Hasta La Creative!

By now, word is out and widespread that Ogilvy has taken the reins on the E*Trade account, which WPP sibling Grey NY of course resigned at the end of June. Whether they keep the baby or not is a story yet to be told, but according to the Spy line, O&M was one of the frontrunners on the business from the get-go. Anyhow, we’ve read recently installed E*Trade CMO Liza Landsman‘s perspective. Now, let’s pass the mic and read Ogilvy’s courtesy of New York COO Lou Aversano. Read on below and after the jump.

“ALL NA STAFF

July 23, 2013

E*TRADE

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Just over five months after Minneapolis-based, Omnicom-owned “brand activism” agency Martin|Williams cut ties with bedding brand Simmons, the latter has found a new ad partner in Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners.  Regarding the AOR appointment of the MDC-owned, NYC-based agency, Simmons EVP of marketing Jeff Willard says, “As we continue the transformation of our Beautyrest brand, it is critical to us that we bring the best creative and strategic resources in the world to support this effort. After an extensive search, we believe we have found that with kbs+. Their creativity and understanding of our brand stood out, and we were impressed by their track record for demonstrating the measurable impact of their work. We look forward to working together to create communication that is as compelling and inventive as the beds we make.”

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Today, Lexus joins Kanye West on the interactive music video bandwagon. To promote the 2014 Lexus IS sport sedan, ATTIK and Blueyed Pictures created “Amazing Mix,” a surprisingly cool interactive adscape with Cirque du Soleil characters, red birds, and kaleidoscopic effects. Site visitors can type any key (or combination thereof — try “LEXUS” for a special show) to make a mix of these effects, then submit the result for a chance to win tickets to the 2014 Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, hotel stay at the event and $2,000, or a $500 cash prize.

Like with their Instagram film campaign, this is a step in the right direction for the automaker, though they didn’t get every aspect right. The music that backs Amazing Mix is a weird, blank James Bond knockoff, while the site that surrounds the scene is remarkably 2006. If Lexus wanted an immersive, individualized experience, they should have placed the mix on its own, minimalist page. Also, who are they targeting here? Middle-aged foodies who find Internet oddities amusing? That seems the only logical conclusion when the related prize is tix to the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival. If they’re going for young car owners (which they should be, with the tech and art angle), then that destination isn’t exactly enticing. Make the message more cohesive, and get us to XOXO, or Electric Zoo.

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It’s amazing how many automakers still rely on the old ad formula: shiny spinning wheels, long remote, wooded roads, sun glinting off an immaculate vehicle, and a dramatic soundtrack. Some, of course, take the innovative route with ads like Fiat’s In da (mother)hood and Landrover’s Roam Free.

Lexus falls halfway on the innovation scale with #LexusInstafilm, in which they gathered 200 Instagrammers to capture the 2014 Lexus IS F Sport in all its filtered glory, then compiled the images to create a stop-motion-y film. The collaboration turns out to be beautiful, and the people behind it good-natured. A burly bearded man asks, “How’s my hair?” And a fellow Instagrammer fixes it for him. Doesn’t get much cuter than that.

While it probably won’t go viral since the focus of the feature is a character-less car, the idea of combining controlled creativity, new technology, and enthusiastic people is a winning one. Hopefully we’ll see this kind of spot again. To check out each frame of the film, go to http://instagram.com/lexusinstafilm.

Credits after the jump

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As you may have just heard, OgilvyOne has emerged victorious in the review for Weight Watchers’ digital account. We’ve obtained the full memo from OgilvyOne managing director Dimitri Maex to staff regarding the news. As you’ll see below, said agency beat out the likes of Havas Digital, incumbent Razorfish and 360i for Weight Watcher digital AOR duties, which span everything from digital media buying/planning to social media to analytics. McCann, meanwhile, serves as lead creative agency for Weight Watchers. Anyhow, read on:

I’m incredibly excited to announce our newest addition to the client list. Weight Watchers, the market leader in weight loss, announced today that OgilvyOne has been appointed as the digital agency of record.

