Hasta La Creative!

Michael Lowenstern has joined the New York offices of Amazon Media Group as group creative director, reporting directly to executive creative director Anthony Reeves.

Amazon confirmed the hire but declined to comment further. R/GA did not respond to an email regarding the news.

Lowenstern joins Amazon following over four years as vice president, digital advertising at R/GA New York. Lowenstern founded the agency’s digital advertising group upon his arrival in 2008, taking on varying roles including copywriter, developer, creative strategist and client partner for brands including Verizon, Pepsi, Samsung and Walmart, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Before joining R/GA, he served as vice president, director of rich media for MRM Worldwide, following over eight years with G2 Direct and Digital (formerly Grey Direct), forming its Flash development department in 1998 and serving as display advertising group director. He also spent nearly a dozen years playing bass clarinet for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

News of Lowenstern’s departure coincides with Steven Moy joining R/GA as U.S. chief technology officer. It also comes while the agency is pitching for the Lay’s creative account, along with BBDO, CP+B, TBWAChiatDay and Deep Focus and follows the expansion of its relationship with Samsung earlier this spring.

With the passing of my ex-partner and good friend Jack Trout, I feel compelled to write a few words about our nearly 30 years of working together.

In love, opposites attract. In business, opposites work well together. Jack and I were opposites.

Jack was Mr. Outside; I was Mr. Inside. Jack was an extrovert, talkative and very social; I am an introvert. Jack was athletic; I am not. You name it, we were opposites.

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Think there’s more hoopla about brand boycotts than actual boycotting? Maybe not. A new Ipsos survey found that 25% of Americans said they had stopped using a brand’s goods or services in the previous three months because of protests, boycotts or the brand’s perceived political leanings.

A quarter of the U.S. population amounts to around 80 million people according to US Census data. “That’s a lot of people that are saying politics are driving their purchasing behavior,” said Chris Jackson, VP and strategic communication research lead at Ipsos Public Affairs.

“Socially conscientious consumerism has been on the rise for years,” said Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5W Public Relations. “Given the combination of that trend and the current politically charged climate, it’s not surprising to see that such a significant number of Americans have changed their shopping habits due to politics.”

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Video-game executives headed for the annual E3 gathering in Los Angeles next week are looking a lot smarter than their counterparts in other corners of the entertainment industry.

While movie and TV studios continued to be roiled by new forms of digital entertainment, video-game companies have come through looking like winners, with revenue growing and their stocks at all-time highs. The convention running June 13 to June 15 will show just how much the $109 billion business has changed.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo sold 15,000 tickets to consumers this year, a first for a show historically focused on industry insiders and the media who cover the business. Mobile games and virtual reality will be featured at E3, along with traditional console titles. The expo also will host is first esports contests, allowing fans and professionals to compete in front of audiences.

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Bulleit bourbon has been a big winner for Diageo and a prime example of how a liquor giant can grow a niche brand without sacrificing its craft-like independent spirit. Now the fast-growing brand is on the attack against a competitor that Diageo says is trying to steal some of Bulleit’s frontier vibe.

In a lawsuit filed this week in federal court, Diageo alleges the smaller Redemption bourbon brand committed trademark infringement by copying the vintage style of Bulleit’s packaging and branding. Diageo stated that similarities included the clear canteen-shaped bottle with rounded shoulders and embossed brand name above the label. The lawsuit also points to branding that referred to Redemption as a “saloon era” and “pre-prohibition” whiskey. Bulleit is marketed as a “frontier whiskey” whose packaging is meant to “evoke the rugged look and feel of the American Frontier,” according to the lawsuit.

Redemption was previously sold in cylinder-shaped bottles with a more modern look, according to the suit. Diageo alleges that Redemption was revised to mimic Bulleit after the brand was acquired by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, a wine and spirits marketers whose brands include Yellow Tail. Deutsch bought Redemption from Bardstown Barrel Selections in 2015.

Continue reading at AdAge.com