Hasta La Creative!

What do you know, less than a week after we chatted with Steve Bernstein, president of Kansas City-based Bernstein Rein, and were told that his agency’s relationship with longtime client Commerce Bank was basically intact, the Kansas City Business Journal reports that the financial institution has indeed cut the cord. Well, Bernstein did tell us at the time, through somewhat cryptically, that Commerce was undergoing a “strategic change” and thus, a “relationship change” was in order.

We’re trying to get some additional comment on the matter from Bernstein himself, as we’ve been deluged with tips not only pertaining to Commerce, which worked with B-R for 14 years, but the actual staff count at the agency, which we were told at the time was 220. A horde of tipsters, though, say that it’s basically half that. We’re hoping to get some clarification on the matter today, and we’ll keep you posted.

Update: Well, we asked and we’ve been told by Bernstein himself that the “strategic change that Commerce informed us of was that given that there would not be any creative needs for the account in the near future, they would not be requiring our creative services. They would only be needing our media services through at least the end of third quarter.” We’ve been told that this has not changed in spite of the review. Bernstein adds, “They are a good client with good people. We do wish them luck in their future and we will be involved with them as long as they need.”

As far as staffing goes, despite what several of you have been telling us, Bernstein says that payroll sits at 220 associates and there will be no reductions in B-R staff as a result of the Commerce decision.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Better than any of their campaigns with colored blocks and folky music, Venables Bell & Partner’s latest spot for Google Fiber exemplifies the coming-together of technology, passion, and creativity.

Last summer, Google Fiber was introduced to Kansas City. In the year that followed, Google wanted to “see how high speed Internet could impact lives.” At Children’s Mercy Hospital, they met Nick LeGrande, a 13-year-old baseball player who has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder. His mom said he’s only cried once during the subsequent ordeal, when his doctor said he couldn’t play baseball.

Last night, Google Fiber technology (and the generosity of the company itself),  gave Nick the chance to get back in the game. He threw the first pitch at an Oakland A’s game, even though his illness prevents him from being around crowds and he’s 1,800 miles away from the stadium. With help from a Google-Fiber enhanced, Deeplocal-built telerobotic pitching machine, Nick’s movements were translated to Oakland as he felt the field in Kansas City via live camera. He stood on a specially-made indoor baseball stadium, with real sod and clay. The crowd cheered in real life and online. I cried.

Here’s hoping VB+P continues in this innovative, benevolent direction. If Google Fiber means making dreams like this come true, then we need it all across America. In the meantime, our thoughts are with Nick.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The Montreal Canadiens bowed out in the first round of the NHL Playoffs this year, losing 4-1 to the Ottawa Senators. Making things worse: Montreal was a No. 2 seed that lost to a No. 7 seed. It turns out that a recent interactive outdoor experience near the Bell Centre not only gave fans a chance to show off their slapshots, but it also could’ve improved the product on the ice. How many mediocre sports movies have been started this way? A team underachieves, a fan of that team goes through some transformative process and gets to reveal supernatural talent. Rookie of the Year, anyone?

The interactive setup comes from DraftFCB Montreal, MEC Canada, Thinkingbox, and Coors Light. During the first round of the playoffs, 299 fans had the chance to hit a slapshot and watch the computerized result on a huge screen with customized graphics. The idea isn’t all that different from a radar gun at a minor league baseball game, albeit with some super-duper technology. Fans were encouraged to share their experiences on social media (again, not all that different in today’s world). But hey, it’s beer and hockey for Canadians, so you get the idea nobody thought too hard about it and just had fun…until their team lost.

Credits after the jump.

continued…

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Yes, we saw the news when it first broke. Sorry if we were lagging on this, folks, but we were looking into another facet of the big Cadillac news today that wasn’t mentioned. Anyhow, what more can we say that hasn’t been reported already regarding the automaker’s decision. Well, save for the fact that despite what tipsters have been saying ad nauseum regarding the status of certain higher-ups at Campbell Ewald, sources familiar with the matter us tell us that the executive team at said agency “remains in place.”

Anyhow, if you were MIA this morning, the Crain committee including AdAge has reported that GM has finally made its decision and has expanded its relationship with IPG (McCann took over on Chevy-focused Commonwealth in March, if you recall), tapping a handful of its agencies (dubbed collectively as, ugh, Rogue) to assume ad duties on the Cadillac business. Among those in the mix are Hill Holliday, which saw its longtime Liberty Mutual go into review but will now handle creative/strategy (even steven, we say), while CE will handle account management and Lowe will take on digital/creative export for the brand. You know the rest of the story for now, but we’ll keep checking on the rest of what we hear.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

In case you didn’t scan yesterday’s Sports Business Daily, the trade reports that BBDO New York has been named creative agency for the ING New York City Marathon, which is returning after being cancelled last year of course due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Speaking with SBD, Ronnie Tucker, VP of marketing for NYC Marathon organizers the New York Road Runners, says, “We were looking for some new thinking because of our feeling this is a unique opportunity; we have to get it right. From the beginning, BBDO showed a lot of passion for the marathon.”

We’ve also obtained a memo from sources sent from BBDO NY president/CEO John Osborn, who says among other things, “We will be responsible for developing a multi-platform communications campaign to drive awareness, tune-in, and engagement of the 2013 Marathon. We were selected for a number of reasons, not the least of which was our knowledge and success handling other key New York activities, ranging from the New York Miracle to our current efforts on behalf of New York State.  Thanks to everyone involved who helped bring home this business.”

