Hasta La Creative!

FCB New York made series of senior leadership changes with the arrivals of executive creative director Stu Mair, group creative director Gabriel Schmitt and strategy and innovation director Raig Adolfo. The office also promoted Michelle Tang to CMO. 

In her new role, Tang will work closely with FCB New York leadership to bolster its new business practice while expanding relationships with current and respective clients. She reports to FCB New York CEO Karyn Rockwell, who was herself promoted in February.

“I am excited to welcome Michelle, who is already a member of our FCB family, to our New York team,” Rockwell said in a statement. “She has done an excellent job of helping to grow the agency globally, and now I look forward to her working closely with me to strengthen and build our partnerships with new and existing clients. This is an idea- and people-driven business, and Michelle has proven herself to be a terrific and dynamic relationship builder.”

Tang joined FCB Global as VP and director of worldwide agency growth in November of 2012 and was promoted to SVP, worldwide agency growth — her most recent position with FCB Global — two years later. Prior to joining FCB she spent nearly two years with Wunderman serving as director and then VP of business development. She also spent time with Digitas Health, serving as manager and then associate director of business development.

Mair arrives at FCB New York following sixteen years with Grey New York. While with Grey he helped the agency bring home its first Cannes Gold Lion and Emmy Award. He worked with brands including Canon, Dairy Queen, Crown Royal and Pixma.

Schmitt joins the agency following an eight month stint at KBS New York, where he served as creative director on BMW. Prior to that he spent three years as vice president, creative director with FCB Chicago, while working with brands including Valspar Paint and Kolcraft. He joined FCB Chicago from Dentsu’s São Paulo office, where he spent over three years as a copywriter.

“Stu and Gabriel are strong, accomplished professionals who understand what it takes to help a client thrive both creatively and profitably. They understand the importance of pushing for creative excellence, and its role in helping clients to reach new heights,” said said FCB New York CCO Ari Halper. “Plus, they are both just great human beings and I am thrilled to welcome them to our team.”

Adolfo joins the agency from Redscout, where he has served as director of innovation strategy since the beginning of 2015, working with clients such as Abbott Nutrition, Marriott Hotels International, General Mills and ShopRite. Before that he spent three years with Grey New York as senior vice president, global creative strategy leader, leading strategy across GSK’s global wellness category. He joined Grey New York from Grey Group Latam in Mexico City, where he served as regional head of strategy for two years. Prior to that he spent two years as group head of strategy at Grey Group Brazil. 

“Raig brings an impressive skill set to the team. Throughout his career, he has led strategy for many of the world’s top brands, across major markets spanning New York and Latin America, and, in his most recent role, he has demonstrated a keen eye for identifying and activating new opportunities for clients,” added FCB New York CSO Deb Freeman. “He brings an expert background rich in holistic, strategic and innovative thinking.”

In May, FCB New York made a small round of layoffs in the interest of increased efficiency.

Following last week’s changes to the Toronto-based agency’s leadership team, Rivet is rebranding as FCB/SIX and will be expanding with a second office in Montreal.

“To best reflect its iconic and creative FCB heritage, Rivet is rebranding as FCB/SIX and being transformed into a unique and leading Canadian-based data-first creative group,” said FCB Canada CEO Tim Bowen. “FCB/SIX will augment the existing roster of FCB companies in Canada and beyond by providing specialized, highly effective data, technology and 1:1 creative ideas that drive ROI for a wide range of clients.”

Andrea Cook, who was named president of Rivet back in January, will continue to serve as president of FCB/SIX. Rachelle Claveau will continue to lead FCB Montreal as president, with FCB/SIX operating independently, with separate structures, clients, locations and teams. 

“Importantly, the name change better represents the agency’s approach to mashing data and technology to deliver creative ideas that execute at the individual level and generate exceptional, behaviour-changing work for clients at scale,” said Cook. 

Following Cook’s arrival in January, the agency brought on 22 new hires in anticipation of the impending rebrand and expansion, hires which the agency says “ have been fostered by growth, culture shift and the evolution of the team under Cook’s new vision.” Filling out the leadership team at FCB/SIX are the recent arrivals of executive creative director Ian Mackenzie, senior vice president, strategy Kim Farwell and vice president of data and technology Jacob Ciesielski.

Full-service Chicago-based independent agency Laughlin Constable hired Dan Fietsam as chief creative officer, effective June 1.

Fietsam joins the agency after leaving his position as executive vice president/executive creative director with FCB Chicago last November.

Since then he led his own creative consultancy, The Fietsam Group, as well as teaching in the graduate program at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Communications. He originally joined FCB Chicago in July of 2014 and worked with such key clients as ABInBev, Boeing, Joe Boxer and Valspar after serving as CCO with Energy BBDO for over five and a half years and leading creative on accounts including Anheuser-Busch, Wrigley, Bayer, SC Johnson, Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pearle Vision and King’s Hawaiian.

