Newell Brands Chooses POSSIBLE to Lead Web Strategy

Newell Brands Inc. appointed global digital agency POSSIBLE to lead its online strategy.

The agency will be tasked with designing a digital experience that creates global consistency while also staying true to individual brands such as Paper Mate, Sharpie and Graco. POSSIBLE has already begun working on the initial phase of the effort, with the creation of initial brand sites.

“We are honoured to work with Newell Brands to help create a world-class experience that connects with consumers,” POSSIBLE president, Americas Jason Burby said in a statement. “We are passionate about delivering digital products that make a measurable difference. Combining high-consideration baby products from a brand like Graco with high-volume brands like Sharpie or PaperMate is a fantastic challenge.”

The appointment follows Newell Brands transferring global creative duties for brands including Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Paper Mate, Calphalon, Irwin and Lenox from BBH to J. Walter Thompson New York without a review back in May. According to Kantar Media, Newell Brands spent around $91.6 million on measured media last year.

Yum Brands Launches Review for $220 Million KFC Media Account

And speaking of KFC, Yum Brands just launched a review of the fast food brand’s $220 million media business. WPP’s MEC has handled media duties for the brand for over a decade but opted not to participate in the review. According to Kantar Media, the brand spent around $55 million on measured media during the first quarter of 2016, down from $56.5 million over the same period last year. 

“The search seeks to identify and select a world-class agency capable of deploying innovative media strategies while leveraging cost efficiencies and maximizing return on investment,” the brand said in a statement. 

The review is being handled by Los Angeles consultancy Select Resources International. MEC has so yet to respond to a request to comment on the news, but the WPP shop has seen recent changes in several of its biggest accounts including AT&T, which recently consolidated its $2 billion account with Omnicom by picking BBDO for creative and the recently launched Hearts & Science for media duties.

KFC left former creative agency FCB for W+K back in February of 2015, following a closed review, with W+K subsequently launching a campaign featuring a revolving door of comedians/actors portraying Colonel Sanders, including Darrell Hammond, Norm MacDonald, Jim Gaffigan, George Hamilton and, currently, Rob Riggle

GMC Brand Up for Grabs as General Motors Issues Creative RFP

Following speculation this spring that General Motors was launching a review for its GMC and Buick brands, a spokesperson confirmed today that the company has issued a creative RFP to “multiple agencies”. The review is exclusively concerned with GMC, however, and the Buick brand will not be impacted.

Both accounts currently reside with Publicis agencies Leo Burnett and DigitasLBi, which will defend in the review. According to Kantar Media, the parent company spent $269 million on measured media for the brand last year.

Leo Burnett was appointed as lead creative agency for Buick and GMC in 2007 without a review and has worked with General Motors in some capacity for over 45 years.

“Expanding the relevance of GMC brand and positioning it for continued success are key priorities,” the spokesperson said. “To support this effort, GMC is inviting multiple agencies to participate in a RFP to develop advertising strategies for the brand. Our current agencies of record, Leo Burnett and Digitas, will participate in this process. This RFP is specific to GMC and does not impact in any way the relationship between Buick, Leo Burnett and Digitas.”

GMC declined to disclose specifics about the review and the new agencies involved aside from the fact that an RFP will be issued within 30-45 days and the review is expected to conclude by the end of the year. Two to incumbent agencies deferred to the client for comment.

Sources told Adweek that Leo Burnett and Digitas were informed of the RFP last week, following the announcement by McDonald’s that it had concluded its own creative/media review by sending its creative account to DDB, thereby ending its 35-year relationship with Leo Burnett and consolidating its account with Omnicom.

Back in June, the Detroit offices of Leo Burnett and Digitas LBi merged to form a new unit called Engage M-1, dedicated to serving General Motors, while retaining separate office spaces and agency brands. 

General Motors has made a few changes to its agency roster in the recent past. In February, General Motors sent creative duties for Chevrolet certified service and Chevrolet commercial vehicles to Commonwealth//McCann nearly a year after sending creative for Silverado to McCann. This year General Motors also sent PR duties on its Cadillac and Chevrolet brands to Kovert Creative and Weber Shandwick, respectively — and the Detroit News reports that the company will issue RFPs for public relations work on Buick and GMC by the end of this year.

