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Grey Opens Midwest Office in Cincinnati

The Chicago Egotist — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 17:29:06 +0000

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Tony Desjardins becomes Managing Director of Grey Midwest

The Grey Group announced that it was opening an office in the Midwest based in Cincinnati, home of P&G, one of the agency's largest clients.

The news follows a panel conversation at the annual 4A's conference with Grey New York CEO Debby Reiner, P&G CMO Marc Pritchard and Publicis Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun where they talked about the reinvention of the agency client relationship and developing new models to bring more creativity to the process. Reiner announced that Grey would invest 75% of its resources in creativity.

The new Grey Midwest office is embedded within the existing offices of sister agency Possible with 80 employees mostly coming from Possible and led by Tony Desjardins, Managing Director of Possible who will report to Reiner.

According to a Grey issued press release , the Grey Midwest hub includes the following co-located resources:

Grey: the award-winning, full-service creative advertising agency, complemented with activation and public relations; social marketing; and design capabilities.

Grey Commerce: a newly-formed proprietary practice that merges shopper and ecommerce sensibility into a new offering dedicated to making brands buyable, using data and creativity, to move consumers to action and, ultimately, purchase. Christine McCambridge has been named Executive Director of Commerce.

The Cincinnati Office of POSSIBLE: the multi-service digital agency outpost has become part of Grey. The group, known for its digital, data and ecommerce expertise, is a leader in performance marketing.

Townhouse: the full-service, creative production agency, serving Grey clients. Townhouse is opening a new state-of-the-art 3,500 sq. foot end-to-end content creation studio across all channels.

"We're excited to bring the global creativity and resources of Grey and Townhouse into closer proximity and partnership with all our clients, including Procter & Gamble, our largest client," Debby Reiner, CEO of Grey New York, said. "We are confident a high-performance, smartly integrated, hungry team of makers all within arm's reach will ignite creativity, collaboration and speed to market and be attractive to clients all across the Midwest."

SRW Names Benny Torres Chief Idea Officer

The Chicago Egotist — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 01:04:59 +0000

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Benny Torres named Chief Idea Officer at SRW

SRW.agency, an independent, full-service marketing agency with growing natural health and wellness brands, announced that Bienvenido “Benny” Torres has been named as its first Chief Idea Officer. Torres brings diverse experiences as creative director, copywriter, college lecturer, storyteller and stand-up comic to give life to the agency’s newly created role. He will work across all agency accounts, from Natural Foods household names Simple Mills and Kite Hill to Food 2.0 entrepreneurs like Kitchfix and Phyter bar.

“Benny’s role exists to create space for imagination,” said SRW founder and Chief Creative Officer, Brian Rolling. “He is outlining processes and language to give creative responsibility to everyone in the agency, so we all have the tools to bring our ideas to SRW partners. Whether we’re creating a 30-second social media video, or executing a total re-brand, the same amount of creative energy is going into all our projects. When you quit advertising, you quit the creative director model where the ‘big ideas’ are reserved for your ‘big’ projects and the processes for creating them are shrouded in mystery.”

“For the past two years, I’ve worked with the SRW team on a project basis and find the ‘quit advertising’ mindset energizing. The founders have an ultimate respect for ideas and offer the freedom to have fun, fail forward and create work that excites our clients and consumers,” explained Torres. “In my role as Chief Idea Officer, I am folding together my passion for creative thinking and my work as a college lecturer and cultivator of young talent.

Prior to joining SRW, Torres served as a copywriter for Chicago-based Frequency540 working on the agency’s Nintendo and Caterpillar Foundation accounts. He also worked with Nintendo as a senior strategist and copywriter while at Leo Burnett Worldwide. Before joining Leo Burnett, Torres served as a junior creative director and copywriter for Denuo, a Publicis Groupe agency, working with brands including Old El Paso and Redbox.

In addition to his agency experience, Torres has held positions as an instructor at the Chicago Portfolio School and a staff writer for a gaming website. He is currently a lecturer at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, where he teaches a variety of writing and creative classes. He also recently developed and leads two courses on digital creativity and professional coaching.

Soche Picard Joins Arc Worldwide as CEO of North America

The Chicago Egotist — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 16:23:44 +0000

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Soche Picard joins Arc as CEO of North America

Arc, the shopper marketing and activation agency of the Leo Burnett Group, announced that Soche Picard is joining the company as Chief Executive Officer, North America. Picard joins Arc from Geometry Global, where she held the joint role of Team Lead for Unilever Shopper and Managing Director for the agency’s New York office. She will relocate to Chicago and be part of the Executive Leadership Team, reporting to Andrew Swinand, Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett Group North America.

“Soche is an industry legend and a shopper marketing powerhouse. Her background blends executive leadership with a broad executional skillset that pairs seamlessly with our team’s strengths,” said Swinand. “Her deep and varied knowledge of the CPG space, coupled with her proven ability to lead an agency into continuous growth, makes her a uniquely perfect fit for this position.”

In her new role, Picard will more fully develop and deliver against the “commerce” pillar of the Leo Burnett Group’s positioning platform, Culture, Context and Commerce. She will also expand the agency’s client base, bolster Arc’s leading position in the marketplace and enhance connectivity within the Leo Burnett Group and Publicis Groupe.

“Arc continues to be on the forefront of delivering innovation and results across a spectrum of categories,” said Picard. “For today's shopper, culture, context and commerce have never been more important, and I look forward to continuing the agency’s growth.”

Picard’s hire comes as Karuna Rawal, who had been U.S. President of Arc, is elevated to President, Groupe Client Lead – responsible for multiple accounts, including P&G’s shopper marketing.

Blue Chip Names Former P&G Exec Joy Mead EVP, General Manager

The Chicago Egotist — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:25:26 +0000

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Joy Mead joins Blue Chip as EVP/General Manager

Integrated marketing agency Blue Chip announced that it has hired former client and P&G exec Joy Mead as its new executive vice president and general manager of business leadership.

