Hasta La Creative!

Diversity is the key to unlocking raw and unbridled creativity. It is time to step up and challenge the status quo, writes Creativebrief’s managing director.

Dunkin’ Donuts has found a way for anyone (who has an Apple smartphone or tablet) to experience a “total eclipse” from anywhere in the world.

Shortlist Media, the publisher of ShortList and Stylist, has appointed Hearst’s Georgina Holt to the newly-created role of group publishing director across all brands.

Fashion retail Jack Wills has hired Claire Waugh, formerly director of marketing (fashion and beauty) at Burberry, as its first chief marketing officer.

The world’s largest ad agencies have cast aside competition for the better, writes Dentsu Aegis Network’s global CSR manager.

Carlsberg Group is hosting a week of events in its home city of Copenhagen to mark the anniversary of its 1847 founding by JC Jacobsen.

Cem episódios! Quem diria! Para comemorar, Adriano Brandão e Danilo Silvestre definiram em conjunto quais são os 100 maiores jogos de video game de todos os tempos (até 2002). Neste episódio comemorativo, serão comentados os games rankeados do número 50 até o grande campeão, o número 1, o maior jogo de todos os tempos. Para completar, os mecenas esclarecidos do podcast elaboraram […]

> LEIA MAIS: Pouco Pixel 100 – Os 100 maiores jogos de todos os tempos, parte 2

MRM//McCann has been on something of a winning streak lately.

This morning agency’s chief operating officer, Kate MacNevin, sent out an internal memo congratulating employees on five new business wins, all of them recent.

GSK appointed the agency as global digital and multichannel marketing agency of record for “Respiratory and other assignments,” with MRM//McCann leading the assignment out of its London and Princeton offices. BASF named the agency as customer experience agency of record for North American agricultural products, following “an intensive six-step pitch process.” Benjamin Moore tasked the agency’s Princeton office with its paint, color and coating search marketing business. Mitsubishi Electric is entering into a partnership with MRM//McCann Salt Lake City to “help the company establish brand awareness for their holistic building solutions.” Finally, the agency’s Princeton office has been appointed digital agency of record for Sunovion new Parkinson’s treatment.

MacNevin notes all of this “comes in addition to what we’ve been experiencing with existing clients and goes on to congratulate employees while stressing “it’s important that we maintain our sharp focus on creative excellence and business expansion” through the second half of the year.

The wins provide a timely boost at the digital wing of the larger McCann network. CEO Michael McLaren left about 15 months ago after Verizon consolidated its FiOS business with indie agency Rauxa, and the Salt Lake City office also went through a round of downsizing earlier this year upon losing the Sam’s Club account.

Here’s the memo in its entirety:

Team,

Looking back at the first half of this year, we have much to be proud of. Adding to the significant recognition we’ve received that you know about – both earlier in the year from Gartner Inc. and across a wide range of creative shows – I’m pleased to announce that the following major global companies have begun to partner with us in a variety of capability areas:

• GSK has named us Global Digital and Multichannel Marketing AOR for Respiratory and other assignments, which includes driving a digital-first framework approach through creative, channels, performance and innovative solutions. Our offices in London and Princeton will take the lead on this global healthcare giant’s business, with our operations in Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and Italy providing local market support.
• BASF has named us Customer Experience AOR for their North American Agricultural Products after an intensive six-step pitch process. We will help them enhance their customer experience through new processes, technology and data, developing a new engagement platform to power marketing and salesforce enablement.
• Benjamin Moore has assigned our Princeton team to handle their paint, color and coating search marketing business. We will help drive their paid and organic search marketing, while working to utilize search behavior and linguistic learning to accelerate buyers through the decision journey.
• Our Salt Lake City office will be partnering with Mitsubishi Electric to help the company establish brand awareness for their holistic building solutions. In addition to focusing on branding, advertising and sales enablement, we will be integrating multiple product sites into a streamlined, one-stop solution. The team will be working directly with the U.S. division of Mitsubishi Electric in California, and partnering with MRM//McCann Tokyo on overall brand strategy.
• Additionally, our Princeton office has been awarded the Digital AOR business for a breakthrough new treatment for Parkinson’s disease from Sunovion.

This new client growth, which comes in addition to what we’ve been experiencing with existing clients, goes hand in hand with a number of breakthroughs for us this year. Our agency-first Cannes Lions Grand Prix awarded to MRM//McCann Spain – not incidentally, the most awarded Spanish agency of the festival – was game-changing, and was accompanied by 12 additional Lions won by our teams across the globe.

As you know, this year was also the first time we were designated as a Leader in Gartner Inc.’s important and influential “Magic Quadrant for Global Digital Marketing Agencies” report. Additionally, there was a groundswell of creative recognition for MRM//McCann agencies around the world, including at the North America Effie Awards, the global One Show, the El Sol Festival for Latin America and Spain, the Grand Prix Advertising Stratégies Awards in Paris, Marketing Magazine’s awards in the Asia Pacific region, and more.

Congratulations to our teams for bringing in these new clients and for achieving impressive industry recognition this year. As we move through the second half of the year, it’s important that we maintain our sharp focus on creative excellence and business expansion. We have incredibly strong momentum to build upon.

Thank you for your hard work and ongoing commitment.

We are Better Together!

Thanks,
Kate

Good morning. Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing and digital-related news. What people are talking about today: It’s finally time for that solar eclipse. For people who didn’t buy viewing glasses, it’s not too late: Here’s an Instagram tutorial from Corona beer about how to make a pinehole camera out of 12-pack packaging, as spotted by Creativity Online’s Alexandra Jardine.

Sadly, though, for ’80s afficionados who dreamed of watching Bonnie Tyler sing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” during a Royal Caribbean cruise, that ship has sailed. The cruise liner departed Sunday from Florida in what was probably the most on-the-nose of the many, many eclipse marketing stunts. (Ad Age’s Garett Sloane compiled a handy list here, ICYM.) The eclipse is viewable this afternoon across a swathe of North America and a few other locales. For anybody feeling guilty about ditching work to watch the heavens align, don’t, says Recode: “Go ahead and watch the eclipse! You’re not going to cause a productivity crisis.”

On that note, here’s a link to NASA’s live broadcast.

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