He began his career as a junior copywriter with Ogilvy & Mather in 1988 and has held creative positions at Leo Burnett, Y&R, DDB and Publicis Seattle, where he led work on T-Mobile, Washington’s Lottery, RealNetworks and Coinstar.

“We are on a mission to constantly reinvent and push both ourselves and our clients. Dan is the perfect partner to help us deliver on that promise, as he is one of the most recognized and admired creative leaders in the industry,” said Laughlin Constable CEO Mat Lignel. “As importantly, he shares our entrepreneurial DNA and ambition to become one of the most successful independent agencies in the country.”

“I believe we as an industry are moving beyond advertising and more into creative marketing, whatever form that may take,” added Fietsam.

“I was already leaning into a more fluid and entrepreneurial model when I began talking with Mat about the possibility of working together. Being a part of the right team is critical to me. I was drawn to the leadership team and the people that Mat and Steve Laughlin have recruited to the agency.”

FCB Garfinkel launched a new business to business campaign for Vonage, promoting the brand’s ability to help businesses reach their potential, with the 60-second “The Business of Better.” The campaign marks  the agency’s first work for Vonage since being named agency of record back in April.

The spot opens on a man interrupted by an unexpected guest while working in his small home office. His guest describes how Vonage revolutionized home phone service while ripping off the man’s shirt to reveal a better one underneath. As they walk into the next room, the small business owner is surprised to find that he has employees. Over the course of the ad his business keeps expanding, while the Vonage spokesman describes how Vonage services helps businesses big and small get better, ending with the tagline “The Business of Better.” While the tagline works well for the campaign and the approach visualizes how Vonage can help businesses fairly well, it can’t help but come across as a bit dry and repetitive with its 60 second runtime. In addition to the broadcast spot, the campaign includes online ads, radio spots, print ads running in business publications and a social media activation calling on companies to share their stories with the hashtag #BizBetter.

“The goal of the campaign is to demonstrate how Vonage, known for revolutionizing home phone service, is now also a leading provider of cloud communications for business,” Vonage chief marketing officer Ted Gilvar explained to AdAge. “This is a brand campaign designed to help us scale the business side of our portfolio,” he added. “What’s important is that our solutions can grow with a growing business. So if you are a business owner with a home office, or maybe you need one, two or five lines today, as your business grows, our service scales with you.”

Short of letting a child experience the lingering pain of a sunburn, how can you really teach them the importance of wearing sunscreen?

Tell an overstimulated kid to wait 15 minutes for mounds of sunscreen to soak in before they can dive into the ocean and you’re basically asking for tears. 

Nivea and FCB Brazil have come up with one solution for educating kids about the sun in a language they’re sure to understand: toys. 

The Nivea Doll is made with UV-sensitive material and quickly turns lobster-red when exposed to harsh rays without sunscreen, just like your own skin eventually would if left unprotected.

If the child uses sunscreen on the doll, it will be protected from sunburn. If the doll’s already red, putting a dollop of Nivea on it will turn the skin back to its normal shade (not a perfect comparison to a real sunburn, which is far harder to undo, but it’s an effective illustration for kids). 

“Protecting and caring is something we learn from an early age. This emotional bond is what this Nivea action offers,” Joanna Monteiro, creative vp at FCB Brazil, said in a statement. “Through the magic of technology, children can see the sun’s effect on the skin of the doll.”

Last year, Nivea’s “Protection Ad,” which helped moms keep track of their kids at the beach, won a Cannes Mobile Grand Prix. 

CREDITS
Client: Nivea
Agency: FCB Brazil
Creative Vice Presidents: Joanna Monteiro, Max Geraldo
Creative Directors: Adriano Alarcon, Carlos Schleder
Digital Creative Director: Pedro Gravena
Art Directors: Ricardo Silveira, Rodrigo Leal Rodrigues, Victor Bustani
Copywriters: André Bittar, Giampetro Zanon, Marcelo Jun Sato
Art Buyers: Tina Castro, Daniel Gonçalves
Illustrations: Estúdio Ícone
Graphics Production : Diego Bischoff, Manoel Roque, Paulo Rogério de Oliveira
Media: Alexandre Ugadin, Sergio Broto, Rachid Antun
Technology: Gerson Lupatini, Marcio Bueno
Client Services: Mauro Silveira, Cristiane Pereira, Tania Muller, Mariana Mozzaquatro, Vitor Borragine
Planning: Raphael Barreto, Frederico Steinhoff, Alice Alcantara, Stephanie Day
RTV: Charles Nobili, Ricardo Magozo Magozo, André Fonseca
Production, Postproduction: Piloto; Equipe Satélite
Direction: Daniel Soro, Alexandre Chalabi, Paula Brandão
Client Services: Roberta Frederico, Natalia Souza, Ariane Esteves
Production Coordinators: Mariana Guerra, Fernanda Ragazzi
Postproduction Coordinator: Nayla Kols
Composition: Alessandro Gerace
Editing: Luiz Eduardo Doria, Rodrigo Resende, Abner Palma
Sound Production: Satélite Áudio
Conductors: Roberto Coelho, Kito Siqueira    
Client Services: Fernanda Costa, Marina Castilho
Client Approval: Tatiana Ponce

Vodafone New Zealand is out with a heartwarming ad that tells the story of a mailman who finds and befriends a lost pig, then goes on a mission to reunite it with its owner.