This news follows an extensive competitive search in which OgilvyOne won against some of the best digital agencies out there, beating the likes of R/GA, 360i, Havas Digital and incumbent Razorfish.

We’d like to share a few words from our new clients on why they chose OgilvyOne: “The scope of our engagement is broad, and includes digital media planning and buying, social media, advanced analytics, and search engine marketing,” said Sarah Kleinhandler, Director of Digital Strategy and Marketing, Weight Watchers. “Digital is a core channel for us to connect with and engage consumers, and we believe that OgilvyOne will be an important strategic partner in evolving how we fully leverage this critical marketing pillar.”

“Weight Watchers is a social business at its core, and there is a huge opportunity to continue to evolve and unlock the power of social for our brand,” said Lee Hurley, Vice President of Advertising and Social Media, Weight Watchers. “We selected OgilvyOne because of their strategic firepower, innovative creative ideas, digital media acumen, and incredibly passionate team.”

I could not be more proud of the Weight Watchers pitch team who made this happen. The ideas and the depth of our digital capabilities across OgilvyOne and Neo blew the clients away. And it was the energy and spirit of the team and the chemistry with the clients that made the real difference. The only way to win a pitch like this is to go all out and that’s exactly what we did. Our unbelievable new business team under Daniel Korn’s leadership was the real driving force. Thanks to Abigail Lacey, Juan Luna, Charlotte Spatcher, and Keith Smolar we shot our credentials video on a treadmill, we did a company-wide hackathon and we pledged to lose more than 50 pounds as a team during the pitch process.

With every pitch there are so many people to thank and this one was no different. I can’t possibly list everyone who contributed to this win in this email. But I do want to call out the core team who rehearsed relentlessly until the early hours before every pitch presentation: our creative leaders Jim Thompson, Edu De la Herran, Alfonso Marian and Jan Leth, the incredible Gemma Craven and Caroline Chianese who were the backbone of this pitch which focused heavily on social and digital media, our planning team with Jonathan Rigby and Alvaro Cabrera and our gentle but firm pitch general Billy Aymami.  The team would also like to thank all 115 hackathon participants and especially the winners: Brett Pollack, Chris Heydt, Madeline Malachowski, and Samantha Levine. And finally we want to thank the many people who came up to us throughout this process to express their concerns about our health.  What can we say? Weight Watchers works!  But you can stop worrying now — the pitch is over so we will all stop losing weight.

This latest win comes on the heels of a year of great momentum for New York and for OgilvyOne New York, with our most recent wins of the iShares Relationship Marketing business and the Brown Shoe Customer Engagement AOR assignment. Let’s not take our foot off the gas and let’s keep our momentum going throughout the second half of this year!

 

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Well, it appears that Leo Burnett is doing something right as of late in General Motors’ eyes as the automotive giant has given more work to the agency according to those in the know. As you may recall, Leo took over for Commonwealth on the Chevy Silverado duties last December, though the latter agency did produce the recent “Strong” spot for GM’s truck brand before the parting of ways (Update: We should clarify that Commonwealth actually created the Silverado launch spot even after the shift to Leo, which will now handle future work). Anyhow, sources familiar with the matter tell us that Leo Burnett has now taken on AOR responsibilities for three more GM units including Fleet and Commercial Operations, Certified Pre-Owned, and Remarketing.

From what we’ve been told, Leo, which has actually had ties to GM for over 45 years, will oversee brand strategy, digital marketing and creative initiatives for the aforementioned brands, with work for all three being led out of the agency’s Detroit office.

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As mentioned, IFC is marketing the new season of original series Comedy Bang Bang as “the ultimate comedy fantasy.” In the video spot, hosts Reggie Watts and Scott Aukerman bounce along in a psychedelic van that runs on autopilot, produces a stewardess proffering pillows, and plays the radio (“Come Back,” by The J Geils Band). Watts and Aukerman exchange lines in their usual cheerful deadpan until their chariot announces the start of the new season.

