Hasta La Creative!

Leo Burnett London announced today the addition of creative directors Matt Collier and Wayne Robinson.

The creative team arrives from DDB Chicago, where they have worked together since 2011. While at DDB, the pair won over 20 awards, including five Cannes Lions for brands Skittles, Milky Way, Walls, and government-backed adult education program GED. Prior to moving to the states for their DDB Chicago gig, Collier and Robinson began their careers at JWT London before moving on to CHI & Partners. While in the UK, the pair won over 100 awards, working with clients including Shell, Nestle, Toyota, Mazda, Kellogg’s, News International and 888.com. (more…)

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Sources told Adweek that Sprint is seeking a new lead creative agency.

According to the publication’s sources, the review will be focused on above-the-line marketing, most of which is spent on television. Sprint spends approximately $800 million on measured media annually. According to Adweek, it’s still unclear if the review also includes digital work, which is currently handled by DigitasLBi.

Sprint has a somewhat unusual history of agency relationships. In 2011, the company unexpectedly shifted its advertising duties from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to a team consisting of various Publicis Groupe agencies, led by DigitasLBi, who worked in conjunction with Leo Burnett on broadcast advertising. However, last year Sprint assigned those duties to Figliulo & Partners, who created the recent “Framily” campaign. (With Sprint abandoning that plan, and now searching for a new agency, it seems the Frobinsons may have seen their moment pass.)

The move doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, given these comments made by Masayoshi Son, CEO of Sprint parent company Softbank:

“Sprint spends a large amount of money on advertising every year, but its effects have been almost negligible. I directed the Sprint executives to terminate all existing contracts with the company’s advertising agencies. We will shortly start from scratch on advertising, with new agents also making proposals.”

Dream client?

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Hampton Inn has named Austin-based agency GSD&M as its new creative agency, following a review, AdAge reports.

The three finalists in the review were revealed to be GSD&M, Chicago-based Cramer-Krasselt and Los Angeles-based David & Goliath. Incumbent agency Y&R Chicago participated in the initial stages of the review, which included six agencies but was not selected as a finalist, Hilton Garden Inn & Hampton Hotels Vice President, Global Brand Marketing Judy Christa-Cathey told AdAge. Y&R Chicago remains on the Hilton roster, however, via its recently-won DoubleTree duties.

Christa-Cathey explained that the brand chose GSD&M because it “wanted an agency that had a clear understanding of the Hampton Inn brand and what makes it special,” also citing the agency’s “strong consumer insights and strategy, fresh creative and problem-solving skills.”

A new campaign is expected in early 2015, which will be aimed at millenials and “celebrating Hampton’s culture and hospitality.” Hampton Inn spent approximately $23 million on national measured media last year, according to Kantar Media.

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Intel has just launched a creative review, which is being held internally, AdAge reports.

Sources close to the matter told the publication that Intel, “reached out to a small number of agencies.” While incumbent agency Venables Bell & Partners is believed to be participating in the review, the agency declined to comment. VB+P was named Intel’s lead global agency back in 2009, although Intel has worked with a number of agencies since then. Last summer, VB+P was once again named Intel’s lead agency, and launched the “Look Inside” campaign for the brand earlier this year.

The review follows the appointment of a new chief marketing officer, Steven Fund, in May. While it’s unclear whether Intel’s other agency relationships will be changed, one executive suggested to AdAge that other reviews could be forthcoming. Intel spent $85 million on measured media last year, according to Kantar Media, and has already spent $44 million in the first half of 2014.

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Lincoln Motor Company has partnered with recent Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey on a multiyear campaign promoting the Lincoln MKZ, Adweek reports.

In a press release, McConaughey claimed to be a long-time admirer of the brand. “Lincoln is an iconic, American brand and I like where they are heading with their transformation,” he said. “I had the chance to drive the new MKC around Texas and I think they’re doing a good job.”

The spots in the campaign, which will be handled by shop within WPP’s Team Detroit division, will be unscripted, although the brand and director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) created a storyline around the MKC for the actor to work with emphasizing the joy of driving. You can check out the trailer above to get an idea of what to expect from Lincoln and McConaughey.