Mead comes to Blue Chip from a 30-year career at P&G, where she retired as an associate brand director, overseeing marketing for its $9 billion grocery business. At Blue Chip, Mead will lead the agency’s key brand and shopper marketing clients.

“I am proud to have worked with Blue Chip for many years as a client,” said Mead. “I look forward to joining a team that so consistently demonstrates its strategic, creative and collaborative capabilities for some of the biggest brands in the world.”

Throughout her extensive CPG career, Mead led large and diverse marketing teams covering all North American grocery retailers. At P&G, she was responsible for creating alliance partnerships with the NFL, MLB, Disney and Universal Pictures. In 2016, Mead was named to the Path to Purchase Institute’s inaugural “Women of Excellence” list, and to Progressive Grocer’s “Top Women In Grocery” in 2015.

“Joy’s leadership and expertise in omnichannel shopper and brand marketing is invaluable to our clients,” said Stanton Kawer, Blue Chip chairman and CEO. “We look forward to Joy providing fresh insights to our clients in an ever-evolving shopper ecosystem.”

Blue Chip sees innovation as a crucial part of its clients’ success, especially as it relates to the shoppers’ path to purchase.

“Brands must think differently about the new path to purchase,” said Kawer. “What Joy offers is client-side experience and a deep understanding of the challenges brand marketers face. Joy also has a wealth of solutions that will benefit the brands we serve—both today and for the future.”

In addition to Mead, Blue Chip recently expanded its executive leadership team with the announcement of industry vet Larry Deutsch as the agency’s chief growth officer, and Jamie Olson as senior vice president of business leadership.

DDB Chicago Promotes Mel Routhier to ECD

The Chicago Egotist — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 17:56:24 +0000

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Award-winning creative Mel Routhier named ECD at DDB Chicago

DDB Chicago today announced the promotion of Mel Routhier to Executive Creative Director from her previous position of Group Creative Director. Routhier and fellow ECD Colin Selikow will both report to DDB Chicago CCO John Maxham. With her promotion to ECD, Routhier will continue overseeing the creative for State Farm, one of the agency’s largest accounts, and driving best-in-class work for DDB Chicago.

In commenting on Routhier’s new role Maxham said, “Mel’s appointment to ECD could not be more well deserved. She has consistently proven herself to be indispensable to State Farm and the agency as a creative leader, and I am delighted to further recognize her achievements with this promotion.”

Over the past several years, Routhier has been an instrumental creative force behind some of the agency’s most successful efforts. In 2016 she was integral to developing and introducing State Farm’s new tagline, “Here to help life go right,” as the agency went on to defend and consolidate the account in 2015. This was the brand’s first new tagline in nearly sixty years. Most recently, Routhier took home a Lion at the 2017 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity for her work on State Farm’s “Following” campaign.

“I couldn’t be more excited or humbled to continue to play a role in helping build such an iconic brand. We have a lot of great work ahead of us, and operating in this role will be an exciting new step in my adventures with DDB,” said Routhier.

Routhier has called Chicago her home for the entirety of her 19-year career in advertising. She has already been recognized as among the top female talent at DDB through her invitation to participate in DDB Worldwide’s Phyllis Project, an agency-wide program committed to encouraging outstanding female creative leaders. Prior to DDB she worked for over a decade at Leo Burnett for some of the world’s most prestigious brands, including Kellogg’s, P+G, Disney and the US Army. Routhier’s work has received top honors at the major industry shows, including awards from Cannes, the London International Awards, Clios, Effies, Lürzer’s Archive, Communication Arts, ADDYs, REGGIEs, and the Chicago Advertising Federation.

Troy Mastin Joins MERGE Network as CFO

The Chicago Egotist — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 17:19:49 +0000

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MERGE Network has hired Troy Mastin as chief financial officer. He will oversee finance and operations across the company, which has offices in Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, and work closely with CEO, Ron Bess.

MERGE sought Mastin because he is a dynamic leader who possesses a unique combination of financial expertise and broad industry experience.

“Troy is a hands-on and collaborative finance leader who will help our agency teams strategically drive businesses forward,” said Ron Bess, CEO of MERGE Network, a unified agency with capabilities in strategy, creativity and technology.

Mastin spent seven years in key leadership positions at The Marketing Store in Chicago after he was hired in 2009. As VP, Global Finance and Strategy, he managed a finance team that developed a transformative growth strategy for the company. His duties included budgeting, planning, analysis, key contracts, negotiations and legal activities. In 2012, he was promoted to SVP, Global Strategy and Operations. In this role, Mastin led The Marketing Store’s strategic planning across six distinct operating units and was actively involved in the oversight and management of key budgeting, planning and staffing decisions around the global network.

Mastin has led the transformation of companies across categories and is especially at home in the digital space. He has been a C-suite advisor to private equity firms, corporations and boards and was one of the original equity analysts associated with the Google IPO. During his decade-long career as an analyst, Mastin was named a Wall Street Journal “Best on the Street” analyst twice for the Advertising and Marketing sector.

“I’m excited to join the MERGE team of seasoned and dynamic leaders -- particularly as we enter our next phase of transformation and growth,” Mastin commented.

Chicago Pitches Amazon as its "Second City"

The Chicago Egotist — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 13:42:28 +0000

Local

Amazon came to Chicago for a two-day site tour in its search for the perfect city for its second Headquarters. Crain's Chicago has the details on visit which included a lunch with Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the Chicago Cultural Center.

FCB Chicago got in on the action, creating a film that leverages the start of Amazon in a garage with the rebirth of Chicago from the Fire. The film is narrated by William Shatner in a direct appeal to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' well documented facination with all things Star Trek.

The film includes such notable lines as: "Amazon Makes Second City its Second City." And it makes the case that "Chicago still has the fire in us and Amazon still has the garage in you."

As Shatner notes in his opening, the press release almost writes itself. Chicago. Day one in Second City. If only!