The accompanying poster features Watts riding a centaur that has Aukerman’s head, and a background similar to a poster you probably bought from the book fair in fifth grade.

Though not especially enticing, the idea is cute and fans of Comedy Bang Bang will continue watching regardless. For newbies, the trailer for Season 1 gives better evidence of a show worth checking out.

Poster after the jump

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As the actors speak their lines in this ad for Hornito’s Tequila from La Comunidad Miami, all I hear is “Blah blah blah. Blah blah.” There must have been some problem with the bar bathroom that day, because every man on set looks like he’s experiencing the demi-anguish of needing to pee. “Tequila shots, please,” the bearded one says with a wince. “Which tequila?” The bartender responds, equally awkward. “Doesn’t matter, any tequila,” beard says. Then we’re whisked through various situations in which one would never say, “Doesn’t matter…”

“Doesn’t matter, any haircut,” leaves the men with patchy heads. “Doesn’t matter, any tattoo,” renders one with cat whiskers and another with a tea cup forehead tat. We get it: direction is important in life, why leave your tequila choice up to someone else?

I’m all for the promotion of quality, but in this case, it seems a bit off-track. If Hornitos is “not just any tequila,” then it shouldn’t be just a shot. A good tequila shot will come with salt, lime, and a set of fun friends. Branding and, frankly, taste, doesn’t matter. Hornitos would be better off promoting adventure, a theme they’ve already begun with their tagline: Grab Life by the Hornitos.

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The construction man in the new Dickies spot produced by Seattle-based agency Creature is actually wearing a blue-collared shirt, a level of detail that could’ve been overlooked, especially in an ad for pants. We never see the man’s face, but we can assume he likes to wear Dickies khakis to the construction site and Real. Comfortable. Jeans. at home. He eats bacon and eggs for breakfast, probably has two kids and a young wife, and works hard every day. He’s undoubtedly American, might even wear stars and stripes boxers. If a time machine zapped him back to the 1950s, he wouldn’t skip a beat.

All of my assumptions are based on this 30-second spot, which uses quick cuts and sharp noises as fodder for a charmingly patriotic tone. The only word of dialogue, “Daddy,” is spoken when the construction man’s son jumps on his leg when he gets home from work. The ad is the much-subtler cousin to the Dodge Ram farmer commercial from the Super Bowl, selling the blue-collar image to the everyman, not just the everymen who live in red states. Credits after the jump.

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It looks like we’re in the same boat as Adweek on this one as BBDO has declined to comment and has referred all inquiries to Pfizer, which of course has yet to respond. But from what the tipsters have been telling for the last hour or so, the agency has nabbed the Viagra account from McGarryBowen, which has handled ad duties for Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction drug since the fall of 2009. We’re following up once again with Pfizer and will let you know, but if it’s all legit, this would be BBDO’s third account win in a month following Emirates and the ING New York City Marathon. Perhaps the Gillette loss is quickly becoming a distant memory after all.

Update: By now, you’re probably all well aware of the BBDO/Viagra partnership, and though it took a while, Pfizer has sent over this statement regarding its agency move:

“In Pfizer’s ongoing effort to seek improved operating effectiveness and efficiency, we investigated strategies to consolidate our Marketing Agency supply base across the product portfolio.  After an objective and thorough assessment of operating models and supplier capability, Pfizer consolidated our brand marketing agency activity into three global holding companies: WPP, Omnicom, and Publicis.

mcgarrybowen (MB) has been an exceptional agency partner and has helped us generate substantial awareness of Viagra and executed high-quality programs on behalf of the brand.  The decision to end our relationship with MB was only due to the Pfizer enterprise-wide agency consolidation. MB will remain on the business until the end of 2013. We value their creativity and partnership greatly.”

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