It’s a path fraught with people who don’t know anything, except that pigs taste pretty good (truth). Eventually, thanks to Vodafone’s mobile network, the pig’s knight gallant is able to track down its home—though the story doesn’t end there.

The mailman’s escape might not be very smart, because doesn’t the woman already have his name and number, and all the necessary info to brand him a pig thief?

But ethics aside, the subtitled and punctuated oinks are pretty great, and Piggy Sue the Vodafone pig is definitely way less annoying than her American cousin Maxwell the Geico pig, even if she doesn’t actually have a Buddy Holly soundtrack.

CREDITS
Client: Vodafone
Creative Agency: FCB New Zealand
Executive Creative Director: Regan Grafton
Group Account Director: Karla Fisher
Head of Content Production: Pip Mayne
Planning Director: Simon Bird
Account Director: Dave Munn
PR: Angela Spain
PR Director: Joanna James
Producer: Amanda Langkilde
Regional Creative Director: James Mok
Senior Art Director: Freddie Coltart
Senior Copywriter: Matt Williams
Senior Planner: Hilary Dobson
Recording: Hammond Peak
Producer: Pen Cooper & Sarah Yetton
Music Production: Liquid Studios
Composer: Peter van der Fluit
Sound Production: The Coopers
Sound Engineer: Jon Cooper
Online Editor: Nigel Mortimer
Editor: Bernard Garry
Post Production House: Blockhead
Colourist: Ben Eagleton
Production Company
Production Designer: Margot Wilson
Production Company: Revolver
Managing Director: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie & Pip Smart
DOP: Nicolas Karakatsanis
Director: Steve Rogers

Last year, FCB Brasil teamed up with language school CNA for “Speaking Exchange,” a program which brought together English students in Brazil with Americans living in retirement homes. This year the agency teamed up with Culver City, California-based pizza parlor Bella Vista Pizzeria to once again provide CNA students with real-world English speaking experiences.

The agency utilized a technology that allowed them to intercept calls from patrons ordering pizza from Bella Vista Pizzeria and transfer them to students at CNA, who then fielded the orders. Customers were given the option to ask for a regular carry-out order, or receive a discount (based on the length of the phone call) for talking to a CNA student. If they spent enough time on the phone, customers could even receive a free pizza. Students then sent the orders back to a printer at Bella Vista over the Internet, who got the pizzas in the oven while customers were given the option to continue speaking with the students to add to their discount. While it may lack the heartwarming qualities of last year’s “Speaking Exchange,” it’s still a clever way to provide real-world English speaking experiences to CNA students. And with the potential for customers to earn a free pizza, it’s really a win-win for everybody.

Credits:

Advertised brand: CNA
Advert title: Hello Pizza
Product: English School
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waqIuNFcZfY

Advertising Agency: FCB Brasil, Sao Paulo, Brazil
VP Creative Directors: Joanna Monteiro and Max Geraldo
Digital Creative Director: Pedro Gravena
Creative Directors: Adriano Alarcon and Carlos Schleder
Copywriter: Alessandra Muccillo and Lui Lima
Art Director: Andre Mancini and Rômulo Caballero
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST: Márcio Bueno
Digital Production: Bolha
Project Manager: Lia D’Amico and Suelen Mariano.
Information Technology VP: Gerson Lupatini
Account: Mauro Silveira, Alec Cocchiaro, Pedro Führer, Diogo Braga and Thiago Figueiredo
Planner: Raphael Barreto, Frederico Steinhoff, Alice Alcântara and Stephanie Day.
Media: Alexandre Ugadim, Cris Omura, Rafael Amaral, Monica Oliveira, Aline Lins and Camila Oliveira
RTV: Charles Nobili and Ricardo Magozo
Production Company: Crash of Rhinos
Director: Miguel Thomé
Co-Direction: João Luz
Photographer: Marcos Ribas
Account Production Company: Diego Melo and Mary Lacoleta
Editor:  Miguel Thomé
Sound Producer: Cabaret
Editor: Guilherme Azem
Account Sound Producer: Cayto Trivellato
L.A. Producer: EAT (Entertainment, Art, Talent)
Client Supervisors: Luciana Fortuna, Nicadan Galvão e Ricardo Martins