Hasta La Creative!

Y&R New York has launched a new campaign for Partnership for a Healthier America’s Drink Up initiative. The Partnership for a Healthier America, by the way, is the nonprofit, which works with Honorary Chair Michelle Obama, devoted to solving the childhood obesity crisis.

The campaign calls on the power of historical figures Muhammad Ali, Audrey Hepburn and Albert Einstein to celebrate the importance of drinking water. In the above 30-second spot, for example, Ali delights at a press conference while the camera slowly focuses in on his glass of water, followed by the line, “No wonder he never lost a press conference,” and then the “Water. So talented yet so humble tagline.” Other spots in the campaign employ a similar effect. The campaign also includes online banner ads, digital billboards, and a social media component utilizing the hashtag #spreadthewater. Credits and Albert Einstein spot after the jump. continued…

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The Los Angeles offices of Wongdoody have expanded by one.

Today the Seattle/L.A. agency announced the hiring of Dennis Lee as associate creative director.

Lee won’t be a completely new presence in the office, though: he previously served a six-year stint at the agency before working as ACD at Ogilvy & Mather Los Angeles. His career also includes roles in the art departments of Ogilvy New York and Young & Rubicam.

He will work closely with ECD and fellow Art Center College of Design alumni Pam Fujimoto on accounts including Scion, VIZIO and Epson.

Most importantly, he will “get to wear shorts and basketball shoes everyday”. Priorities.

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Where’s the ball park? That’s one question that comes to mind after viewing Y&R New York’s patriotic spot for Ball Park’s new premium hot dog, Park’s Finest, the latest iteration of the “So American You Can Taste It” campaign. The other being: “Hey guys, are you sure you want to celebrate the invention of the cotton gin? It did kind of lead to the expansion of slavery in the Antebellum South.”

The goofy, 30-second spot, called “Greatest Invention Ever,” sees a man holding an eagle positing that Ball Park’s Park’s Finest are America’s greatest invention, much to the chagrin of Eli Whitney and Benjamin Franklin. Its ridiculous brand of humor seems somewhat studied, and mostly fails to hit the mark. The spot ends with a group of guys grilling up the new premium dogs, and, in a nice touch, the smoke forms a map of the United States. That there isn’t a ball park at any point in the spot feels like a miss though, as it’s a clear association with the brand. (And, hey, ties right in with the whole “greatest American invention” thing.)

The new Park’s Finest ads will air across broadcast and cable networks, as well as on Pandora radio, beginning this week. The larger “So American You Can Taste It” campaign also includes digital, social, shopper marketing and PR elements. Stick around for credits after the jump. continued…

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In honor of the NCAA March Madness tournament, Y&R created their own “Brand Madness” tournament using their proprietary BrandAsset Valuator database, and there are quite a few upsets.

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BlueRock, Spontaneous and Scarlett collaborated to create the “Give A Chuck” contest for  BlueRock Spontaneous and Scarlett , asking entrants to submit photos and videos of their own, dressed-up versions of Converse’s classic Chuck Taylor sneakers. The three companies presented clients with an invitation to enter the contest as part of their holiday gift-giving. The winners of the contest — judged “by a panel including Olivier Wicki from BlueRock, Johanna Marciano from Scarlett and Brian Bowman of Spontaneous” — were just announced today on a special Tumblr page.

The grand prize (an all-expense-paid weekend trip to South Beach and a $1000 donation to a charity of the winner’s choosing) went to Y&R’s Abby Bralove, who submitted the above stop-motion video of her and her chucks. Abby chose St. Jude’s Research Hospital to receive the $1,000 donation. The contest, which “drew several dozen entries from agency creatives and producers” also handed out three runner-up prizes to Melanie Baublis and Jane Minehan of O&M, who won $500 donations in their names to Doctors Without Borders, and Brian Gonsar of Hill Holliday, who gave his donation to Teach for America.

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What would it look like if J.K. Rowling was sleepy and directed a Dell commercial? That’s mostly a compliment for “Brothers,” a cutesy spot that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but could’ve done so a little more, considering it’s going to run during the Olympics. With whimsical storytelling and a few colorful scenes, there’s enough material to hold your attention for the time being.

