Hasta La Creative!

FCB has picked up more A-B InBev business, following its winning creative duties on Michelob Ultra in January, with the Ritas brands and MixxTail assignments going to FCB Chicago. Referring to them as “projects,” executives told AdAge that FCB Chicago will handle advertising for the brands through 2016. The assignments come as welcome news for the agency, which lost the KFC account to W+K back in February.

BBDO had previously handled the Ritas brands, as well as Bud Light Lime, for which FCB will handle its summer campaign. Bud Light will remain with BBDO. MixxTail is a new Bud Light extension of “ready to drink cocktails,” which Vayner Media created the debut broadcast spot for. AdAge’s sources claim that FCB will handle all aspects of the MixxTail brand going forward. FCB Chicago’s new work for the Ritas and MixxTail is expected to debut by the fall.

Hershey’s has added three agencies to its roster following a creative review: Anomaly New York; Barkley in Kansas City; and Argonaut in San Francisco.

The creative review was launched in January, with incumbents Arnold Worldwide and Havas Worldwide not taking part, as they will remain on the client’s agency roster. “Arnold/Havas work is continuing and this is not a replacement, it’s just an addition,” spokeswoman Anna Lingeris told AdAge.

Hershey’s new agencies will be overseeing new strategic project work, although it is unclear exactly what that will entail as Hershey’s “declined to describe the specific brand assignments for its new agencies” to AdAge.

That publication pointed out Hershey’s new additions to its brand portfolio in new product Hershey’s Caramels and the acquisition of jerky maker Krave Pure Foods and it’s possible the new agencies will be used for work on these new additions. Hershey’s spent $726 million on measured media in 2014, according to Kantar Media, and increased its marketing expenses by about 8 percent in the first quarter of this year.

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.

Diet Coke has dropped agency BETC London and is working with Dawson Pickering — the agency created by former BETC London executive creative director Neil Dawson and head of copy Clive Pickering last year — on a project believed to be related to last year’s “Regret Nothing” campaign, Brand Republic reports.

BETC London had worked on the account since 2012, when it beat out Publicis in a review. “BETC London is proud of all the work we have done with the team over at Coca-Cola,” Andrew Stirk, chief executive at BETC London, told the publications, adding, “We wish the team and the brand the very best for the future, and are excited about the upcoming opportunities for BETC London.”

The news follows the agency losing its share of the Bacardi business, following a global consolidation that left the company’s brands with BBDO and OMD. It also comes as Coca-Cola courts its roster shops to select the direction of its new campaign.

Bacardi has decided to consolidate creative and media for its major brands, choosing BBDO and OMD without a review, Adweek reported yesterday.

According to that publication, the process began with a secret meeting between Bacardi mangement, led by CEO Mike Dolan, and executives at BBDO and OMD. Within a couple of weeks the brand had struck a deal with the two agencies to consolidate its major brands, handing off both creative and media responsibilties to the pair of Omnicom shops. Prior to the consolidation, Bacardi worked with a wide variety of agencies on its creative accounts, with media handled by Mindshare in North America and Zenith in Europe.

“Our goal is to be able to work better and to create a closer alignment between our global and local operations,” Dolan said in a statement. “To achieve this goal requires that we work with a global network.”

“It was so unique in how this happened,” OMD worldwide CEO Mainardo de Nardis told Adweek. “It wasn’t about a review, pitches, presentations, spreadsheets, pricing. We feel empowered because this is a decision based on strategic discussions about how to improve Bacardi’s business. It’s a real partnership with a huge amount of trust. If only [all new business] could be like this.”

Among Bacardi’s 200 brands are flagship brand Bacardi, Grey Goose, Martini, Bombay Sapphire, Dewars and William Lawson’s. Due to a conflict of interest, BBDO will resign from Belvedere Vodka in the U.S. and Famous Grouse in the U.K.

Fast casual “better burger” chain Smashbuger has appointed Minneapolis-based creative agency as its creative agency of record, following a review.

