Campbell Ewald L.A. Launches First Work for IHOP

Back in July, IHOP appointed Campbell Ewald L.A. as its lead creative agency following a creative review restricted to IPG agencies. Now, nearly two months later, the agency has launched its first work for the client, introducing the new tagline “Eat Up Every Moment” in the process. 

The new campaign presents the staple American diner chain as a place for families to share moments and milestones. In “Rainy Afternoon,” for example, a father realizes over a rainy afternoon trip to IHOP  (and via voiceover from Jason Lee) that his little girl, “The one that always ordered hot chocolate with extra whipped cream,” has moved on to coffee.

Other spots in the campaign, which makes its debut today, highlight the chain’s recently-revived Kids Eat Free offering, with a look at two brothers locked in heated battle and an eight year old who has already surpassed her father at math. Each spot focuses on a family and a relatable situation, ending with the new tagline to emphasize the restaurant’s family-friendly positioning, with the implicit suggestion that the chain offers a respite from the usual routine and a wholesome substitute for a home cooked meal when the family schedule gets too demanding. The chain’s always-available breakfast offerings get a shout-out as well, along with the return of fall seasonal variations.

IHOP Appoints Campbell Ewald L.A. as Creative Agency

IHOP appointed Campbell Ewald L.A. as its creative agency, following a creative review restricted to IPG agencies, AdAge reports.

Campbell Ewald replaces Dailey L.A., which has been the chain’s creative agency since taking over for McCann L.A. in 2012. IHOP will continue to work with fellow IPG agencies MRM/McCann on digital and social campaign elements and BPN on media planning and strategy. According to Kantar Media, IHOP parent company DineEquity spent almost $242.2 million on U.S. measured media in 2015. 

“Those years with Dailey took our work very far forward. It was time to build on that success and pause and think about what’s the best way to take it onto the next level,” IHOP Restaurants senior vice president, marketing Kirk Thompson told AdAge in an interview. “We needed to do everything we were doing well at warp speed.”

Campbell Ewald’s first work for the brand is expected in September, and is rumored to include a new tagline. The brand introduced a new logo in June of 2015.

“Many of us on the Campbell Ewald team have cherished memories of eating at IHOP with our families and friends and we’re thrilled to bring this overwhelming love that guests and fans have for the iconic brand to life through the creative,” said Campbell Ewald CEO Kevin Wertz, in a statement.

Governor Cuomo Defends Start-Up New York’s ‘Generic’ Ads

Start Up NYGovernor Andrew Cuomo defended the “New York Open for Business” marketing initiative promoting his Start-Up New York project amid criticism from local government reps who claim that the advertising for the program is costly and ineffective.

The “New York Open for Business” marketing initiative with BBDO initially covered a series of Empire State Development campaigns, but its scope was widened in 2013 to include ads promoting the Start-Up New York program. New York spent some $251 million on the contract with BBDO before signing another $150 million contract with Campbell Ewald to continue “New York Open For Business” for two more years last fall.

In the wake of a report finding that Start-Up New York created just 408 jobs in its first two years, New York Senator Terrence Murphy called for the suspension of the advertising contract, saying, “The way to show we’re open for business is by reducing New York’s burdensome regulations and cutting taxes, not buying television commercials. I…never fully understood why New Yorkers were seeing ads about why they should come to New York…We have to put the brakes on these commercials until a system of accountability is in place, and if our targets cannot be met, we should scrap the whole thing.”

“It costs us nothing – zero – because all the program says is if you come here, we won’t charge you tax,” Cuomo explained to reporters in response to the criticism. “But they weren’t here to begin with, so it doesn’t cost us anything. It just saves them on the income tax.”

Cuomo characterized the “New York Open for Business” ads as “generic,” rather than specifically promoting Start-Up New York, adding, “‘Come to New York and we will help your business grow if you come to New York and New York is not the frightful place that you thought it was. We’re not a high tax state. We’ll eliminate taxes.’ So that’s what the advertising did.”