The story focuses on two brothers, the Kavanaughs, who have a strong connection, even as children. They grow up to start a business together, Kavanaugh & Kavanaugh, not to be confused with Kavanagh & Kavanagh, a real law firm in Millville, NJ, I found on Google after watching. The Kavanaugh brothers, who have never been separated, know that they must for their business to succeed. So, one brother heads to Asia to globalize the company. How do they do this? With Dell products and with tablets that aren’t affected by blackouts. There’s a good story here, and I must give credit for the lack of overbearing product placement, but this spot could use a bit more verve. Credits after the jump.

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Tonight, Y&R is launching a new multimedia campaign for Dell called “Beginnings” that “celebrates the reawakening of the entrepreneurial spirit upon which the company was founded.” The campaign, created in conjunction with WPP sibling VML along with Dell, will include broadcast, digital, OOH and print work and is the first major effort for the brand since it officially went private a couple of months ago.

“Beginnings” is an homage to the “modest starts of some of Dell’s most notable corporate customers,” including Whole Foods, Under Armour, Skype, TripAdvisor, and Shutterfly. The campaign kicks off tonight with a TV spot celebrating the dreamers who recognize that innovation starts with new ideas. Set to a cover of “This Magic Moment” by The Felice Brothers, the ad goes through the humble beginnings of these and other successful corporate customers before likening them to Dell’s own humble beginnings, in a dorm room in 1984. The spot’s unfettered optimism seems appropriate for the start of a new year, and it only makes sense for the company to look back at its history, given its recent leveraged buyout.

The full 60 second ad will be followed by both the full version and a 30 second abridged version airing across broadcast and cable networks for the next several weeks, including during the 2014 Winter Olympics in February.

The television campaign will be accompanied by “high-impact digital and OOH billboards…in Times Square, with the TV spot and banners viewable on Taxi TV in cabs throughout the city.” There will also be a “mix of traditional and digital billboards” at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas. Credits after the jump. continued…

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Well, we finally have some details/color to add to the matter. In case you forgot, just over a month ago, we reported that snacking cheese-focused Bel Brands had consolidated its ad duties at Y&R after working with Havas Worldwide Chicago for 15 months.  We awaited word and now, agency and client have made it official as Y&R Midwest has been named North American agency of record for Bel Brands USA. This in turn expands a relationship between the Y&R network and Bel Brands parent company Bel Group as the agency’s Paris office has handled advertising for the latter since 2007 and will continue on as the brand’s AOR for Europe. Meanwhile, Y&R Sydney and Montreal will continue handling Bel Brands in Australia and Canada, respectively.

As for Y&R Midwest, effective January 2014, the agency will oversee brand strategy, marketing and social media for core Bel Brands core line including Laughing Cow, Mini BabyBel and Boursin. Regarding his company’s move, Bel Brands USA senior director of marketing Dan Waters says in a statement, “Y&R is the perfect global agency partner for us. Having had the opportunity to see what they can do for our brands in Europe, Australia and Canada, we are excited to see what they will accomplish for us here in the United States. They have an incredibly strong global network complemented by a commitment to deep local understanding in each market they serve. We have been particularly impressed with their understanding of how to engage American consumers over digital and social media, and we are excited to see their ideas come to life.”

Look for the first work from Y&R Midwest for Bel Brands USA to launch at a date tbd in 2014.

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Nearly two years after forming a relationship with BMO, Y&R has now added more responsibilities for the financial institution as it’s now serving as lead agency for its client. What does this entail? Well, the agency’s teams in New York, Chicago and Toronto will oversee all brand and integrated retail banking marketing across traditional and digital media platforms, effective immediately. BMO CMO/head of strategy Joanna Rotenberg says in a statement, “Throughout the review process and in our experience working with them in the past, Y&R has consistently demonstrated superior strategic thinking, presenting thoughtful insights which have been closely aligned to BMO’s vision, brand and strategy. We look forward to deepening our partnership with their integrated North American practice to develop breakthrough, business-building creative.”

We’ve been told that there was a review in Canada for the BMO biz, which was previously handled by Cossette up north. The agency, though, declined to participate in the review. Y&R Canada’s first work as lead agency of brand and retail marketing is slated to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2014.

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We’ve been told by sources familiar with the matter after 15-plus-months, Havas Chicago has lost the snacking cheese client, Bel Brands, which includes the likes of Laughing Cow, Merkts, Kaukauna, Price’s and more. We’ve been told that the brand has consolidated its global ad account with Y&R. We’re awaiting comment from the agency, but have been told that Havas Worldwide has handled the account since July 2012. No word yet from Y&R, but we’ll keep you posted.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.