Diageo Sends Work on Liquor Brands to Anomaly and Barton F. Graf

There’s a pretty interesting tidbit in today’s AdAge report on the news that Carat retained the vast majority of beverage giant Diageo’s media business: Barton F. Graf and Anomaly have effectively inherited work on several of its liquor brands.

The client has not been particularly responsive to our queries regarding its agency roster, meaning they haven’t answered our emails or phone calls, ever. But AdAge notes that WPP’s Mindshare will handle media for India and South Africa with Publicis on Australian duty and Dentsu running everything else.

The Age report also makes clear, without providing much in the way of details, that the review included a couple of creative changes regarding the following brands: Ketel One Vodka, Bulleit Bourbon, Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey and Buchanan’s Scotch.

BFG scored the first two while Anomaly got the latter pair in a move that marks the end of Diageo’s relationship with Grey — which had been AOR for both Ketel One and Crown Royal. We hear, though, that Grey had not done any work on these brands for some time and that it hadn’t produced any major campaigns for the larger client in years.

When Diageo announced its plans to launch a review earlier this year, Grey declined to participate and the company said it would send those portions of its brand portfolio to various roster agencies. Anomaly replaced BBH as Johnnie Walker’s AOR back in December 2014 and apparently inherited the Crown Royal brand work at some point thereafter. BFG has also counted Diageo among its clients for several years; in the 2011 announcement of Eric Kallman‘s hiring, BFG was working with the client “on a project basis.” So no formal creative review appears to have occurred.

Diageo, again, has not provided us with any specifics regarding this news. Representatives for Anomaly and Barton F. Graf have also declined to comment.

Given the fact that the client was spending “very little” toward the end of its tenure with Grey, however, it would seem that Diageo wants to beef up the marketing efforts behind its major liquor brands moving forward.

HP Sent Out ‘A Challenge to Agency Leadership’ Regarding Diversity

General Mills made headlines this week by revealing on Tuesday that it has specific diversity requirements for the agencies competing in its creative review, requiring the creative departments of its future agency partners to include 50 percent women and 20 percent people of color.

Today we’ve learned that HP CEO Antonio Lucio sent out a letter to current agency partners with a similar call to action regarding diversity on August 30. After making an effort to foster diversity internally, with a specific eye toward closing the gender gap with female hires, HP is now asking the same of its agency partners. Among the recipients of the letter were BBDO, FleishmanHillard, Gyro, Fred&Farid and Porter Novelli.

“Diversity gives HP a competitive advantage. It helps drive new business, fuel innovation, and attract and attain the best employees,” an HP representative said in a statement offered to AgencySpy. “This letter is a call to action. Now that we have built our business case and begun to put our own house in order, we are relying on our agency partners to do the same; we are expecting these marketing and communications leaders to actively embrace diversity and actually do something about it.”

HP is expecting its agency partners to act fast on plans to increase diversity. “We have called upon each of our agency partners’ CEOs to develop a plan that significantly increases the representation of women and people of color in top creative and strategic roles,” the representative added. “Without exception the responses we have received are of true enthusiasm and commitment. Our agency partners now have 30 days to deliver their plans and 12 months to make good on those plans – and we intend to monitor each firm’s performance along the way.”

While the letter makes reference to a “a scorecard that will track multiple levels of diversity,” which HP has implemented for its own efforts and now expects to be adopted by its agency partners, it’s unclear if HP has specific diversity quotas for its agencies, as with General Mills’ demands in its creative review, or if it is working with its agency partners to determine the best way to reach its ultimate diversity goals. It’s also unclear if HP is echoing General Mills’ targeting of creative departments in particular. But it is clear that the company has set out a very specific timeline for agencies to set up and implement plans for increased diversity.