Media-Agency Veteran Bob Bernstein Joins MERGE as EVP, Media Director

The Chicago Egotist — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 21:50:19 +0000

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Bob Bernstein joins MERGE

MERGE—a full-service advertising, marketing and media network formed this year when five independent agencies, from three different cities, joined in partnership under the MERGE name—has hired Bob Bernstein as EVP, media director.

Bernstein, who has sharp digital media, data analytics and non-traditional media expertise, joins MERGE from the Chicago office of Epsilon where he was SVP, director of media and performance marketing.

Before Epsilon, Bernstein worked at Centro, a digital-technology firm, where he connected paid search, display, social, mobile, programmatic and online video inventory to a range of agencies and clients.

His media-agency experience spans nearly three decades and includes running the media department for eleven years at FCB Chicago. Under his leadership, the department grew from 20 people to more than 100. While at FCB, Bernstein was recognized by Ad Age, as a Media Maven among the top media thinkers in the U.S. market.

During his career, Bernstein has worked on many blue-chip brands including Coors Light, Frito Lay, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Boeing, Kraft, and McDonald's.

“We’re excited to have Bob join our team at this point in our new agency’s trajectory,” said Ron Bess, CEO of MERGE. “His talent, knowledge and deep experience will help take us to the next level of media thinking for our clients.”

A former adjunct professor at the University of Chicago where he taught contemporary media for five years, Bernstein was also a 10-year board member of the National Sports Marketing Network.

Erin Sarofsky Pushes iMac Pro To The Limits in Artistic Project for Apple

The Chicago Egotist — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:02:10 +0000

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To demonstrate the power of iMac Pro, Apple invited a group of renowned filmmakers, CG artists, and motion graphics designers to create a personal piece of work using its advanced technologies. The filmmakers include Chicago's Erin Sarofsky as well as Buck, Esteban Diácono, Luigi Honorat, ManvsMachine and Michelle Dougherty.

As Apple notes on its website, "The project was an opportunity for each of them to use this incredibly capable tool to define power through the films they made. From concept development through final preparations for render, iMac Pro proved to be the ultimate creative partner.”

For her project, Erin Sarofsky, founder and executive creative director of Sarofsky, Inc. magically brings a book of ideas to life as they lift off the two-dimensional page and into the three dimensional world.

To breathe life into a sketchbook, Sarofsky spent two weeks filling a sketchbook with drawings, notes, and doodles. To give it an authentic look, she used watercolor paint and a blow dryer to distress the pages. She then filmed the book using a Phantom Flex camera at 270 frames per second. The next step was bringing the sketches in the book to life. To do that, the sketches were imported into Cinema 4D, where they were projected onto a 3D model, which was then animated. The illustration and model were composited in After Effects and fine tuned to make all the different elements speak in the same visual language.”

In talking about the project, Sarofsky said, “It was a thrill to get a call out of the blue from Apple to essentially be a spokesperson for the iMac Pro, and the brand. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had a Mac. My first was the 11GS, I believe I got that in the mid 80’s. Then I went off to college with one, an 8600. Then I upgraded to the blue and white. And onward. I’ve grown up with the brand and it’s my main tool as an artist. After all this time using their products, and being so connected to the brand, it seems like kismet that they would call me for this assignment. It’s a natural fit. It is humbling to be producing work along with these other amazing artists. The work across the board is inspiring.”

You can see how it came together in this behind the scenes video:

CREDITS:

Client: Apple

Lead Artist and Director: Erin Sarofsky
Artists: Duarte Elvas, Josh Smirka and Brent Austin
Flame on Mac Artist: Cory Davis

Sound Design and Music: Groove Guild
Sound Designer/Composer: Paul Riggio

Phantom Camera courtesy of MK Films
Special thanks: Darren Weninger and Mark Klein

5 Questions for Digital Kitchen's Anthony Vitagliano

The Chicago Egotist — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 13:51:36 +0000

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Anthony Vitagliano of Digital Kitchen says brand experiences should create a sense of belonging.

Anthony Vitagliano, President and Chief Creative Officer at Digital Kitchen, answers five questions about building meaningful brand experiences:

1. Why is it important for brands to build experiences for consumers?

We often tell companies to take note of the experiences consumers value most in their lives. Those are the stories people fall into. The experience a consumer thinks is worth having is a story worth sharing, no matter how bad they are at telling it. Growing a meaningful relationship between a brand and a community is best fostered through an experience-first approach. It’s vital for brands to move beyond the simple relationships they have with their consumers and give people more than a reason to believe – to a reason to belong. People and communities seek experiences with purpose – a set of values they want to share. And today, good values are good business.

The experience also needs to give the consumer a sense of control and participation, then both parties will feel like they belong together. In a one-way relationship, where the brand only speaks to people, the message will be automatically perceived as disingenuous. Experiences give you the best possible opportunity for an authentic two-way engagement.

2. What are the key elements to building a successful brand experience?

There are three critical things companies, brands or organizations need to create a sense of belonging within a community:

Common Values: Experiences need to embody the common values a brand shares with the community. Discovering that shared sense of purpose drives every creative experience we build.

Compelling Stories: Create a story that is unexpected, emotionally involving and culturally relevant that people want to share. Knowing what to say, and what to leave unsaid is at the key to every brand story. People are smart. Let them fill in the blanks. Balancing at the precipice of story is the job of any great storyteller. Lead your audience close to the edge of a narrative without them falling off.

Communal Experiences: Experiences should be rooted in bringing people together. Move beyond engaging a single individual and find ways to design rituals that unite a community. We recently helped launch the Atlanta United Soccer Expansion team. As part of the launch we developed a pre-game ritual built around a golden spike. The spike was a symbol of Atlanta’s heritage as a transportation hub that was rooted in the golden spikes hammered into the railroad as it was being built. We took the golden spike as a team symbol and had fans and players sign it on the way into the stadium. Before home games, the large spike is signed by fans, carried out into the middle of the pitch and driven into the ground – a rallying cry that brought team and fan together.

3. Can a brand experience be meaningful if it is online vs. in real life?

All design is experience design. Digital, Physical, Virtual, Actual - experiences can manifest themselves in every way. The meaning is not found in the medium, it’s found in the values the experience represents.