Campbell Ewald Forms New Executive Team Under CEO Kevin Wertz

Campbell Ewald CEO Kevin Wertz–who was promoted to that role in April three months after the firing of former CEO Jim Palmer for his handling of the “Ghetto Day” email controversy–has appointed a new cross office/cross disciplinary executive team to oversee U.S. operations.

The appointments follow a series of lay-offs last month in which the agency cut ten percent of its total workforce.

Joining recently-appointed chief creative officer Jo Shoesmith and chief financial officer Jari Auger on the executive team are Kari Shimmel, who was appointed to the newly-created position of chief marketing officer, and Brian Phelps, who will serve as COO as well as managing director for the agency’s Detroit office.

Shimmel previously served as marketing, planning director, focusing on new business development and the agency’s Travelocity account. She originally joined Campbell Ewald as senior digital content planner on Cadillac in May of 2014 following nearly two years as principal and creative director at DBA Worldwide, where she worked with clients including Blue Cross Blue Shield, BOSCH, Chick-fil-A, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and The Salvation Army. Shimmel arrived at DBA as a junior art director back in October of 2003 and held a series of art director and creative director positions with the agency. 

Phelps previously served as account director and director, business development with the agency, working with Shimmel to oversee the Travelocity account. An agency veteran, he originally joined Campbell Ewald back in July of 1999 as an account coordinator. Phelps then worked his way up through various account executive positions to become vice president, account supervisor in 2005 and senior vice president, management supervisor two years later.

In addition to the executive leadership changes, Campbell Ewald also made the following appointments: Zenaida Torres was promoted from group account director to managing director of the Los Angeles office; Jamie Lewis was promoted from director of planning and digital strategy to managing director, digital; Chip Rich was promoted from group creative director to executive creative director in New York; and Lora Stock was promoted from senior vice president, director of content strategy and managing editor of the Content Lab at Doner in Detroit to group director, social and content strategy across the Campbell Ewald network.

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We Hear: Burbary Out at LCE?

kenburbaryThere’s no official word as of yet, but a phone call or two tells us that Ken Burbary is no longer at Lowe Campbell Ewald, where he’s spent the last two years working out of the agency’s Detroit-area office as chief digital officer. The CDO gig was not Burbary’s first rodeo at what was then Campbell Ewald, where he originally spent nearly a decade in the late 90′s onwards and eventually served as SVP/chief technology officer. In between his two stints at LCE, Burbary served as VP/group director on the strategy/analytics side at Digitas. We’ll keep you posted when we find out more.

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Lowe Campbell Ewald NY Snags First Win, Reveals Rest of Client List

delonghi-primadonna

Following a review, the New York office of Lowe Campbell Ewald, which officially opened its doors on Jan. 1, has won its first client, namely De’Longhi North America, which specializes in espresso and comfort products. From what sources tell us, this marks first consumer initiative in the US for the brand, which is headquartered in Treviso, Italy. Regarding the LCE NY appointment,  De’Longhi North America VP of marketing Linda Passaro says in a statement, ““Our team was extremely impressed with Lowe Campbell Ewald’s experience in building business, as well as the unique, disciplined process of gathering consumer insights to lead creative development. We are eager to begin building our partnership and to launching our marketing efforts in North America, bringing the De’Longhi Italian experience to consumers at home.”

As a result of the win, De’Longhi now joins a client roster at Lowe Campbell Ewald New York that includes Unilever, Snuggle and the Milk Processor Education Program, as well as other premium brands in the LCE U.S. portfolio such as Cadillac, the US Navy and OnStar.

 

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Lowe Campbell Ewald Officially Heads to Motor City HQ

-9Last summer, we brought you news of Lowe Campbell Ewald‘s impending move to Detroit.

Now, Lowe Campbell Ewald has officially opened its new downtown Detroit headquarters, after 36 years in Warren, Michigan. The relocation is something of a homecoming for the agency, which spent 67 years in the city following its formation in 1911. The new office is located in the original J.J. Hudson Co. warehouse at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. Lowe Campbell Ewald’s new 122,000 square foot space retains the classic “industrial look of the 1920s-era warehouse, leaving duct work and concrete columns exposed.” The space features 100 meeting pods and collaboration spaces, as well as “a three-story LED video wall (the first of its kind in Detroit) and sustainable solutions throughout.”