We’ve included the letter in full below:

A Challenge to Agency Leadership

August 30

Dear Friends,

Earlier this month I spoke with you — the CEOs of all of HP’s advertising and marketing agency partners — to ask

that we all join in making an important commitment to radically improve the percentage of women and people of

color in leadership roles in our organizations. I’m delighted that without exception you gave your enthusiastic

support for this pledge.

 

How successful we are will define our legacies. So, as you set your goals and make your plans, I ask you to keep

these points in mind:

 

At HP, our vision is to make technology that makes the world a better place for everyone, everywhere. But we

recognize that we can’t realize our vision if our business leaders don’t represent everyone, in color, gender, and

geography. We take great pride that HP has the most diverse board of directors in the technology industry, and

that we make diversity an explicit business goal. Yet I know we can do even more. I know we must do more.

Including women and people of color in key roles is not only a values issue, but a significant business imperative.

HP thrives on innovation. Study after study confirms that innovation is improved and accelerated by broad

perspectives and diversity of thought. Marketers are expected to have deep understanding and insight about their

markets, about decision makers, and about customers.

 

We are more likely to create solutions that amaze our customers if our workforce represents the communities we

serve. As a global company, we need to take a broad view of diversity as increased representation will take

different forms in different countries. We have decided to start by addressing women.

 

We make printers and personal computers. Who buys them? Women: 53 percent for computers, 45 percent for

printers. We are focused on ensuring that our marketing department has the right talent composition to capture

our business opportunities. Over the last 12 months we have invested in programs designed to ensure that at

least half of our top marketing jobs are held by women. It is important to understand that these were not random

moves to increase representation. Instead, they were new opportunities for high-potential people and strategic

hires and the quality of our team output has never been better.

 

To measure our own efforts, we are creating a scorecard that will track multiple levels of diversity of our own

global marketing organization. We are far from perfect, and I know there will be challenges, but I am committed

to immediate, global, impact, rigorously measuring our performance and being transparent about the gaps to

overcome.

 

I am asking the same of each of you.

My expectation is that in the next 30 days, you will deliver formal plans – and within 12 months make good on

those plans. Thank you for working to significantly increase the percentage of women in top creative and

strategic roles on our account.

 

We owe this to ourselves, to each other and to future generations. By making the important and necessary

changes today, together we can bend the arc of history in favor of inclusion and opportunity.

Now comes the proof of our commitment. Thank you for joining us.

 

Antonio

Antonio Lucio

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer

HP Inc.

General Mills Insists That Its Future Agencies Meet Specific Diversity Quotas

Yesterday, General Mills CMO Ann Simonds revealed to AdAge that the company has some very specific diversity requirements for its creative review: it wants its agencies’ creative departments to be staffed with at least 50 percent women and 20 percent people of color. Regarding the new quotas, she added, “we are very excited about that. If you are going to put people you serve first, the most important thing is to live up to it and make it a key criteria.”

Simonds is leading that review — which was launched a little over a month ago and originally thought to be closed — along with CCO and former Fallon chief strategy officer Michael Fanuele. Fanuele told AdAge the goal of the review is to find “one core agency to handle the bulk [of the work] but to supplement with other partners, which might be technology platforms or media partners,” or, put another way, “an anchor agency supplemented with a roster of interesting partners.”

According to our sources, the review is now down to three unnamed finalists from a pool including 72andSunny, McCann, Deutsch, Mother, Ogilvy and a Publicis “holding company solution.”

Fanuele told AdAge that McCann pitching as an IPG holding company solution remained a possibility, saying, “The clay is still wet on the proposal,” and “This an exercise in finding the right partners, not the right model.”

The fact that the diversity requirements specifically target agency creative departments is telling. It speaks to recent discussions spurred by groups like the The 3% Conference, whose most recent survey found that just 11.5 percent of agency creative directors are female.

The significance of the diversity requirements and the possibility it may impact other brands in the future is not lost on Simonds. “It feels like a first,” she said. “I think it’s rare and it is important.”

So far there’s no word on how, exactly, General Mills plans to enforce these requirements … or how quickly the agencies in question are scrambling to meet them.