But as a matter of fact, some of the best experiences are ones that blur the line between online and real worlds. The ones that resonate the most utilize new technologies as a way to support purpose, story and experience. Take the online experience Digital Kitchen created for HBO’s Westworld. Working directly with the show creators Joanh Nolan, we embedded it with unexpected details and alternative storylines that added to the mystic about the show itself, giving fans new experiences online, that enhanced the show’s story beyond broadcast.

Technology is an enabler – when used right it should disappear into the background. As Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".

4. Tell us about a meaningful brand experience you had recently?

A great first impression and a wholehearted goodbye are the bookends of making people feel like they belong. Experiences that are aware of the entire journey are the ones that resonate with me the most. Cards Against Humanity Saves America was an experience that unfolded over a series of six days with an unexpected yet relevant set of surprises. It started with an invitation to Save America and ended with a greater sense of unity for the 150,000 people who signed up for it - oh, and it was hilarious.

5. When you sit down with a client, what is your number one goal in creating a meaningful brand experience?

Create an experience that makes people feel like they belong.

We Are Unlimited Adds Creative Talent

The Chicago Egotist — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 12:46:07 +0000

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We Are Unlimited Adds Six to Creative Ranks

We Are Unlimited, McDonald’s designated advertising agency, part of Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC), announced the expansion of its creative teams with the hires of six new creatives to its ranks.

Joining We Are Unlimited as ECD's from Saatchi & Saatchi New York are Chris Moreira and Mark Schöller who will be responsible for creating work for McDonald’s U.S. business. Both will report to the agency’s Chief Creative Officer, Toygar Bazarkaya.

Bazarkaya, now eight months into his job as Chief Creative Officer at We Are Unlimited, said, “We are building a new agency model, which combines great talent with a great brand and one great ambition. Chris and Mark are the kind of people who love the idea of building something new, and their leadership will help us create groundbreaking work across the board.”

At Saatchi & Saatchi, Moreira and Schöller were Executive Creative Directors where they were the lead creatives on such accounts as Head & Shoulders, Charter Spectrum, GSK, Tecate, and General Mills, and contributed to Saatchi & Saatchi being named Creativity’s Comeback Agency of the Year in 2016. The pair met in Australia and have been working steadily together for 10 years at top agencies across the world, including JWT Sydney, Leo Burnett Sydney, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky Miami.

Moreira and Schöller have partnered on creative work for a variety of big name brands, among them P&G, Walmart, Kellogg’s, Smirnoff, Canon, Best Buy, Subaru, Olympus, and Bundaberg Rum. The team’s work has been highly recognized at many of the industry’s top award shows, including Cannes, Clios, D&AD, Effies, One Show, and Webbys.

The agency also hired Associate Creative Directors Augustus Sung and David Stevanov, formerly of Ogilvy Singapore. Together Sung and Stevanov have won more than 140 accolades from the Cannes Festival of Creativity, The One Show, London International Awards, and the D&AD, among other top award shows. In 2016 Sung was chosen to represent Singapore in the South of France in the Film category of the Mediacorp Young Lions, and was also honored as the Young Copywriter of the Year at the Creative Circle Awards. Stevanov is the youngest creative to ever judge the D&AD awards.

Additionally, Bazarkaya recruited Kristen Manias and Allison Bulow to join We Are Unlimited. Most recently, the creative partners were at mcgarrybowen, working across a number of different clients, including Disney Parks, Oscar Mayer, Burt’s Bees, and BRITA. Late last year Manias and Bulow launched Burt's Bees' "True Force of Nature" campaign—the brand's global master brand platform, which lives across every category of the business. Before mcgarrybowen, Bulow worked on Walmart at Saatchi & Saatchi, as well as on Cheerios, Tide, Luvs, and Pampers.

Moreira and Schöller, Sung and Stevanov, and Manias and Bulow are the latest creative teams to join We Are Unlimited’s stable of specialists. Since opening its doors in January 2017, the agency has already won its first Cannes Lion and created some of the industry’s most buzzed-about work for McDonald’s.

DDB Unveils New State Farm Initiative

The Chicago Egotist — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 11:40:15 +0000

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It's Pothole season so why not show how even State Farm agents get tripped up by those bumps in the road?

That's the idea behind the first in a series of new ads that launch the next chapter in State Farm's "Here to help life go right" brand platform.

The new rift on the campaign from DDB Chicago, launched on the season finale of "This is Us," on March 13th with an updated tag line that demonstrates that State Farm is “Here to Help _____ Go Right.” The fill-in-the-blank line extends the story to show all the different ways in which State Farm comes to the assistance of its customers.

The new, fully integrated campaign, is anchored by five new spots that feature real State Farm agents from across the country. The creative sheds some humorous light on a variety of insurance moments, both expected and unexpected, to show how State Farm—and their many agents—are there to help when misfortune strikes. Even when it comes to a "She Shed" fire:

In each spot, the blank is filled in with a new story—a new way to define life—demonstrating the breadth of ways State Farm can help it go right from covering falling bathtubs to runaway shopping carts and more:

“Here to Help __ Go Right” will run nationally across broadcast, online video, radio, social and digital.

