We Hear: West Hired Someone As Its New CCO

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Someone really wants us to keep posting on West, the San Francisco-based agency that refuses to respond to anything resembling a press query.

First, we went over TechCrunch’s unenthusiastic review of the agency’s homepage. Then we heard that West had lost a large chunk of its business (the agency and the other contacts that our readers suggested did not respond to our requests for more information).

Someone else kept telling us to contact Travis Britton, who joined the agency as chief experience officer before leaving more than a year ago and (according to one very insistent tipster) launching his own venture. We also heard that Keith Cartwright, who was once CCO at West but no longer lists it on his resume, is happily running his own agency Union Made Creative. This is not really news.

Over the last week or so, however, we have received conflicting tips about the newest top creative executive at West.

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We Hear: Cuts at Translation

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This morning we got a tip about some big changes at Steve Stoute‘s Translation.

Specifically, the tip claimed that President Nils Peyron and ECDs Marc d’Avignon and Jay Berry are no longer with the agency.

None of the three have been with Translation for more than a few months: Peyron, a former account leader at McCann and Ogilvy, joined in February and earned an Adweek writeup in the process; he filled a post that had been vacant since November 2012. At the same time, the agency hired former top Chiat creative John Norman to fill the CCO role. Norman then facilitated the hiring of Berry and d’Avignon, who had worked with him at W+K Portland from 2005 to 2008.

Translation produced a couple of spots for Champs Sports this summer, and all three of the names in question appear in the credits.

We did not receive a confirmation or statement from the agency, but we did score a “no comment…”

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Translation Goes Back to School for Champs Sports

Translation has a new back-to-school campaign for Champ Sports, entitled “Game Loves An Audience.”

That phrase appears on screen, leading in to the brand’s “We Know Game” tagline following short vignettes in several 30-second spots. For the most part, Translation keeps things pretty simple. “Practice,” for example, is a montage of players training for the upcoming season at football practice, ending with the coach riling the team up with a chant. “Joy Ride” and “First Period” (which we’ve included after the jump) are similarly straightforward (and self-explanatory) eschewing any dialogue for a focus on Champs Sports’ products. You have to wonder if maybe they could have benefited from a little more substance, though. (more…)

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Translation Dives Into Summer for Champs

Translation, New York has a new campaign for Champs (for whom they are agency of record), entitled “Game Never Sleeps.”

The campaign celebrates the summer with a series of spots highlighting nocturnal sporting highjinks and a pool party rooftop dive. In the ridiculous 30 second-spot “One Giant Leap” a party-goer takes a rooftop leap into a pool. Only he realizes mid-jump that he left his prized kicks on. Somehow, he has the presence of mind to to quickly slip them off, unharmed, while also managing to make it into the pool. Other spots in the campaign are a bit more plausible, featuring nighttime games of basketball and football. Stay with us after the jump for “Let There Be Light” and “Nightglow,” along with credits. (more…)

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TBWAChiatDay, Adidas Throw a World Cup House Party

For the Super Bowl, the game is the advertising. For the World Series, ads are a respite. For the World Cup, however, there’s just not as much fanfare. TBWAChiatDay hopes to change that with its new spot for Adidas.
The work features retired legends of football/soccer/futbol (depending on who you ask) David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane, who are bored watching the young guys Gareth Bale and Lucas Moura playing EA Sports’ 2014 FIFA World Cup.
And then, a jewel-encrusted goblet of male bravado spills on the hardwood floor as a real soccer game trashes “Beckhingham Palace.”

Now that you’ve recovered, click through for some credits.

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Mullen Alum Behind ‘Agency Fight’ Heads to Translation

schuylerIf the name Schuyler Hunt doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps we can refresh your memory by recalling some of his fun projects during his two-and-a-half years at Mullen including the “Agency Fight,” “The Riddlist” and the cat-friendly, seizure-inducing and brief retuning of his old agency’s “Work” section. The “Zach Braff lookalike” as one tipster has coined him (ok, maybe they’re onto something) has joined up with NYC-based Translation, which is fresh off of hiring a new CCO in Martin Agency/Chiat LA alum John Norman, as an ACD/creative technologist. Prior to his time at Mullen, Hunt also had a brief spell or two at the Martin Agency as a CT and spent 15 months at the VCU Brandcenter.

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Norman, Chiat LA Parting Ways (Updated, with Norman Note)

johnnormanWell, perhaps this is old news by now, but it does appear that John Norman is leaving his chief creative office position at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA after barely 18 months at the helm. Here’s one tip we received a few hours ago that may provide some clarification (and according to sources in the know, is legit): “John Norman will be leaving his post as Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles. John’s last day with the agency will be March 31 and until then he will be working with our Executive Creative Directors, Brent Anderson, Stephen Butler and Fabio Costa, to transition leadership across all our accounts.”

According to Adweek, BBH London partner/deputy ECD David Kobulsz is in talks to co-lead Chiat LA  with Butler following Norman’s official departure. Speaking of Norman, the departing CCO joined TBWA\Chiat\Day LA after serving in the same role for two-and-a-half years at The Martin Agency. Prior to Martin, he held senior creative positions at the likes of W+K and Goodby.