ZTE Picks The BAM Connection to Lead U.S. Campaign for Axon 7 Smartphone

Chinese multinational telecommunications company ZTE, which is also the fourth largest smartphone supplier in the U.S., selected The Baiocco and Maldari (BAM) Connection, the Brooklyn-based agency launched by former Grey execs Rob Baiocco and Maureen Maldari in 2014, to lead the U.S. campaign for its Axon 7 Smartphone after a review.

The BAM Connection will be tasked with developing an integrated campaign spanning online video, cinema, OOH, banner ads, digital, print, in-store and radio to drive sales for the Axon 7, which was first revealed in May.

“The BAM Connection is the absolute right partner to help us launch the Axon 7 and highlight the overall value it brings to consumers’ lives,” ZTE USA vice president of strategic marketing Andrew Elliott said in a statement. “We felt BAM excelled in a unique way compared to other agencies, and feel their creative abilities and thoughtful considerations across media are an asset.”

“We are thrilled to launch ZTE’s flagship Axon 7 device, which has already received rave reviews from consumers in the U.S. and other parts of the world,” added THE BAM Connection CEO Maureen Maldari. “Its premium features, combined with its budget-friendly price has already attracted many American consumers and we’re excited to build on the momentum it has already received in the market.”

The win would appear to be a project-based assignment that could lead to more work after the launch. ZTE declined to share more information regarding its billings or the agencies that competed for its business.

ZTE joins a client roster that also includes Akorn Consumer Health, LaPostolle Wine, VF and Valeant. You may also recall The BAM Connection’s effort last December to create alternate acronyms for the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn it calls home.

Danny McBride and Walton Goggins Dress Up as Brand Mascots Gone Bad for GQ

What if brand mascots weren’t chipper or cheerful? What if, instead of smiling ear to ear while trying to hock Energizer or McDonald’s, they were jaded, even sadistic?

That’s the world GQ has imagined in a new digital short featuring Danny McBride and Walton Goggins—two actors so perfect for showcasing the dark underbelly of any world that it’s easy to imagine they aren’t even acting here. 

read more

DDB Wins McDonald’s Review as Chain Consolidates Its Ad Business with Omnicom

Multiple sources tell us this morning that McDonald’s has finally resolved its agency review after more than 4 months by consolidating its ad business with Omnicom. That means DDB will be creative agency of record on the account moving forward.

According to our sources, Leo Burnett got the word this morning that it would no longer be working on McD’s immediately before DDB received a call confirming the win at approximately 10:45.

The timing of the decision confirms reports we received last month stating that the client would notify the agencies involved at the very end of August/beginning of September.

Kantar Media’s data indicates that McDonald’s spent approximately $820 million on U.S. measured media in 2015. That number marks a slight decline from 2014’s $936 million total.

Representatives for McDonald’s, DDB and Leo Burnett have not yet responded to our requests for comment. This post will be updated throughout.

Campbell Ewald Wins Agency of Record Duties for Carfax

Vehicle history report site Carfax appointed IPG shop Campbell Ewald as its agency of record, following a review. The brand formerly worked with Y&R Chicago, which crafted this 2014 spot revealing the brand’s Car Fox mascot’s underground lair.

Campbell Ewald will be tasked with creative, strategy, brand and product positioning as well as the creation of a Consumer Experience Journey Map for the brand. The agency will continue to utilize the Car Fox mascot, which dates backs to 2009. 

“With automotive shopping being an overwhelming and intimidating process for some consumers, our work will showcase the ease, reliability and range of services available from Carfax” Campbell Ewald CEO Kevin Wertz told KCTV5. “With more than a century of experience working with the auto industry, and our proven expertise in the purchase journey of today’s consumers, we know this partnership will be an exciting one for both Campbell Ewald and Carfax.”

“We have been working hard to develop new products that help people buy, sell and own their cars with more confidence,” added Carfax president Dick Raines. “We were very impressed by Campbell Ewald’s work helping other companies better understand the needs of their customers. We’re excited about working with Campbell Ewald to let consumers know about all the new ways we can help with their used cars.”