Campaign Credits:

CREATIVE AGENCY: DDB CHICAGO

· Chief Creative Officer, DDB North America: Ari Weiss

· Chief Creative Officer, DDB Chicago: John Maxham

· Chief Production Officer: Diane Jackson

· Executive Creative Director: Mel Routhier

· Group Creative Director: John Hayes

· Creative Director, Art Director: Brian Culp

· Creative Director, Copywriter: Katie Bero

· Creative Director, Art Director: Christopher Bruney

· Creative Director, Copywriter: Adam Cook

· Executive Producer: Amy Turner

· Executive Producer: Mary Cheney

· Producer: Meghan Gross

· Group Strategy Director: Jesse Bayer

· Strategist: Amanda Schuneman

· Group Account Director: Ben Gladstone

· Account Director: Veronica Zamiar

· Account Supervisor: Oliver Glenn

· Account Executive: Amanda Ouellette

PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR

· “Pothole”

· “She Shed”

PRODUCTION COMPANY: MJZ

· Director: Craig Gillespie

· Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson

· Producer: Martha Davis

EDITORIAL: WHITEHOUSE

· Editor: Matthew Wood

· Assistant Editor: Meaghan Rahamut

· Producer: Dawn Guzowski

AUDIO POST: THE STUDIO

· Audio Engineer: Nicholas Papaleo

· Audio Engineer: Justin Mayer

· Audio Producer: Cameron Aper

VFX/FINISH: 8VFX

· Executive Producer: Shira Boardman

· Producer: Ryan Dahlman

· Creative Director: Jean-Marc Demmer

· VFX/CG Supervisor: Julien Forest

· Senior Crowd TD: Tanner Owen

· Modeler: Leticia Saldana

· Rigger: Thomas Lopez

· Designer: Jaguar Lee

· Lead Flame Compositor: Talia Gleason

· Nuke Compositor: Jerry Hall

COLOR GRADING: COMPANY 3

· Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld

· Color Producer: Katie Andrews

MUSIC: Comma

· Bonny Dolan - EP

· Leigh Salzman - Senior Producer

· Peter Schmidt - Composer

· Matt Kelly - Composer

PRODUCTION CREDITS FOR

· “Awkward Photo”

· “Sir Robert”

· “Shopping Cart”

PRODUCTION COMPANY: HUNGRY MAN

· Executive Producer: Caleb Dewart

· Director: Dave Laden

· Producer: Justin Diener

EDITORIAL: WHITEHOUSE

· Editor: Brain Gannon

· Executive Producer: Kristin Angeletti

· Senior Producer: Dawn Guzkowski

· Assistant Editor: Allison Marach

AUDIO POST: THE STUDIO

· Audio Engineer: Nicholas Papaleo

· Audio Engineer: Justin Mayer

· Audio Producer: Cameron Aper

POST PRODUCTION: CARBON

· Managing Director: Phil Linturn

· Senior Producer: Kate Soczka

· Creative Director: Rob Churchill

POST PRODUCTION: THE MILL

· Senior Color Producer: Liza Kerlin

· Color Artist: Matthew Osborne

MUSIC: HEAVY DUTY PROJECTS

· Executive Music Producer: Kate Urcioli

· Music Producer: Dylan Bostick

Time's Up Advertising Comes to Chicago

The Chicago Egotist — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 17:01:00 +0000

Local

Advertising's female executives from big and small agencies made headlines across the media landscape with the news that they have formed the advertising industry's own Time's Up movement.

The group's founding was led by Wendy Clark, DDB Worldwide CEO; Colleen DeCourcy, Wieden & Kennedy Global CCO; Kirsten Flanik, BBDO New York CEO; Chloe Gottlieb, R/GA CCO; and Carla Serrano, Publicis Group chief strategy officer and Publicis New York CEO who issued an open letter to women in the advertising industry announcing its partnership with the national Time's Up movement with an agenda to bring change to the advertising industry.

In its letter, the group declared: TIME’S UP™/ADVERTISING’s mission is to drive new policies, practices, decisions, and tangible actions that result in more balanced, diverse, and accountable leadership; address workplace discrimination, harassment, and abuse; and create equitable cultures within our agencies.

A first step in its mission is a series of meet-ups on May 14 in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Toronto.

Its website provides details on how to contact the group, sign up for the meetings and become engaged in its mission. We will be following this news closely. Bravo!

Digitas Chicago Elevates Mike Frease to EVP, Executive Creative Director

The Chicago Egotist — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 16:45:10 +0000

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Mike Frease becomes Executive Creative Director at Digitas Chicago

Digitas Chicago has elevated Mike Frease to EVP, Executive Creative Director. He will now oversee the entire creative output for the agency’s Chicago office and help shape creative and strategic vision.

He assumes this role from Morgan Carroll who will become Managing Director/Executive Creative Chair. He will partner with Mike to lead the office’s creative and strategic vision.

For the past 4 years, Mike has been the creative force behind the agency’s Whirlpool portfolio including Maytag, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air. His work on the Whirlpool Care Counts campaign has garnered some of the industry’s most prestigious awards including a 2017 Cannes Lion Grand Prix Winner for Creative Data.

The highly successful Whirlpool Care Counts campaign won numerous industry awards including a silver and a bronze Jay Chiat Award; One Show Gold and Silver; a D&AD White Pencil; Silver Effies in Branded Utility and Positive Change; an ADWEEK Media Plan of the Year and Project Isaac Award – both for Research Invention and Data Invention and the top honor: Gravity Award, ADWEEK’s Best of Show for creative innovation.

“Mike has partnered with our clients to create iconic and award-winning campaigns. The results have been extraordinary—our Gold Lions, Pencils, Effies, and Grands Prix are proof of that. More importantly, the work has embodied our commitment to combine creativity, technology, and data in ways that no other agency can,” commented Morgan Carroll, Managing Director, Executive Creative Chair.

Dana Stotts Returns to Arc Worldwide as SVP/Director of Customer and Channel Strategy

The Chicago Egotist — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 21:32:29 +0000

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Dana Stotts, SVP, Director of Customer and Channel Strategy at Arc Worldwide

Arc Worldwide, the brand activation and shopper agency within Leo Burnett Group, announced that Dana Stotts is returning to the agency in the new leadership position as SVP, Director of Customer and Channel Strategy.

Stotts rejoins Arc where he had worked for four years, from FCB/RED Chicago. Stotts starts in his new position immediately and will report to Elizabeth Harris, EVP, Head of Strategy, Arc.

"Dana has always had a talent for insights and strategy, as well as an unwavering commitment to growing his clients' business, delivering innovative customer and shopper experiences, and championing the creative process," said Harris. "He brings a wealth of experience to the strategy group and to the agency as a whole, and will further enable us to continue creating irresistible commerce for our clients."