As for the Chiat LA ECD team, Anderson has been with the agency for nearly nine years, Butler joined last summer after serving as creative partner at Mother while Costa worked with Norman at Martin before joining up with TBWA C\D LA as global GCD just after the CCO’s arrival.

Update: After the jump, you can read the brief note Norman sent to his TBWA\Chiat\Day LA colleagues earlier this afternoon that somewhat reveals his future plans, which have something to do with a certain founder of Translation.

Update 2: Yes, as has been reported, Norman will assume the role of CCO at Translation, a role we recall was last occupied by Chris Cereda, who eventually joined up with Scratch/Viacom Media Networks.

 

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Macklemore, Ryan Lewis Bring Grammy Life to NYC Bus

Most likely, this video of Macklemore and his Jazzy Jeff shadow Ryan Lewis is a staged marketing effort from TBWA\Chiat\Day LA to promote the 56th Grammy Awards. The two musicians hop on a New York City bus with a boombox and start performing an impromptu concert full of Macklemore’s signature exuberance and corny hand movements. The riders on the bus start dancing and feeling the music – the bus driver even starts clapping on (probably fake) closed circuit footage.

I’d probably react the same way if Macklemore came on the crosstown bus. But you know how I know it’s not real? Because if anyone came on NYC public transportation with a boombox and started making noise, there will undoubtedly be at least two people who hate it and tell them to shut it off before they turn into depressed and sarcastic versions of the Hulk.

But whether it is real or not, the question everyone wants to know is: where is Ray Dalton? Credits after the jump.

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Nissan Wants You to Open ‘The Briefcase’

Nissan’s new online initiative “The Briefcase” courtesy of TBWA\Chiat\Day LA features a high octane car chase (starring the new 2014 Nissan Rogue) ending in a click through to a contest offering contestants the chance to win one of three 2014 Rogues.

The video opens with a man getting in a hired car for his usual commute home from work. When a motorcycle pulls up and hands off a briefcase to the driver, however, all hell breaks loose. Soon everyone seems to be after the Rogue, including a helicopter that attempts to land on the car. In the end, they run into a blockade and a man shouts “Open the briefcase,” at which time viewers are prompted to click on a link to open it. This link clicks through to the contest on Nissan’s Facebook page. It’s a clever, interactive way to lead viewers to the contest, even if the video is a little over the top. Fans of the brand should enjoy having a background story going into the contest, where they can enter once per day, or more if they share information about the contest via email or social media — a pretty good way to incentivise sharing.

The contest begins today and runs through February 13th at 11:59 PM. You can enter the contest here for your chance to win a 2014 Nissan Rogue. Credits after the jump.

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TBWA\Chiat\Day LA Celebrates Peyton with ’51 And Counting’ for Gatorade

TBWA/Chiat Day celebrates Peyton Manning breaking the NFL single-season touchdown record with an inspirational campaign for Gatorade.

At the heart of the new campaign is the thirty second spot, “51 And Counting.” The simple spot shows photos of Peyton unleashing each of his 51 touchdown passes, set to inspirational narration about ignoring those who tell you what you can’t do. It’s a timely response to Manning’s record-breaking season, and the association with Peyton is sure to win Gatorade some points with fans. That TBWA/Chiat Day couldn’t follow up the last photo with footage of the record breaking pass being completed is something of a letdown, but I imagine logistical/legal concerns are to blame. The campaign also includes a celebratory print ad in Sports Illustrated, congratulating Manning on winning the Sportsman of the Year award “by painting a picture of what it means to win from within using only words and Manning’s number, 18.” Stay tuned for the print ad, and credits, after the jump. continued…

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This Year’s Grammy TV Campaign Is Actually Pretty Great

Right about this time every year, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA debuts its TV spots for the Grammys. And, every year, they’re pretty underwhelming. A few years back, we got a swirly, graphics overload with CGI re-tellings of artists like Eminem’s life story. Last year, we got the hashtag-happy #TheWholeWorldIsListening, which aimed to put viewers into the shoes of stars like Rihanna while trying to convince them that the awards show was still in any way relevant.

This year’s first spot, “Anthem,” looked more like a VH1 commercial than anything else, and it seemed we were in for yet another year of mediocrity. But then, dare we say it, the Grammys and Chiat LA ctually surprised us. The latest spot in the Music Unleashes Us campaign, “Drive” (above), does a fantastic job of convincing viewers that they owe it to the artists who get them through times of sorrow and heartbreak to watch their performances on the Grammys.

From Pink and fun., we move to Macklemore and “Doughnut Shop,” another well-produced and compelling spot filmed outside of Inglewood’s famous Randy’s Donuts. Again, these spots excel at following through with what the campaign promises – portraying the affect that popular music has on the average TV viewer. It both ignites and unleashes, an important sentiment for the Grammys to glom onto as the show still figures out its approach to celebrating an industry that doesn’t know what to do next. One more Katy Perry-tinged spot, and credits, follow after the jump.

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