The appointment follows on the heels of the agency’s L.A. office taking over creative duties on IHOP from Dailey L.A. last month. Earlier this year, the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) canceled its contract with the agency in the wake of the “Ghetto Day” email incident at Campbell Ewald San Antonio.

Intel Appoints TBWAChiatDay as Its Global B2B Agency of Record

Intel Corporation appointed TBWAChiatDay as its global B2B agency of record following a three month review led by the client.

“Our company strategy is about powering the billions of smart, connected computing devices across the globe,” Intel director of business marketing strategy Kathy Garchow said in a statement. “Our work with TBWAChiatDay will help us better connect how our technology enables our business customers to achieve their success.”

The account will be run out of TBWAChiatDay’s Los Angeles office, in collaboration with TBWAChiatDay New York, while working in conjunction with TBWA teams in other markets, including TBWALondon, TBWAHakuhodo, TBWAGreater China, TBWADüsseldorf, and Omnicom sister shop Doremus. TBWAChiatDay will be tasked with developing an integrated global campaign targeting senior business and IT leaders. It is unclear when the agency’s first work is expected for the client. 

For TBWAChiatDay, the win follows its New York office scoring lead creative duties for Pespi’s Izze brand as the larger organization continues to rebound from losing AOR duties on Miller Lite this April

“We are thrilled to partner with Intel, a brand whose value, influence, and pioneering technologies continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said TBWAChiatDay L.A. President Erin Riley, who succeeded 14-year TBWA vet Luis DeAnda in the position this May. “We look forward to working alongside our TBWA teams around the world to build an integrated brand platform that taps into culture and resonates with modern business customers.”

“Intel is a truly iconic brand that has powered incredible stories of innovation throughout its history,” added TBWAChiatDay L.A. executive creative director Linda Knight, who joined the agency last November. “We’re excited to create the kind of disruptive work that lives up to this spirit of breakthrough and possibility, and to bring a fresh approach to B2B communications.”

Sainsbury’s Goes to W+K London After 40 Years with AMV BBDO

In the second big European retail development of the week, the U.K.’s runner-up supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has picked Wieden + Kennedy as its agency of record after four decades with AMV BBDO. Marks & Spencer went with Grey on Monday.

W+K beat out the incumbent, Mother London and Mullen Lowe, according to The Drum today. The review officially launched in June, and the account is worth more than $80 million.

News of the win follows a decision by Tesco — which is the largest such retailer with nearly double the market share of Sainsbury’s — to drop W+K early last year in favor of BBH.

A statement from marketing director Sarah Warby:

“I’d like to thank AMV BBDO for the enormous contribution they’ve made to our business over many years. This has included some truly iconic campaigns, from Jamie Oliver to recent Christmas campaigns like Christmas Truce and Mog the Cat. We will continue to work closely with the AMV BBDO team over the coming months, including our Christmas 2016 campaign, while in parallel planning the transition. This was a very difficult decision but we felt it was important to get a fresh perspective and I’m delighted to welcome W&K to Sainsbury’s.”

As noted in that quote, the chain is best known for its sentimental holiday campaigns, which recently led one of our colleagues to ask why Americans don’t get as excited about Christmas ads as our more refined counterparts over in the No Longer United Kingdom.

Why did the review go down in the first place? Because “the supermarket noted its first sales slump following two years of modest increases.” Yes, that’s it. Plus, all of Sainsbury’s competitors were getting a new agency, so why not them too? The Drum reports that Mullen Lowe dropped out of the review in its early stages, perhaps because they didn’t want to work with a client that would end a 40-year relationship over a rough spot or two.

Now make the cat dance.

The U.S. Census Bureau Picks Y&R as Its New Lead Creative Agency

After a review that started almost one year ago, the U.S. Census Bureau has chosen Y&R as lead creative agency to promote the upcoming 2020 population count.

We have yet to receive an official statement or confirmation from the organization itself after waiting on the phone for nearly an hour (they have real customers to attend to), but a source close to the matter told us that the calls went out to competing agencies this morning and that Y&R won the pitch.