Stotts will lead the channel and customer teams' strategy for the MillerCoors account, across the client's full house of brands. He is also tasked with building, developing and leading a center of excellence for Arc and Leo Burnett, focused on customer and channel strategy.

"Returning to Arc with the chance to develop a Center of Excellence that also focuses on my passion points – channel and customer strategy – is a one-of-a-kind opportunity," said Stotts. "When our channel and customer strategies are on point, we are even better poised to create irresistible commerce and to continue our upward trajectory as an agency."

Stotts is an award-winning, integrated marketing leader who has nearly 20 years of experience. He is best known for his channel, customer and shopper marketing leadership and innovation working with world-class clients including Jack Daniel's, Comcast, MilkPEP, Fisher-Price, Proctor & Gamble, MillerCoors, Gatorade, Tropicana and Walmart.

McDonald's Flips Its "M" to a "W" for International Women's Day

The Chicago Egotist — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 20:22:57 +0000

Local

McDonald’s is celebrating women everywhere by flipping its iconic logo in support of International Women’s Day from an M to a W. This attention-getting move comes to life throughout the McDonald’s eco-system.

The McDonald’s website serves as the hub for its International Women’s Day activity featuring an inspiring video documenting how Patricia Williams became a McDonald’s owner-operator 30 years ago and now owns 18 McDonald’s restaurants that she runs with her two daughters, Kerri Harper-Howie and Nicole Enearu.

McDonald’s agency We Are Unlimited worked with a team of talented females to produce the film: Elle Ginter (Director), Allison Anderson (Director Photography), Kim Bica (Editor).

“In celebration of women everywhere, and for the first time in our brand history, we flipped our iconic arches for International Women’s Day in honor of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere and especially in our restaurants,” says McDonald’s Chief Diversity Officer Wendy Lewis. “From restaurant crew and management to our C-suite of senior leadership, women play invaluable roles at all levels and together with our independent franchise owners were committed to their success.”

Even McDonald’s packaging get’s an update. At a select 100 restaurants across the U.S., guests will see packaging, crew shirts and hats all celebrating International Women’s Day.

"This idea is as simple as it is bold, asking for nothing less than the impossible. I couldn’t be more proud of our clients for making this a reality, and the whole team is honored to help bring the idea to life. On this day this is an amazing way to celebrate the women of McDonald's, both present and past, whose contributions have made the company what it is today,” said Toygar Bazarkaya, Chief Creative Officer of We Are Unlimited.

The flipped logo is also visible on all of McDonald’s social channels including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

McDonald’s Social Channels: McDonald’s has flipped the “M” on all their social channels including Facebook, Instagram, andTwitter.

McDonald’s worked closely with We Are Unlimited and their agency partners including DDB Canada, Sancutary Content, Arcade Edit, Timber, The Marketing Store, Boxer Brand Design and Resolution Media to bring the initiative to life.

Sun-Maid Chooses quench to Lead Creative Innovation as New AOR

The Chicago Egotist — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 21:20:35 +0000

Local

Sun-Maid Growers of California has named the Harrisburg, PA and Chicago offices of quench, to lead digital, strategic and creative duties for the Sun-Maid brand after a competitive agency review. quench was selected because of their extensive knowledge in the food and beverage industry and their success in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space.

quench will be a full agency partner assisting in developing brand strategy, architecture and innovation insights. Their full service capabilities include packaging design and consumer insights. Sun-Maid sells a variety of raisins and specialty dried fruits such as yogurt covered raisins in chocolate and vanilla flavors, apricots, dates, prunes and figs as well as the newly launched sour flavored golden raisins in sour strawberry, lemon and watermelon flavors.

“quench impressed us with their unique understanding of Sun-Maid as a CPG company which will be our focus as we push our innovation platform,” said Sun-Maid SVP of Retail Sales and Marketing, Rich Paumen. “We look forward to working with their team of creative strategists as we build out our brand promise for a new generation of snacking enthusiasts.”

Sun-Maid, located in the heart of California’s fertile central valley, is the world’s largest processor of raisins and dried fruit with a 100+ year history and legacy brand sold in more than fifty countries around the world. The company is a grower-owned cooperative made up of family farms located primarily within a 60-mile radius of the Kingsburg processing plant.

“There likely isn’t a household in America that doesn’t have at least one Sun-Maid product in the cupboard,” said Ami Lawson, group brand manager of quench. “We want to show America what Sun-Maid is. They’re a snack, they’re an ingredient, they’re healthy and they’re nostalgic. They’re extending beyond raisins. We plan to bring all of that to life in 2018.”

Ad Agencies Should Disrupt Their Models in 2018

The Chicago Egotist — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:31:15 +0000

Just Daab, President of Magnani, a Chicago Experience design and Strategy agency writes about the need for agencies to evolve their models.

Justin Daab, President, Magani

We all know that disruption is the new normal. In fact, it is predicted that only half of companies listed on the S&P 500 today will remain there ten years from now*. But it’s not just the big guys in the S&P who should worry. Agencies need to take a look at their business models and begin to prepare for the wave of disruption starting to wash over our industry.

About a year ago, we could feel our business model shifting beneath our feet. Where once we had long-term retainer-based business relationships, we then found one-off projects. Where once we saw the sales cycle from RFP to signed contract completed in 60 days, we now witnessed procurement-managed negotiations taking 6 months or longer.

Clients began to view great creative as a commodity and agency relationships as short-term, and yet they still expected, and demanded, that we proactively spend time thinking about their business, beyond the project at hand. Basically, they were seeking all the benefits of a retainer-based relationships with none of the financial commitment.

We started hearing the same story from friends at larger nationally known B2C agencies, as well. And reviewing transcripts from their analyst calls, some of the largest global agency holding companies were relaying the same experiences. So, where do we all go from here?

Rethink the value proposition.
Historically, most traditional ad agencies won business by selling intangibles, e.g.: subjectively great creative. Agencies need to be a part of the strategy and planning conversations (and more importantly paid to do so) far before the moment someone is asking for new creative. If you can, by the time it comes to execute creative against the strategy, you have a nearly unbeatable advantage over any other potential outside partner.