Over 500 employees will be relocating to the new headquarters, which marks the latest in a series of shakeups for the agency. The past six months have seen the announcement of new leadership, an alignment with Lowe and Partners, and the addition of a New York office, along with considerable new business with clients such as Atkins, LifeLock, Western Governors University, the Detroit Lions and University of Michigan.

“This is a transformative moment for Lowe Campbell Ewald,” said recently-appointed Lowe Campbell Ewald CEO Jim Palmer (not to be confused with Orioles Hall of Fame pitcher/The Money Store spokesperson Jim Palmer). “Detroit is attracting creative and entrepreneurial talent from all corners of the globe, and we want to be part of that movement…Lowe Campbell Ewald was founded in Detroit nearly 103 years ago – it’s great to be back home and contribute to the city’s revitalization.”

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And Now, Some Turkey Pick-Up Lines Courtesy of Lowe Campbell Ewald

The friendly folks over at Lowe Campbell Ewald, who were named AOR for LifeLock last month, would like to wish you a happy holiday by sharing “How to pick up the right turkey this Thanksgiving.”

In the above video, the Campbell Ewald folks share turkey pick-up lines in a Thanksgiving-themed display of cringe-humor. Many of them are alterations on oft-heard bad pick-up lines, such as “Your drumsticks must be tired, because you’ve been running through my mind all day.” and “Are you a Tennessee turkey? Because you’re the only ten I see.” It helps add to the goofiness that the employees involved are all wearing turkey hats. (Where can we get those?) My personal favorite might be the straightforward, “I’m gonna gobble, gobble, gobble you up,” mostly for the great delivery. I think you probably get the idea: if you found any of those worth a chuckle you’ll probably enjoy the video. Some of these could border on sexual harassment, so be careful when employing these lines on the turkeys in your life.

The worst of the pick-up lines featured is probably, “You’re no side dish, you’re my main course.” Well, of course the turkey is the main course. That’s how Thanksgiving works. This bothers me far more than it should, but don’t let that dissuade you from watching Lowe Campbell Ewald’s 1:16 of Thanksgiving goofiness. And if that’s not enough holiday humor for you, check out Firehouse’s “Happy Twerky Day” and let us know which you liked better. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

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Lowe Campbell Ewald Nabs LifeLock Biz

LifeLock-Red-Logo

We’re still scratching our heads as to why the folks at LifeLock just couldn’t confirm this yesterday after several back and forth emails. Whatever the case, the tips proved true and following a review, Lowe Campbell Ewald has indeed been named AOR for the Tempe, Arizona-based brand, which provides identity theft protection services. The first LifeLock work from LCE, which has had a busy start to the week to say the least, is slated to launch in December of this year. Regarding the decision, LifeLock CMO Seth Greenberg says, “Identity theft is a rapidly growing problem. Our services can help a much broader consumer base, and Lowe Campbell Ewald has a proven track record of helping to evolve and transform other leading brands. We are very excited to partner with them strategically.”

LifeLock previously worked with fellow IPG-owned shop Dailey as its agency partner, though we heard brand and agency parted ways in August (the West Hollywood, CA-based Dailey was invited to participate but chose not to defend). Interestingly, LifeLock CMO Greenberg previously served as VP/digital, brand, social and ad strategy at Intuit, parent company of TurboTax, which just so happened to be a Dailey client during his time there. The account, though, was eventually moved to W+K this past summer (around the same time that Greenberg left Intuit for LifeLock). From what folks on the Spy line tell us, Dailey didn’t even get the chance to defend this particular business. Is there beef or is it sheer coincidence? Things that make you go hmm.

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Hmm, Well Lowe Campbell Ewald is Opening Up Shop in NYC After All

loweceWell, we sent inquiries to a few folks last week about this last week after receiving tips like this on Oct. 17: “Lowe NY Again??  Lowe is opening a ny office and the Milk account guy Sal Taibi is being tapped to run it as CEO.  Maybe old lowe clients going w him.   Ronald wohlman is the head creative guy.  Lowe/Campbell Ewald & hill holiday won Cadillac work awhile ago – Lowe NY to take up residence in ny hill holiday office.”