This is not Y&R’s first government client; last month, it finally opened an office in Memphis to service the U.S. Navy account after almost a year of court challenges from incumbent Campbell Ewald.

Y&R has not responded to an email regarding the win, and FCB declined to comment on the news. The U.S. Census picked FCB to promote its last such project in 2010; at the time, the account was worth an estimated $300 million according to Kantar Media, which also has yet to get back to us for this post.

We hear that Y&R, FCB and McCann pitched the business. The Census will be working with other agencies beyond Y&R for other portions of the account, but we don’t know who they might be because, again, no one has responded to our queries all day.

At any rate, the 2020 project will be large. Last time, promotional materials were created in 14 different languages, and the RFP noted that the Census “fully intends to harness … emerging technologies and channels as an integral part of its communication program for the 2020 Census.”

AB InBev Picks Deutsch as Lead Creative Agency for Busch, Busch Light

Anheuser-Busch InBev appointed Deutsch as lead creative agency for its family of Busch brands, which includes Busch, Busch Light and Busch Ice.

“Anheuser-Busch is the undisputed leader in the value beer segment, with Busch and Busch Light representing two of the Top 10 best-selling beers in the United States. As part of our ambition to continue to grow share and revitalize these important brands, we are pleased to add Deutsch to our roster as the lead creative agency for the Busch family of beers,” Anheuser-Busch senior director of value brands Chelsea Phillips said in a statement.

She went on to cite Deutsch’s “track record of inventive, award-winning CPG and beverage campaigns,” adding, “They’ve hit the ground running, bringing great energy and ideas to the table, and we look forward to a strong and productive partnership.”

The appointment comes without a review, as AB InBev reached out to Deutsch, which an AB InBev representative told Adweek is “an agency our marketing team has been watching.”

Previously, AB InBev worked with St. Louis agency Group360 on its Busch brands. Group360 will continue to work on some aspects of the account, even with Deutsch taking over lead creative duties. The client has also worked with 72andSunny, which crafted the brand’s “Busch Heroes” broadcast campaign in early 2014 but doesn’t appear to have worked with the client since then.

Deutsch deferred to the client when asked to comment. The IPG agency’s New York office will lead this account.

The appointment follows Uber picking Deutsch as its first U.S. agency partner earlier this month following a review. Back in May, the agency also won creative AOR duties for Pandora shortly after losing the Pizza Hut account to Droga5 and going through a subsequent round of layoffs in its L.A. office.

AB In Bev also transferred creative duties on another of its major brands, Bud Light, from BBDO to W+K last summer.

Marks & Spencer Goes to Grey London After 16 Years with RKCR/Y&R

British retail behemoth Marks & Spencer awarded its integrated creative account — valued at £60MM or approximately $80 million, according to The Drum — to Grey London. The appointment concludes a closed review of WPP shops launched in May and marks the first time the client has awarded traditional creative and digital duties to the same agency.

The appointment also marks the end of the brand’s relationship with 16-year incumbent RKCR/Y&R, which defended in the review. RKCR/Y&R’s recent work for the client includes 2015 food porn holiday effort “Adventures in Surprises” and last September’s 40-second spot promoting the brand’s fashion offerings.

“It’s undoubtedly sad to have to part ways with M&S after a glorious 16-year creative partnership. Our iconic work for M&S defined an era, but we’re also excited to move forward with a raft of new wins, such as TUI, Chanel and Premier League, and brilliant new talent,” said RKCR/Y&R CEO Jon Sharpe.

For Grey London, the appointment follows the resignations of CCO Nils Leonard, CEO Lucy Jameson and managing director Natalie Graeme early this summer. Chief strategy officer Leo Rayman became the agency’s new CEO in the wake of the departures, and head of planning Matt Tanter was promoted to the role of chief strategy officer last month, along with the promotion of Wayne Brown to chief operating officer. 

“This is a defining moment in the Grey London story. We’ve been after a marquee retailer for a number of years, and they don’t come more famed, more loved and bursting with opportunity than M&S,” Rayman said in a statement. “We’ve championed integration across our clients for a long time but in many ways this win is the zenith of it. To bring advertising and digital together under one roof for one of the biggest retailers in the country sets a new benchmark, not just for us but for the industry.”