Embrace your clients’ I.T. departments.
In our history, we have often found ourselves hired by a client to fix or redesign a web or app project that an earlier agency partner created with little or no input from the I.T. department.
It’s not surprising then that an I.T. department who had no input on a project would be loath to accept responsibility for its potential failures, opting not to launch or to hobbling features that were deemed “too difficult” to implement.

Invest in machine learning and A.I.
Today, you can have a relatively one dimensional—though convincingly polite—A.I. bot named Amy schedule your meetings. Provided by a company called X.ai out of New York, you cc Amy (or, should you choose, Amy’s “male” counterpart, Andrew) on any email message where you are attempting to schedule a meeting, and Amy takes over negotiating the date, time and channel/place. While useful and admittedly quite convincing, Amy is a single purpose A.I.—acting within a highly constrained set of rules.

For agencies, preparing for competing in the inevitable A.I.-driven future means developing the skills to create data rich user experiences, like Amy/Andrew, that allow for predictive behavioral modeling, precise segmentation, and managing fully-abstracted API-level transactions that can easily manifest in voice, bot, or human driven experiences.

But wait there’s more!
This is scratching the surface. We have been telling our clients for years that some competitor will inevitably come along and disrupt their business, so the smartest strategy is to disrupt yourselves. Agencies should be looking at this rapidly evolving landscape with the understanding that everything we do and everything we think we know about the industry could and likely will change tomorrow. So, we should change it ourselves.

About the Author
Justin Daab is President of Magnani, an experience design and strategy firm based in Chicago. The firm works at the nexus of business strategy and experience design, crafting transformational digital experiences that delight users and deliver sustainable competitive market advantages. Daab is also a contributor to the Forbes Agency Council.

*https://www.innosight.com/insight/creative-destruction/

MERGE Network CEO Ron Bess talks Talent, Technology and that Toddlin' Agency Town

The Chicago Egotist — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 21:28:15 +0000

Local

What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the Chicago ad agency market?

The Chicago agency community, after drifting apart for several years, has come closer together again. We’re more unified and collaborative. There’s a renewed appreciation for the extraordinary depth and breadth of talent here.

In the 1990s, holding companies bought up and took control of many Chicago agencies. Some of our hometown spirit and autonomy shifted to a global model headquartered in New York, London and Paris. These holding companies are here to stay, but our core is becoming stronger again.

In the last few years, 25 to 30 Chicago market leaders, representing advertising, media, digital, public relations and marketing services, have come together to recreate the 4A’s Chicago Agency Community Board. We now work together year-round to support the Off the Street Club, recruit talent to Chicago, and develop training programs for young talent. SheRunsIt, launched last year in Chicago, also has given women in our community a networking and educational boost.

Where do you see the industry headed and why?

We continue to innovate and find new ways of reaching consumers. The shift to digital has changed the business more in past 10 years than in the 50 years before that. Last year, digital ad revenue surpassed TV. Technology and design thinking will help agencies stay ahead of the curve and in tune with the most current ways for consumers to get information and make decisions.

How do you find the right agency employees?

Talent recognizes talent. I rely on a strong senior management team across all disciplines and an experienced chief talent officer. All of our senior people recruit and interview people.

Success comes down to two things: Results and relationships. We’re looking for people who consistently exceed expectations in getting results and building strong relationships.

What’s your leadership style?

First, listen to learn and understand. Then, lead to succeed and get results. Always give talented people the freedom to be great.

Who inspires you?

Michelle and Barack Obama, George Martin, Maureen Dowd. Hal Prince. Lin-Manuel Miranda.

What’s your motto?

Face it. Figure it out. Fix it.

FCB Is Into Torture - For Glad Bags

The Chicago Egotist — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 16:22:13 +0000

Local

We wouldn't necessarily try this with our luggage, but in a pinch, clearly Glad bags pass the airline torture test. Original use of product demonstration from FCB Chicago for Glad.

Because We're Suckers for Sleeping Sheep - Serta's New Spots from Leo Burnett

The Chicago Egotist — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 20:25:08 +0000

Local

Serta has launched its first new campaign – “Not just sorta comfortable. Serta comfortable” – with Leo Burnett Chicago after concluding the brand’s first creative review in 17 years.

The first spot from the agency promotes Serta’s new iComfort Hybrid mattress as seen through the eyes of the ultimate expert in comfort “Rick Blomquist.” This is a gentleman who lives a life of comfort and is confident that he knows all the ways to experience comfort. Everything from his slippers, to his pillows, to his leg massager at the office, which he uses while doing his comfortable job. But when Rick lays on a Serta mattress, he realizes he’d never truly been comfortable until that very moment. And that's when the Serta sheep snuggle in for a snooze with Rick.

“When we set out to create a new campaign for Serta, we had one goal: To get people who are shopping for a mattress to ask for Serta by name. Which is tough, because so many brands in this category start with the letter S,” said Britt Nolan, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett. “To do that, we had to do two things. First, equate Serta mattresses as the ultimate level of comfort. And second, make sure the name ‘Serta’ is unmistakable. ‘Not just sorta comfortable, Serta comfortable’ nails both. No other brand can say that.”

In total, the campaign’s touchpoints will include three TV spots, digital banners, online videos, social, print and radio ads and in-store advertising. The next phase of the campaign will be released in spring 2018, featuring a larger integrated marketing activation to bring the campaign to life in a fun way where consumers will be able to experience how it feels to go from sorta comfortable to Serta comfortable.

