Hasta La Creative!

Happy Friday to all and apologies for the paucity of posts this week as both of your resident spies have been working on other things for some company you may have heard of. As the 20th Century Steel Band put it, everyone’s got to make a living.

• It seems nobody is safe from the wave of sexual harassment allegations sweeping the worlds of media, entertainment and politics … except for advertising, of course. But we all know that’s not because it doesn’t happen. According to one agency’s Glassdoor page, the harassment started during the job interview itself. This shop’s CEO allegedly behaved very inappropriately toward a woman looking for a job a few years ago; she didn’t report him at the time but felt the need to do so in the Wake of Weinstein. Please note that one should be skeptical of everything on Glassdoor, given the number of disgruntled workers who see the site as a place to grind their axes and the HR departments who allegedly offer bonuses for positive reviews (or just very strongly suggest that employees should write them if they want to get promoted). On a side note, a 9th circuit court decision that came down last week would appear to conclude that it’s legal to subpoena anonymous commenters as long as the investigation is “in good faith.” Good thing the comments on this blog aren’t anonymous anymore!
• Meanwhile, agencies keep having a tough time. One shop that made headlines for going completely independent keeps losing business and shrinking its staff. Sources can’t confirm how many employees were let go in recent weeks, but one party says the production department now consists of only two people: “a single editor and an audio guy.”
• Another, bigger agency has been on a similar losing streak, with three accounts disappearing over the past two weeks alone. According to our tipsters, the team working on a prominent candy business didn’t realize the client was leaving until a certain competing publication ran a story about it. Management then allegedly told employees a different client that had fired the agency was simply moving toward project work and conveniently took the day off when layoffs hit, because investing in talent is always important.
• Speaking of investments, one prominent agency executive apparently couldn’t hack it as an angel. The shop’s custom multimillion dollar fund, which has included a bunch of tech and ecommerce companies (and at least one late social media-style company) on its roster, has allegedly shut down due to what can only be called a lack of self-interest.
• But these down days aren’t just hitting agencies. According to our sources, a major toy brand currently owes its AOR more than a million dollars in fees. This client allegedly argues that it simply can’t pay for the work that’s already been done, though it may well be pulling a “stall until the next fiscal year” move. Every kid who knows what’s up will be asking for an iPhone X this Christmas anyway.

*Any form of harassment is an incredibly serious matter. But we chose the most ridiculous stock image in a related series because it was there.

It’s now been four days since the Cannes Lions makeover, and agencies around the world are still asking, what does this mean for meeeeee???

The answers are starting to come in. For FCB, it means stricter guidelines on who will go to Cannes next year.

FCB worldwide CEO Carter Murray sent out the following memo to all FCB staff yesterday.

FCB executives didn’t elaborate on the note. But one industry veteran speaking on background stated that this would not be a dramatic departure from the makeup of past Cannes teams and that the employees who opt out of the festival this year will probably be executives.

A couple of points to note: Murray’s memo seems to imply that the FCB organization doesn’t think these changes went far enough but doesn’t get specific. One source called the changes “confusing” and predicted that next summer’s Cannes parties won’t be quite crazy as those in past years. Of course, the Gutter Bar will still be open.

It’s also notable that WPP and Sir Martin Sorrell, who seemed to be driving the conversation about Cannes in the first place, have not said anything about the announcements. This despite the fact that, according to an email chain published by Adweek in September, the holding company was not particularly happy with Cannes parent company Ascential.

But then Publicis Groupe seems satisfied, so all is good with the world.

Los Angeles independent agency Mistress launched its first work for Qdoba after being named creative agency of record for the brand back this past summer.

The animated manifesto “United by Flavor” delivers a message of unity and diversity, while also highlighting the fast casual chain’s dedication to fresh flavors, centered around the Qdoba Luchadors.

“We live in a world where everyone is different and we love it” the voiceover begins, adding that “some are extra spicy” while “others are mild.” The ad then pivots to a celebration of Qdoba’s fresh guacamole, three cheese queso, in-house pickled jalapeños and fresh fajita veggies.

While the Luchador personification of flavors can be off-putting at times, the spot does connect the brand to a broader message while also acting to celebrate brand differentiating ingredients and approaches.

“Differences and disagreements seem to be at an all-time high today,” Mistress creative partner Scott Harris said in a statement. “Qdoba wants to point out that when we all bring our differences together, it makes for a world richer than if we all stood apart. And, no matter how great all of these differences that set us apart may be, there is something greater that has the power to unite us all – our love for great flavor.”

The spot kicks off a campaign that also includes a social media element, with radio and in-store components coming soon. Further extensions will involve multiple product-specific elements and, according to a press release, “[establish] the brand’s point of view through experiential, social and many other touch points.”