“I’ve been waiting for the chance to work on M&S for years. Seriously. It’s just one of the biggest, best-loved brands in the country,” added Vicki Maguire, who leads the creative department along with fellow executive creative director Dominic Goldman following Leonard’s departure. “It’s a proper institution; somewhere I’ve been shopping for more years than I care to remember. They asked us to push them, and we really, really did – and it became obvious very early on that we shared the same ambition and the same vision.”

Winning such an iconic brand marks a quick comeback for the Grey Group, which recently saw its portion of the multibillion-dollar AT&T/DirecTV business go to Omnicom and BBDO.

Barker Beats Out CP+B, Doner, VaynerMedia to Retain SlimFast Account

Just over a year after naming New York City-based Barker as its new agency of record for a brand relaunch, SlimFast has retained the indie agency’s services after a full creative review.

Back in late 2014, Barker beat out Pereira & O’Dell, DiMassimo Goldstein and Omelet to win the business; this time, it pitched against two MDC Partners agencies (Doner and CP+B) as well as Omnicom’s The Marketing Arm and VaynerMedia.

This means that Barker, which was tasked with managing last year’s $50 million refresh, will continue to work on branding, marketing strategy, and creative concerning TV, print and digital for “master brand and innovation extensions.” It will partner with new media/direct response unit agency Chief Media, which won a separate review.

To date, Barker’s primary work for SlimFast has been the “It’s Your Thing” campaign, which launched in mid-2015.

The press release tells us that the campaign “dramatically reversed 7 years of declining sales for the venerable brand” and also claims that the TV post above “outperformed CPG norms in 13 categories in testing.”

Agency founder John Barker, who previously spent several years with the Grey Group, said: “Historically, fewer than 10% of incumbent agencies retain accounts. We beat very long odds against some of the best agencies in the business because we understand this consumer and know how to connect and generate action. We appreciate SlimFast’s confidence in our ongoing partnership.”

“Each of the finalist agencies presented compelling work, but BARKER came through again with the strategy and creative we felt would move us to the next level more quickly,” added SlimFast CEO Chris Tisi.

Unilever sold the SlimFast brand to Kainos Capital in 2014 for an undisclosed sum while retaining a minority stake in the business.

The Barker organization, which describes itself as “agents of change,” also lists PepsiCo, Estee Lauder, P&G, PDI Healthcare, NBC Universal and Conjure Cognac among its clients.

Its newest work for SlimFast will debut this fall.

St. John & Partners Settles Challenge Over Florida Lottery Awarding Creative Duties to PP+K

Back in June, the Florida Lottery handed over its general market advertising duties to Tampa-based agency PP+K, following a somewhat controversial review. The appointment hit a snag, however, when incumbent St. John & Partners filed a bid protest, recalling a similar protest lodged by Zimmerman Advertising when Florida Lottery awarded its account to St. John & Partners in 2009.

Among the complaints alleged in the agency’s 166-page bid protest was that Tallahassee consultant, and former deputy secretary of the Florida Lottery David Bishop, failed to observe a law regarding a two-year ban on former agency officials lobbying their former employers, as Bishop allegedly lobbied on behalf of PP+K some 15 months after leaving his position with the Florida Lottery. 

Now the dispute appears to be resolved.

St. John & Partners settled its bid complaint over the $125 million contract with the Florida Department of Lottery last week, Tampa Bay Business Journal reported on Monday, finally making PP+K’s account win official. St. John & Partners and PP+K issued this joint statement on the issue:

“Recently, representatives from PP+K and St. John & Partners reached an amicable agreement to end the administrative protest over the Florida Lottery’s decision to enter an advertising and marketing services contract with PP+K. In order to avoid the potential expense and uncertainty of resolving the protest through legal or administrative proceedings, the parties came to an agreement to compromise and settle all claims that were raised. The administrative protest has been voluntarily dismissed. In keeping with the spirit of the amicable resolution, there will be no further comment from either party at this time.”

