Hasta La Creative!

After winning full creative duties on the Wendy’s account back in March, followed by creative promotions and running a campaign promoting the chain’s Summer Berry Chicken Salad, the agency has turned its attention to the Baconator in a new campaign that debuted with three spots. The campaign marks the first effort with group creative director/recently-announced hire Pat Piper.

The three spots each take a look at food deemed unworthy, for one reason or another, of being part of the baconator, emphasizing how the artery clogging creation never utilizes frozen beef, microwaved bacon or anything resembling a vegetable. In “Frozen Beef Need Not Apply” a frozen beef patty from Australia applies for a job at Baconator Inc., where he’s questioned by a bacon strip interviewer. He slips up when he says he’s dreamt of being part of the Baconator team for years, but stumbles to a recovery. Unfortunately for him, there’s one more “formality” before he can get the job.

In “Microwaves Are A Dealbreaker,” it’s the bacon answering questions from a “modern, fresh, never-frozen patty” he met using the meat-swipe app. She’s a bit taken aback by his appearance (thinner than she expected from his Meat Swipe photo) and when she finds out he’s been microwaved, that’s the final straw. Another spot, “No Veggies Allowed,” sees a group of young vegetables trying to get into the Baconator club with fake IDs.

The approach is certainly an odd one. While it does manage to find a narrative emphasizing the chain’s dedication to fresh beef and oven-cooked bacon, the attempts at humor arrive instead at vaguely creepy. Talking/ambulatory meat is just disconcerting — this isn’t a Jan Svankeyer film here. “No Veggies Allowed” actually manages to be the least creepy of the bunch, but a rejection of fresh veggies (which would arguably improve the burger) is a strange way to hype the Baconator. But then again it might be appreciated by the type of carnivore who would exclusively wolf down the meaty creation.

Credits:

Client: Wendy’s
Advertising Agency: VML, Kansas, USA
Chief Creative Officer: Debbi Vandeven
Executive Creative Director: Chris Corley
Group Creative Director: Pat Piper
Creative Director: Daniel Lobaton
Associate Creative Director: Ethan Tedlock
Senior Copywriter: David Brandorff
Associate Art Director: McKailey Carson
Associate Copywriter: Ant Tull
Senior Producer: Michael Kinney
Associate Producer: Shae Mermis
Group Director: Jason Bass
Director, Client Engagement: Kelly Gartenmayer
Supervisor, Client Engagement: Nicole Debrick
Business Affairs Manager: Julie Kolton
Campaign Manager: Patty Jones
Production Company: Moo Studios
Director: Shaun Sewter
Producer: David Lyons
Line Producer: Monica Monique
Producer : Bennett Conrad
Editorial: Liquid 9
Editor : Ryan Lewis
Editor: Katie Wade
Production Coordinator: Kate Zadoo

WPP-owned, Kansas City-based agency VML appointed Pat Piper as group creative director on Wendy’s, for which it won full creative duties back in March. In the new role, Piper will report to VML executive creative director Chris Corley.

“I’ve known Pat since the beginning of my career,” Corley said in a statement. “He is an ace writer and an amazing motivator. We’re lucky to have him as a creative leader for the team.”

Piper joins VML from Hallmark, where he most recently served as creative director of the company’s marketing design studio, following around two and a half years as senior editorial director of packaging and mass merchandising. Prior to joining Hallmark he served a brief stint as vice president, executive creative director for C13 Creative Consumer Concepts in Overland Park, Kansas, managing a team of 17 designers and illustrators and working with clients including Arbys, Chick-fil-A, Sonic Drive-In, Del Taco, Perkins and Bob Evans.

The new GCDs work has been recognized by most major awards shows, and he is best known for Sonic’s long-running “Two Guys,” which he created with art director Matt McKay. In a 2008 interview, McKay described the campaign as “a throwaway idea” that grew far larger than its creators had anticipated.

Piper joined Barkley as a copywriter in 1998 and spent three years writing for clients such as Pearlevision, UMB Banks, Blue Bunny Ice Cream and Citgo before being promoted to associate creative director. During his four years as an associate creative director he worked with clients including Sonic Drive-In, Payless Shoesource, Missouri Lottery and Kansas Lottery. In 2005 he was promoted to VP/GCD and oversaw the Sonic account while also working with UMB Banks and the Kansas City Wizards.

VML also appointed Andy Heddle as group channel director, ecommerce, tasked with enhancing the agency’s ecommerce capabilities while working out of its Kansas City headquarters and reporting to chief innovation officer Brian Yamada.

Heddle joins VML following nearly nine years at Best Buy. Most recently, he served as senior director of the retailer’s ecommerce partnerships practice following a little over a year as senior director, online and direct sales Best Buy productivity. He joined the company as head of online and direct sales, BBY Mobile for Best Buy Europe, following over six and a half years with Caraphone Warehouse.

Heddle will work on several key accounts including Sprint.

Earlier this month, VML announced that it would extend its lease with the Kansas City airport for another 11 years, expanding the space and “add[ing] as many as 376 additional employees to the 510 who work there today,” according to city government documents.

Of all of the holidays that are made up, National Cheese Pizza Day (Sept. 5) remains one of my favorites. Today just so happens to be National Kiss a Ginger Day—meaning, you should kiss a person with red hair, not the spice in your cupboard.

Well, sandwich chain Jimmy John’s took the opportunity to tweet a fellow fast-food restaurant and famous ginger, Wendy’s. The latter’s response was pretty fun, too, and fans are going wild for it.

A+ for use of emoji and keeping things light and fun.

@jimmyjohns This is moving too fast. We’re starting to freak. #KissAGingerDay

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) January 12, 2015

Now, as you can see below, it could be Chester Cheetah’s turn to make his move.

Today is #KissAGingerDay. Ladies, you know where to find me. pic.twitter.com/YWUAVQ4VGL

— Chester Cheetah (@ChesterCheetah) January 12, 2015

StockLogos recently suggested that Wendy's sneakily put the word "mom" in the Wendy character's collar in the chain's new logo—to subliminally associate the brand with motherly cooking and the "safe and loving environment" of home. In short, Wendy's says nope. "We are aware of this and find it interesting," Denny Lynch, the company's svp of communications, tells the Huffington Post. "We can assure you it was unintentional." That's all well and good … but her hair still looks like a grassy knoll, and I could swear those freckles spell out "Paul is dead," more or less, if you look at the logo while jumping up and down and squinting. Her eyes kind of follow you around, too, all menacing and killy. That's it—I'm switching to Burger King.