Now, reports are out confirming this and Sal Taibi is indeed leading the charge, not as CEO but as president of Lowe Campbell Ewald’s New York operation. Taibi most recently served as partner/GM at Deutsch NY but spent 16 years prior to that at Lowe, last serving in a similar role as president. No confirmation yet on Ronald Wohlman, but it doesn’t seem too far-fetched considering that he’s already spent the last nine years at Lowe, most recently serving as CCO on the Unilever, North America business.

We’ve just received the official release announcing the new LCE New York office, and in a statement, Lowe & Partners CEO Michael Wall says, “Lowe Campbell Ewald is an agency with a strong heritage and an integrated full service offering that drives great business results for its clients. This combination has already begun to show results as the agency complements Lowe’s
international network. Being able to front those capabilities out of New York alongside the existing U.S. locations should prove an attractive proposition for both national and international clients. Sal Taibi is a natural choice to lead New York given his experience in the market, the strength of his client relationships and his intimate knowledge of Lowe.”

Lowe Campbell Ewald New York is expected to officially open its doors in January 2014 and will include clients Taibi and crew have previously worked with. Regarding the new office, Jim Palmer, LCE CEO who essentially took over for Bill Ludwig this summer, adds, “Our new presence in New York speaks to the commitment we have to Lowe and the momentum our agencies are building together. Our New York office will bolster our national footprint from coast to coast. With offices in Detroit, Los Angeles, San Antonio and now New York, plus Lowe’s international talent and distribution channels, Lowe Campbell Ewald is poised to better help clients navigate the ever-evolving global media and marketing environment.”

Update: So, as of now, the Wohlman tip isn’t true as we’ve been told that no staffing decisions beyond Sal Taibi heading the office have been finalized yet. We’ll keep you posted. On the note about “Lowe NY Again?,” our sources clarify that Lowe has always had a NYC presence since Sir Frank Lowe led the ship and continued through the partnership with sister agency Deutsch, whose name was ‘Deutsch a Lowe and Partners Company’ since 2009. Now, it’s on to the next chapter.

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Lowe Campbell Ewald Makes Some Cuts

loweceWe can’t confirm numbers or names–though we’re hearing some creative higher-ups and staff in L.A. were affected–but we’ve received confirmation that the agency now known as Lowe Campbell Ewald has made some cuts (we were told last Thursday and nearly 10 staffers were affected in L.A.). Here’s a quick statement from recently installed LCE CEO Jim Palmer: “Our industry is one of constant change, and we must routinely review where we are now and what we must do to stay competitive down the road. We are realigning our resources to best serve the current and future needs of our clients. Saying goodbye to our dedicated teammates is hard on all of us and without question the most difficult part of this business.” We’ll keep you posted if we hear more.

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Lowe Campbell Ewald for SXSW 2014: ‘We’re Moving to Detroit and So Should You’

After a change in leadership and rebrand earlier this summer, Lowe Campbell Ewald is putting their weight behind the bankrupt city they call home: Detroit. Creative Director Iain Lanivich says, “Does it bother us that Detroit went bankrupt? Not really. What matters is that it’s rich in creativity, innovation, and inspiration. So come join us…in defining the future of Detroit.” Next year, Campbell will move 600+ employees to Detroit, though it’s unclear where they’ll be moving from and what other incentives are involved (hopefully a free full body puffer coat for the Michigan winter, at least).

continued…

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Yolles, Campbell Ewald Part Ways

Well, this is an interesting management shakeup in what’s already turned out to be quite the busy month at Campbell Ewald–sorry, Lowe Campbell Ewald. Less than a year after joining up with Detroit-based LCE as chief marketing officer, Barbara Yolles and said agency have parted ways. No word yet on if there are immediate plans to replace her, but this marks the second notable management shift at LCE following the departure of longtime CEO Bill Ludwig, who of course was succeeded by Jim Palmer earlier this month.