Richards/Carlberg Wins AOR Duties for Blue Bell Creameries

Blue Bell Creameries appointed Houston-based agency Richards/Carlberg (which is part of The Richards Group network) as its agency of record following a creative review. In the role, Richards/Carlberg will be tasked with strategy and creative duties across broadcast, social media, radio, print and OOH.

“Richards/Carlberg is the right company to preserve and foster the image and mystique that make Blue Bell unique,” Blue Bell vice president of sales and marketing Ricky Dickson said in a statement. “They are the type of agency partner to help us produce creative that will continue to engage our remarkably loyal customers.”

“We’ve been fortunate to work with so many talented people over our 109-year history, and we are especially excited to be partnering with the team at Richards/Carlberg,” added Blue Bell advertising and public relations manager Joe Robertson.

The appointment follows a rough period for the Brenham, Texas-based creamery. Blue Bell Creameries was recently under criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for its link to a listeria outbreak dating back to 2010. 

Blue Bell principal and Brenham native Gayl Carlberg will lead the account, which she worked on early in her career when Blue Bell’s advertising was handled by Houston-based Metzdorf Advertising Agency.

“I won’t exaggerate—this is nothing short of a career-long goal for me,” Carlberg said. “I loved my time working on Blue Bell, and our team is ready to sink our teeth into this account to help this brand continue its phenomenal success for another century.”

Droga5 to Work on Mondelez’s Trident Gum Account

Today we can confirm that Mondelez International has chosen Droga5 to work on unnamed future projects for its Trident gum brand.

Droga5 has not been named lead creative agency, as was rumored, but you can expect to see future campaigns from the shop promoting the gum. An agency representative declined to comment for this post.

A Mondelez spokesperson wrote, “We are exploring potential projects with Droga.” The rep then stated that Mondelez has no specific details to share at this time and that the decision to go with Droga5 will not immediately affect its existing agency relationships on this or other accounts.

That’s good news for Wieden+Kennedy, which has served as Trident’s lead U.S. creative agency since winning the business away from Saatchi & Saatchi New York without a pitch back in early 2013. (W+K had nothing to do with this white guy rapping oddity from the same year.)

For Droga5, this news marks the latest in a string of new business wins. In recent months, the agency has picked up AOR duties for Pizza Hut, won JPMorgan Chase’s payment business without a review, added project work for T-Mobile to its roster, made several prominent ads for a certain presidential candidate, scored AOR status for NBTY (formerly Nature’s Bounty) and officially became Under Armour’s first agency of record.

Will Droga5 be collaborating with BuzzFeed’s sponsored content team on these potential projects? Possibly. But we can’t imagine too many crazy recipe videos featuring Trident gum as a key ingredient.

[Image via AdFreak/JWT London]

A-B InBev Talking with Agencies About Shock Top Creative

AdAge reports that Anheuser-Busch InBev is in talks with agencies about creative for its faux-craft Shock Top brand. The brand clarifies that it is not launching a creative review, as it has not had an agency of record in recent years, and is looking to continue to work outside the AOR model.

According to Kantar Media, A-B InBev spent around $21.6 million in measured media on the brand in the first six months of 2016, a sharp increase from the $2.5 million it spent during all of last year.

“What we’re doing right now is simply having a few conversations with leading creative agencies,” Schock Top vice president Jake Kirsch told AdAge in a statement today. “This isn’t a review, as we haven’t had a creative AOR for some time. As we plan for 2017, and beyond, we’re having these conversations as part of our normal course of business. Shock Top is always open to new ideas and discussions with the best and brightest creative minds in the industry.”

Most recently, Anomaly Toronto had handled creative for the brand. Notably, the agency created the brand’s first Super Bowl spot, starring T.J. Miller and Martin Montanaas part of its “Live Life Unfiltered” campaign. Shock Top has previously worked with 72andSunny and independent St. Louis agency Group 360.

Neither Anomaly or Anheuser-Busch InBev have responded to our requests for comment on this development.