Campaign: Serta: Not Just Sorta Comfortable, Serta Comfortable

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett

Business Leadership

Mark Burgess – EVP Account Director
Sarah Kaminsky – Account Director
Rachel Perzek – Account Executive

Creative

Britt Nolan – Chief Creative Officer
Brian Shembeda – EVP Creative Director
Jeff Candido – VP Creative Director
Travis Lampe – Associate Creative Director, Art
Chip Kelly – Associate Creative Director, Copy
Eric Lowery – Art Director
Chris Brotzman – Copy Writer
Loraine Wysmier – Creative Resource Manager

Production

Tom Keramidas – VP Producer
Sean Pinney – Senior Producer
Anne Carbo – Business Manager
Jennifer Snowden – Director Talent and Rights Management
Peggy Walter – VP Director of Celebrity Services

Strategy

Kevin Lilly – SVP Strategy Director

Media Agency: Initiative

Leo Burnett Names Kieran Ots EVP/Executive Creative Director

The Chicago Egotist — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:01:10 +0000

Local

Kieran Ots was named Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett Chicago

Leo Burnett Chicago has named Kieran Ots EVP/Executive Creative Director overseeing global work for the Samsung account. He continues his journey from Leo Burnett Sydney, where worked for nearly 20 years as Digital Creative Director. Ots starts in his new role immediately and will report to Britt Nolan, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Chicago.

"Kieran is a strong leader with a gift for creating ideas that connect deeply with humans, regardless of medium," said Nolan. "He approaches business issues with creative solutions - not just ads. Kieran is the perfect fit to help us continue our transformation."

Ots will oversee the creative direction for Samsung, one of Leo Burnett's marquee international clients. Ots contributed to the Samsung account in Sydney and will apply his global knowledge of the business to this role.

"Samsung is an incredible brand with a strong sense of purpose, and it plays a huge role in people's lives," said Ots. "Everything they make is as much about people as it is about technology, and fostering that connection is a critical component of our work."

He's known for leading a range of digital projects for the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in which the team was tasked with raising awareness of census data among Australians. The team created a smartphone game, Run That Town, that operated using the country's census figures. Run That Town won Gold at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the Creative Data category. The project earned awards from The ONE Show and D&AD, and was featured in Google Creative Sandbox, a gallery of best-in-class advertising creative.

Ots' other clients at Leo Burnett Sydney included Canon, McDonald's and Subaru. In addition to earning accolades for Run That Town, he and his teams have been recognized for their other client work by major award shows such as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, The ONE Show, D&AD, Adfest, Spikes and the London International Awards.

Chicago Agencies Score in Ad Age's A-List Issue

The Chicago Egotist — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:10:53 +0000

Local

Ad Age Magazine is out with it’s annual “A-List” issue of the best agencies, and some Chicago shops made it onto the highly coveted lists.

Ad Age 'Stand Outs' include Starcom which was celebrated for winning $1.5 billion in new billings. Starcom told Ad Age that its new business conversion rate was 92% in 2017. Ad Age also cited its participation in the #WeAccept Super Bowl spot of 2017 for client Airbnb as particularly impactful.

Ad Age’s “Agencies to Watch” include Edelman and O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul.

Edelman is shaking up the PR industry through its paid-media practice that it told Ad Age grew by 150% last year. It also added new clients, grew existing business and saw its revenue rise to $1 billion in 2017.

As it enters its fifth year, Ad Age notes that OKRP “is ready for the big time,” following a year that saw it create its first Super Bowl spot for Groupon, reignite love for the Chili’s brand and increase revenue by $4.2 million. The agency also added important new capabilities with its acquisition of Juice Interactive.

FCB Chicago also got a call out in the Agencies to Watch list as part of the larger FCB story. Ad Age noted that FCB Chicago is building an AI practice. Something we will be interested in following.

Also of note, Burrell Communications was named Ad Age’s 2018 Runner-up for Multicultural Agency of the Year. Burrell was heralded for developing a Social Listening Lab that enables it to get feedback from a network of 10,000 African-American influencers to make its work more impactful and support new business.

Portillo's Campaign from SCC Borrows Social Media Posts from Fans

The Chicago Egotist — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 20:35:52 +0000

Local

Portillo’s, the fast casual concept known for its menu of Chicago-style favorites has launched a new creative campaign titled “Get Obsessed.” Created by Chicago-based brand agency Schafer Condon Carter (SCC) the advertising features real social media posts from Portillo’s fans that convey just how “obsessed” customers become after experiencing the taste of Portillo’s.

Portillo’s restaurant staff are also featured in the ad spots, reciting and reacting to social media musings like, “If my last meal isn’t Portillo’s, I’m haunting the world.”

We are thrilled to partner with SCC, a top-notch, independent agency known for their work with iconic national brands,” says Nick Scarpino, Portillo’s Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. “The ‘Get Obsessed’ campaign features the perfect combination of our great team members, passionate fans, and craveable menu items. We are confident this campaign will help us build new Portillo’s lovers across the country.”

Portillo’s ”Get Obsessed” :15 and :30 TV commercials begin airing this week in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. SCC also collaborated with the brand to create 26 digital spots for Portillo’s social media channels and placed nine billboards in the areas around the brand’s Maple Grove, MN and Woodbury, MN restaurants. The commercial spots can be found online.

“As lifelong fans of Portillo’s, we were thrilled at the chance to work together,” says Denny Hebson, SCC’s Executive Creative Director. “The campaign captures some of the magic that forever links fans to Portillo’s, and its incredible food. Once people try Portillo’s they’ll “Get Obsessed” with the brand.”

Russell Stover With Help from OutCold Saves Valentine's Day

The Chicago Egotist — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 15:25:45 +0000

Local

Russell Stover Chocolates spent Valentine's rescuing last-minute lovers by dispatching its Valentine’s Day SOS Van—a specially designed 1960 International Harvester Metro—to Chicago’s Daley Plaza to provide a limited number of free 14-ounce heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. Russell Stover's agency of record VML worked on the Chicago activation with experiential marketing agency OutCold.

“Russell Stover chocolates have been a happy holiday tradition since our childhood. Who could ever forget picking out your favorite chocolates from that iconic heart shaped Russell Stover box? We are so excited to work with our partners at VML to help bring this special surprise to local Chicago Romeos and Juliettes downtown this Valentine’s Day. You won’t miss our cute chocolate truck!” said Holly Heffinger, COO of OutCold.