As for Yolles, the now-ex-LCE CMO joined from McCann, where she initially served in the same role of the latter’s Midwest region before moving up to chief growth officer, North America. During her career, she also had two stints on the account side at Doner and also served as EVP/group managing director at KBS+. Update: We’ve been told that there are no immediate plans to replaces Yolles at Campbell Ewald as of now.

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Zelley Joins Campbell Ewald as CD on Cadillac

It looks like the agency now known as Lowe Campbell Ewald is slowly ramping up staff on its portion of the Cadillac business as the Detroit stalwart has brought on Matthew Zelley as creative director on said account. CE of course is part of the team called Rogue, which also includes lead creative agency Hill Holliday, that was newly formed to specifically work on the Caddy biz.

LCE handles account management and digital efforts for the brand. Anyhow, this marks Zelley’s second tour of duty at Lowe Campbell Ewald, where he originally spent five years and moved up from senior art director to ACD. Prior to his rejoining the agency, which is now being led by CEO Jim Palmer, Zelley spent nearly two years as a creative director at Organic.

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Campbell Ewald Has New CEO, Rebrands

Well, we guess this is notable enough to merit a separate non-Stir post. So yeah, as you may have read this morning, there’s a changing of the guard at IPG-owned Detroit stalwart Campbell Ewald, which has not only welcomed a new CEO, but has joined the global Lowe network. As a result, the new entity will now be known as, yes, Lowe Campbell Ewald and will be led by Jim Palmer, who has been with CE for over 20 years and most recently served as its vice chairman/chief client officer.

As you can gather, Palmer (pictured) is taking over for 31-year Campbell Ewald vet Bill Ludwig, who we’ve been hearing for weeks was no longer with the agency, which was repeatedly telling us otherwise. Along with Palmer assuming the top post, CE president Kathleen Donald will take on the role of chief operating officer and add more management responsibilities. Regarding Ludwig’s departure, IPG chairman/CEO Michael Roth says in a statement, “Bill Ludwig is leaving the agency poised for growth. We wish him well and thank him for his many contributions to the agency over a 31-year career, including putting in place a new generation of management that understands contemporary integrated marketing and the digital landscape.” According to the CE camp, Ludwig could still work in some capacity with IPG.

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Hmm, So CE Chief Ludwig Appears to Be Out After All

Well, isn’t that something. Less than a week after sources familiar with the matter told us that the Campbell Ewald executive team “remains in place” following the agency winning Cadillac account management duties, AdAge today echoes what many tipsters were saying prior to the win, that chairman/CEO Bill Ludwig is out. Since June 6, we’ve been hearing on the Spy Line that Ludwig (and possibly one other member of the executive team) was literally shown the door days prior to CE securing its portion of said automaker’s account. AdAge, though, merely reports that Ludwig has “stepped down.”

Ludwig, who still toplines CE’s leadership section on its site, has been with the Detroit stalwart for the duration of his 30-year ad career, starting as a copywriter before moving up the ranks to chief creative/strategy officer to his most recent position at the top of the agency’s food chain. We’ll try to get some comment from Campbell Ewald if possible and will update if and when we can.

Update: The same sources familiar with CE that we talked to last week tell us that “nothing’s changed” since last week, so yeah, consider us confused.

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Hill Holliday Can Rest Easy Today

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.

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Campbell Ewald Wants Your Help Naming Baby Falcon

Either Detroit’s Campbell Ewald office doesn’t have enough to do, or they’ve really become besotted by the baby Peregrine falcon on their roof. Probably a bit of both. Several years ago, a C-E employee built a nesting box on the roof of the office in hopes that a pair of falcons would land. Two lucky birds made a fortuitous choice, and the team has since been tracking the eggs, and now junior falcons. We reported on the resulting campaign back in May.

One of the young’uns didn’t make it, but the surviving baby is beginning to flap her little wings. Now she needs a name, and CE is asking her devoted fans to submit their favorites. The deadline for submission is Monday, June 10, after which time the CE team will vote to determine the winner. A $1,000 donation will be made to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in honor of the person who suggests the winning name.

This bird is rare and adorable and fluffy, so you better do her justice. Check up on her progress at Campbell Ewald’s dedicated Tumblr. [Ed: And yes, we are looking into the tips we’ve been receiving about said agency]

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