine spots which will encompass the yearlong campaign, BBDO’s first large scale push for the brand since winning agency of record duties last March. Other ads in the campaign tell the stories of small-business owners juggling a heavy workload and, like “Learning Sign Language,” emphasize diversity — perhaps in part to attempt to reconcile the company’s history of alleged racial discrimination in its lending practices.

“We really felt that this is a great way to both represent the notion of family and adoption—which is obviously a very important part of our community and many of our customers’ lives—and we do it in a way that felt very true to our perspective about diversity and inclusion,” chief marketing officer Jamie Moldafsky told Adweek.

Hulu has acquired exclusive rights to shows from Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting in the first grealicensing deal between the companies.

Past seasons of shows from Turner’s Adult Swim and Cartoon Network channels will be available on demand at Hulu, along with some current and future series from TNT and TBS, the companies said Thursday in a statement. Viewers will be able to see all past episodes of shows such as “The Last Ship” and “Steven Universe,” they said. Cartoon Network programs will stream without advertising at Hulu Kids.

The deal augments the library at Hulu, especially in kids shows, at a time when competitors are emphasizing programs for young viewers. It gives Time Warner a new outlet and revenue source for Turner programs in the online world.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Alas, Admen! You’re Not Professionals

In 1970, admakers were not professionals, according to a New York apellate court, which ruled against a team at Scott-Textor Productions that wrote, sang, acted and produced scripts for TV and radio. Scott-Textor had argued that, as professionals, they were exempt from the 4% business tax imposed by the state. But the court determined that ad makers, unlike film and play artist, were not professionals. “The activities of an artist who writes for motion pictures, plays, television or radio are exempt, while the petitioner production of advertising is not. The distinction is obviously premised upon the degree of expertise training and background required for the activity.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com

CEC Entertainment brand Chuck E. Cheese’s has launched a creative review, Adweek reports. The brand spent approximately $28 million on measured media in 2014, according to Kantar Media.

The Richards Group won creative and media duties for the brand back in 2012. It is unclear if the agency will be defending in the creative review, and the brand’s chief marketing officer, Michael Hartmann, declined to comment to Adweek. Hartmann took over in the role in January, after a stint as senior marketing officer at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, and his arrival was likely an impetus for the review. CEC Entertainment, which owns the brand, was also purchased last year by Apollo Global Management. The arcade and family dining chain has an estimated 577 locations, mostly in the U.S. and Canada.

The Federal Trade Commission has gone after a mobile tracking firm that it says gathered information on 9 million consumers’ mobile devices in the first nine months of 2013. The agency alleges that Nomi, a small New York firm that was acquired by retail analytics company Brickstream in 2014, misled people when it said they could opt out from its tracking technology in stores, since no opt-out tool was available.

Mobile trackers have become a popular presence in retail outlets, entertainment arenas and even parks and museums. The settlement could signal future investigations by the commission related to the burgeoning and controversial world of mobile tracking via beacons and other technologies.

According to the FTC settlement, “Consumers who did not opt out on Nomi’s website and instead wanted to make the opt-out decision at retail locations were unable to do so, despite the explicit promise in Nomi’s privacy policies. Consumers were not provided any means to opt out at retail locations and were unaware that the service was even being used.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com

FCB Chicago recently launched a PSA campaign for the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence featuring a traveling statue exhibit and media campaign, entitled “The Unforgotten.”

“The Unforgotten” aims to remember victims of gun violence via a traveling exhibit of statues dressed in clothing from gun violence victims. Created by FCB Chicago art director Jordan Sparrow, the figures were posed to mimic the victims’ posture and gestures, arrived at by studying photos and home video footage. While they were created to appear as lifelike as possible, the figures were kept faceless to remind viewers that these people lost their lives to gun violence. The effect (as seen in the above video) is unsettling.

“This cause desperately needed an unusual approach,” FCB Chicago creative chief Todd Tilford explained to Adweek, “something shocking to compel people to take action, while at the same time honoring the victims, and the families and friends of the victims. Not in a loud, screaming way, but in a powerful, silent way.”

Initially held at St. James Cathedral Plaza in Chicago on April 10th, the installation garnered its share of media attention and Tillford told Adweek there are plans for it to visit other cities in the state and perhaps across the country.

Credits:

Client: Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
Agency: FCB Chicago
Chief Creative Officer: Todd Tilford
Group Creative Director: Chuck Rudnick
Art Director: Jordan Sparrow
Executive Creative Producer: John Bleeden
Creative Producer: Rachel Chapman
Film Director: Ben Flaherty
Account Supervisor: Ky Anderson
Group Management Director: Karyn Kerner
Senior Strategic Planner: Hayet Rida
Director Experience Planning: Katie Swindler

PR Agency: Current – Lifestyle Marketing and Public Relations
President: Virginia Devlin
Vice President: Alexis Valenti

Production Company: Lord + Thomas
Executive Producer: Katie Roach
Executive Producer: Jared Stachowitz
Senior Editor: Steve Immer
Copywriter: Anthony Williams
Group Creative Director: Derek Sherman
John Skibicki: Lead Developer

Experiential Agency: FCBX
Management Director: Marty Kane