As mentioned in the Sports Business Daily item, BBDO NY’s multimedia campaign for the NYC Marathon will launch in late September.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As mentioned above, we’ve received confirmation that JPMorgan Chase is rethinking its digital partnerships. A spokesperson for the global financial services firm tells us, “We’re currently undergoing a review of our digital agencies, which we routinely do to ensure their capabilities best fit the needs of our evolving business.” On the digital front, Chase currently works with Austin-based agency T3, which proclaims itself to be the brand’s “go-to digital agency since 2006.”

From what we’re hearing on the Spy line, though we’ve yet to substantiate this, T3 held a meeting last week announcing that Chase would not be renewing its contract come year’s end. We’ve inquired about this and will update if and when we hear more. In addition, we’re following up with the Chase camp to see if T3 has been invited to participate in the review, and should hear back on this some time this afternoon. Stay tuned.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We’ve received confirmation that auto/home/life insurance brand Liberty Mutual is putting its creative and media accounts into review. Both have been handled since 2005 by Boston-based Hill Holliday, which sources say will defend. HH isn’t commenting on the matter, but we’ve been told that the Liberty Mutual creative and media reviews will be handled separately. Sources add that Liberty Mutual has recently brought on a new CMO and the brand is looking more closely at the metrics and ” moving the sales number,” hence its move.

Some of Hill Holliday’s notable work for the brand over the years includes the Webby-winning “Responsibility Project” and the more recent  “Humans” campaign (spot above), which kicked off during last summer’s Olympics. As has been reported, Hill Holliday, which recently welcomed a new CEO, is also still vying for the Cadillac creative biz (no update as of yet on this).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Well, we’ve just had a chat with Steve Bernstein, co-namesake/president of Kansas City-based Bernstein-Rein and we’ve received some clarification on what we’ve been hearing about aplenty on the Spy line over the last 24 hours. We have been told that B-R is still the de facto agency for Commerce Bank (not the one that morphed into TD Bank, but this one), though the chain is undergoing a “strategic change” and thus, a relationship chance with its agency (one that’s lasted approximately 14 years). From what Bernstein says, there will be no cuts, no agency shifts as of now but a “relationship change” as a result of Commerce’s move.

Yes, it’s cryptic, but that’s what we know so far regarding Commerce and B-R, the latter of which counts a staff of approximately 220. Second up to bat, we were receiving tips that Bernstein-Rein hired a “consultant to restructure agency.” Not quite, according to Bernstein, who tells us that Tim Williams, a Utah-based consultant out of Ignition who has been brought on board process to “survey people on how to improve.” Draw your own conclusions, but we’ve been told adamantly that there will be no restructuring as a result of Williams’ consultation.

Finally, B-R has announced that it’s reunited with longtime client Hostess (well, since 2005), the maker of Twinkies and Ho-Ho’s among other products that went bankrupt not so long ago but has miraculously risen from the dead thanks to both Apollo Global Management and Metropolous & Co. We’re being told that B-R’s new work for the brand will launch mid-summer.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As you may have read/heard, Volvo has announced that its launched its global creative review, but here’s a quick follow-up to the initial report. First off, here’s a statement from Robert LePlae, Arnold global CEO who assumed his post at the agency last summer and whose agency has been invited to defend, regarding the automaker’s move: “There’s new global leadership at Volvo who are rightly coming in and looking at all aspects of the business, specifically the centrally created advertising in Amsterdam. I’m new too at Arnold and we’ve done our own assessment. This leaves us eager and confident for the opportunity to show Volvo what we can do.”

Sources familiar with the matter add that while Adage reported that it was a global review, they say that Volvo’s move affects the centrally created advertising in Amsterdam only (which serves as central contact on the account for Arnold). The North American work out of Boston, and other local markets around the world, meanwhile, is not under review.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

In reaction to public outcry over Swiffer’s use of iconic feminist image Rosie the Riveter, who, in a 1943 Westinghouse Electric ad campaign, urged women to get out of the kitchen and work during World War II, the brand has issued an apology and promised to remove the image from its website.

The image appeared on the brand’s Swiffer website and in ads promoting Swiffer’s steam cleaner.

Of the brand’s seemingly incomprehensible reasoning behind using the image, Boing Boin Publisher Jason Weisberger said, “I love the clear tribute to an important historical image done in such a way as to piss on its legacy.”

Following an article in the Washington Post, Swiffer’s Elizabeth Ming issued a statement which read, “We were made aware of the concerns regarding the image in a Swiffer ad this afternoon. Our core purpose is to make cleaning easier for all consumers, regardless of who is behind the handle of our products. It was not our intention to offend any group with the image, and we are working to remove it from where it’s being used as soon as possible.”

Which, of course, begs the question, why would the brand employ Rosie the Riveter, an iconic symbol of women’s movement out of the kitchen, to urge womwn to get back into the kitchen? It’s like some 22 year old creative read Wikipedia and totally misunderstood what she stood for.

It’s all well and good that a brand issue a swift apology but how and why do faux pauxs like this continue to happen. It’s like the teacher left the schoolyard and the children have run wild.