“Matthew is a natural fit with Lincoln and where we are going as a brand,” said Matt VanDyke, director, global Lincoln. “The transformation of Lincoln is well underway. With the MKC coming to market in a hot, competitive segment, now is the perfect opportunity to share to a wider audience what our brand offers. Matthew is the ideal personality to help us tell this story, and it is only the beginning of what we trust will be a fantastic relationship.”

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MDC Partner Network has named Lori Senecal as president and chief executive officer, Adweek reports. Senecal arrives at MDC from Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners (kbs+), where Ed Brojerdi will inherit her role as chief executive officer. Senecal will begin the position in September, working closely with MDC Partner Network CFO/COO Andre Costereporting and reporting directly to MDC CEO Miles Nadal.

In the position, a new role for the division, launched last year to house MDC agency operations and corporate strategic resources, Senecal will “provide strategic counsel to agencies, identifying resources to fuel growth and deepening the MDC agency model.” Senecal will also join the board of directors for the holding company.

Before joining kbs+ back in 2009, Senecal served as president of McCann Erickson New York, while working on global accounts such as Coca-Cola and Nestlé. Before that she served as global chief innovation officer at McCann Worldgroup and co-founded TAG Ideation at McCann Erickson.

(more…)

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Patrón is looking for a new agency to handle creative and media duties and has issued a review, Adweek reported yesterday.

Incumbent agency Cramer-Krasselt was invited to defend in the review, but declined, a Patrón representative told Adweek. Patrón Global Chief Marketing Officer Lee Applbaum, who joined the company from Target in November, is reportedly the “key decision maker in the search.”

“We’re looking for a highly strategic and creative agency partner,” Applbaum said in a statement. “Our selected partner will possess a track record of success in marketing luxury brands.”

The review, which is being managed by Santa Monica-based consultancy Select Resources International, is expected to conclude in November. Patrón spent around $42 million in measured media last year.

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DigitasLBi announced the addition of Emilie Vasu as vice president, group director of business development and marketing today. Vasu will be based in New York and report directly to Chief Marketing Officer Kenneth Parks, starting September 8th.

“Emilie is a highly motivated, collaborative professional with exceptional track record discovering and growing new business and strengthening existing relationships. We’re thrilled to have her join our team,” says Parks.

Vasu arrives at DigitasLBi from JWT, where her departure follows that of Ann Mack in April and the news yesterday that CCO Jeff Benjamin is leaving the agency for “a new creative venture.” While at JWT, Vasu served as director of business development. During her tenure she “prospected, pitched and won the Google Enterprise and PUMA accounts, and played a key role on the agency’s Global Growth Team, guiding global JWT new business strategies.”

Before JWT, Vasu spent four years at Venables Bell and Partners as account director. While there she oversaw the launch of Intel’s global “Sponsors of Tomorrow” campaign, and worked on accounts including CLEAR, Odwalla, Pacific Gas & Electric, and eBay. She has also served stints at agencies including Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Deutsch New York and OgilvyOne.

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PetSmart sent out a request for proposals for its creative business to agencies with responses due this week, sources told Adweek.

Mercer Island Group is conducting the search for PetSmart, which spends around $90 million annually on measured media. Back in April, PetSmart handed over media buying and planning duties to OMD Chicago, following the bankruptcy of incumbent KSL Media. There is no word on whether incumbent agency Bernstein-Rein, which also assumed media buying and planning duties during the interim between OMD Chicago and KSL Media, will defend in the review. Mercer Island, PetSmart and Bernstein-Rein all declined to comment to Adweek.

Bernstein-Rein’s most recent campaign for PetSmart is featured above.

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Last week, The New York Times inspired a media ballyhoo when its editorial board asked the U.S. government to lift its ban on marijuana. Beyond inspiring the obvious headlines, that clarion call to legalize pot did something else — it opened the door for a newly formed industry to promote its wares with paid ads.

Leafly, the organization known as “Yelp for Weed”, walked right through those doors with a full-page spot by Heckler Associates of Seattle promoting its mission: to further related educational efforts under the tagline “Just Say Know.”

(more…)

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