According to an anonymous source, other finalists in the review (which originally consisted of twelve agencies) included independent agencies Grenadier in Boulder, Creature in Seattle and RTO+P in Philadelphia. Smashburger launched the review in search of an agency “to put greater emphasis on its brand story” and ultimately chose mono “for their all-in approach that combined strategic insights with their ability to translate those insights into outstanding creative.”

“We are always pushing ourselves and our agencies to deliver world-class creative with appeal that engages our customers and drives business growth,” Josh Kern, chief marketing officer at Smashburger said in a statement. “The team at mono clearly demonstrated a passion for the Smashburger brand as well as the ability to help us tell the story of the brand as the new way to eat a burger.”

A new national campaign from mono will roll out over the next several months, with print, radio, out-of-home and experiential expected to launch by the end of the month. Smashburger currently has over 310 locations in 34 states and seven international countries.

Cruise line Royal Caribbean has appointed TBWALondon as its UK creative agency of record following a review that launched in February, Campaign reports. The agency will be responsible for Royal Caribbean’s overall strategy, creative, direct and digital marketing in the UK. Incumbent JWT London did not participate in the review.

“TBWALondon very quickly got to the core of our business,” Jo Briody, the director of marketing and PR at Royal Caribbean International, told Campaign. “They showed a deep understanding of our challenges and opportunities, successfully marrying clever strategic thinking with great chemistry with our team at every stage.”

Royal Caribbean also launched a global creative review in February. JWT has been global agency of record for the brand since December of 2007. Competitor Norwegian Cruise Lines announced its own review earlier this week.

U.S. Bank has named Minneapolis-based agency Carmichael Lynch as its creative agency of record following a review,.

Carmichael Lynch will be responsible for traditional and digital creative, social media, and production. BSSP had held agency of record duties for the client since winning the account from Publicis Kaplan Thaler in August of 2013.

It is unclear if BSSP will continue to have any involvement with U.S. Bank.

“U.S. Bank is that rare client who knows exactly what they stand for, and has a clear, compelling vision that sets them apart,” Carmichael Lynch CEO Mike Lescarbeau said in a statement. “Our job is to tell the world how the 67,000 people of U.S. Bank are helping customers of all sizes improve their financial futures by selecting the right banking partner.”

U.S. Bank, which is also based in Minneapolis, cited “the full integration of Carmichael Lynch’s services, the power of the creative idea, and a shared belief that people are a company’s greatest asset – employees and customers” as reasons for the decision.

The account win is an important one for Carmichael Lynch, who lost the GNC business last week following a multiple month review.

L’Oreal’s American division, L’Oreal USA, is launching a review of its media business, Adweek reports.

Adweek points to the arrival of Nadine McHugh, senior vice president of omni media, strategic investments and creative solutions, as the likely impetus for the review, and McHugh will reportedly be overseeing the review process. Aside from incumbent UM, who handles TV and print buying (DigitasLBi is responsible for digital buying), it is unclear which agencies have been invited to participate, as well as if L’Oreal USA will be working with a consultant on the review. What is clear is that the review process will take a good deal of time.  for L’Oreal USA.

“We anticipate this comprehensive review to take us through the end of the year,” McHugh said, in a statement. “This review is about finding passionate, innovative and collaborative agency partners most attuned to L’Oréal’s culture and consumers and then working together to re-define the future of marketing.”

L’Oreal USA, whose brand roster includes Lancome, Maybelline and Redken, spent around $870 million on media in 2014, according to Kantar Media.

Vonage has selected FCB Garfinkel as its brand agency of record, following a review.

The brand launched the review in December, after parting ways with JWT, who won the account in early 2013.

“We’re thrilled to be helping evolve the Vonage brand,” said FCB Garfinkel CEO Lee Garfinkel, in a statement.  “This is a fascinating company, a proven disruptor and innovator that has consistently enabled connections and brought real value to consumers. Vonage has extended that same value into the business market, and we’re excited to tell that story.”

FCB Garfinkel is tasked with developing overall brand strategy and launching “a new brand campaign that articulates the depth of the Vonage value proposition not only for consumers, but also for businesses that are moving to cloud communications solutions.” New creative, which will likely encompass both broadcast and digital, is expected by the middle of the year.