Berlin Cameron United

Finally, someone has taken the time to cull the 99 things we all should have seen on the inter Webs by now. If you haven't Where The Hell is Matt or I'm the Juggernaut B*tch! ("get that shit out my face b*tch") or the other 97 fantasmic videos here, get on it at YouShouldHaveSeenThis.

YSHST is the brainchild of Berlin Cameron copywriter Greg Rutter, who admits that his e-mail letting us know about the site was a lame attempt at self promotion. He probably didn't think we'd publish that.

The site is "Rutter's definitive list of the 99 things you should have already experienced on the internet unless you're a loser or old or something." Damn, now you have to check it out. Greg you should Digg this — Digg likes lists.

And thanks man, for doing the dirty work so we can waste the latter half of Friday. Rickedy, Do.

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What were we saying about Berlin Cameron the other day? Oh right. They are waist deep in the shit. Well, guess what? Now they're buried up to their noses. Vitaminwater has separated from the agency and moved their account to BBH. Holy crapola, Batman. Seems like The Boys Club policy here in New York of having staffers chip in $150 a month for their health insurance was a very smart move. We're sure they are eagle eyeing other cost cutting measures. Let us just hope it doesn't come down to people.

The economy has forced some serious limitations on agencies looking to stay in the black or even, increase their revenue:

- Campaigns have been put on hold by CMOs

- Fewer established brands are willing to launch that new product. Anyone recall the mysterious Microsoft phone agencies were pitching for a few months back?

- Companies that were just big enough to need advertising support may be experiencing slower growth and rethinking hiring a shop at all. And guess what? Obama has no written provisions for small businesses in that gigantic stimulus package. Great. The tipping point may have disappeared for many folks.

- And foremost, brands are unhappy with their sales numbers, desperate for a boost in sales anyway they can get it. Often, that means pointing the figure at your ad agency. Deserved or not.

Staying in business is going to come to one simple thing - whose client can you steal? BBDO took back Jeep. BBH snags Vitamin Water. BMW is looking for an out at GSD&M and everyone seems to be looking for another dance parter rather than continuing to tango with Cliff Freeman. Keep your eye out. We're sure that AOR music chairs will only continue.

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What's going on at Berlin Cameron New York? The easy answer: nothing. The more complicated answer: everything. Depends on how you look at it. The agency has suffered recently. They've lost Tidy Cat to Avrett Free Ginsberg, Boost to180LA, Heinken and Soy Milk, too. Yes, this year they did pick up some Wyndham business, so that happened, but what's the in comparison to these huge losses?

Folks have been jumping ship from the New York shop all year. Creative Director Harry Bernstein has also left the agency to go client side. He is now the CD over at game house, Rockstar Games. Congrats to Harry. Way to jump ship while the jumpin' is good.

In the larger picture of BC? The agency is trying to right its wings. In April 2008, Andy Berlin, stepped down as the head of BC for semi-retirement in Florida leaving Ewen Cameron to lead all of the agency. And according to Brand Republic, the shop has a lot of work to do to make good.

As The Boys Club tries to forge a new identity and get some wins, the New York shop suffers and suffers.

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Two days ago, I wrote that Berlin Cameron still had Silk Soy Milk. I was wrong.

After speaking with the Silk's public relations team, I've realized that Berlin is off the account. The last work the agency created for the brand took place in April 2008. The campaign was called "Take A Sip Forward." What happened in the intervening months? The old stand by regarding the "Boys Club" in New York is that they are great a hyper-cool, culturally hip campaigns. Forget about the mass brands. It ain't their thing.

Silk spent $25 million-plus on media last year, up from $22 million in 2006, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. The new agency has yet to be named. Stay tuned.

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Tidy Cats' litter has been up for review. The account was estimated at $15M and has gone to Avrett Free. The agency was already taking care of Nestle's Purina brand. The account had been with Berlin Cameron United for almost eleven years. Fallon, JWT and Colle + MCvoy had pitched for the business, as well. Oh, poor Fallon.

Meanwhile, President Bill Grogan left Berlin Cameron this past May and was never replaced. It doesn't seem to have effected the shop too much. Yes, the they lost Boost, but the shop is plowing ahead like their work for Silk Soy Milk.

The Creative Director over at Berlin Cameron happens to also be an actor. Griffin Creech is also the star of those CareerBuilder.com chimpanzee commercials. Sometimes it happens - employees of ad firms end up in spots like in the UPS "Whiteboard" commercials that feature The Martin Agency's Creative Director, Andy Azula. That's a nice little bonus for working the long hours, no?

[source]

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AdWeak reported recently that Tidy Cat is leaving BCU. The cat product manufacturer has been a client for the last 11 years. Other clients on the agency's roster include Coca-Cola, Mello Yello, GM and more.

Sad, sad things.

But for those of you who still enjoy BCU's work (sounds like a college, or something) head to bc-p.com, click "work" then "old school." You won't regret it. Nor will you regret clicking to the rest of this story.

continued...

Hell, I liked the Terry Richardson campaign by Berlin Cameron for Belvedere Vodka.

As a continuation of the Belvedere’s "Luxury Reborn" campaign, Terry Richardson has launched "Terry's Room." That link will lead you to the vodka makers home page. Then click on "Discover Luxury Reborn" and get all engrossed in Terry's world. There's videos (like the one above) and add all that other stuff to keep you entertained in Terry's salacious world.

Have a great day!!

Wyndham Hotel Group is deciding between three shops for their Super 8, Howard Johnson and Travelodge brands. Berlin Cameron is one according to AdWeak. Berlin needs a win considering the recently lost two big accounts Boost Mobile and Heineken. The business is supposedly worth $25M to $30M. The incumbent on Travelodge and Howard Johnson is Eastwest Marketing Group, who was nixed early on in the process.

Anyone know who else is pitching on the account?

As a follow-up to Berlin Cameron's broadcast spot with Vincent Gallo for Belvedere Vodka, WE HEAR THAT... Next up on to get the Terry Richardson treatment is awesome rapper Rza. They're currently shooting in Los Angeles, as we type. We liked the concept, the commercial and the prints ads that went with the vodka maker's new modus operandi.

Full disclosure: We love RZA.

The de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan is a genius MC and also created/produced the original music for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill series. He's managed to be a leader in the often retarded rap game. We didn't see him making any cookie-cutter TV shows that were bound to be canceled for their ridiculously lame plot lines. Look, dude was even in the train wreck film that was Miami Vice and managed to hold it down.

We salute The Boys Club on this one - way to incorporate all angles of your target demographic. Let's just hope that the corresponding commercial is just as stellar as their choice of celebrity. Fingers crossed... Eyes closed...

From AdAge: "Pre-paid wireless provider Boost Mobile has eliminated Berlin Cameron United as its agency of record as it narrows the review for the creative portion of its advertising account."

Remember when BC's president Bill Grogan said he was aware Boost was looking for an agency for a singular creative project? Singular, apparently, means entire creative chores. There are two shops left in the review. Anyone know who? (IM: agencyspy or email: agencyspy at mediasbistro dot com).

In a statement, (don't you love these statements) Boost noted their five-year long, positive relationship with the agency, during which time the customer base grew by 4 million customers. That's a large figure, which has something to do with the broadcasts spots for sure. However, don't forget about the rise in popularity of pre-paid service over the last three years or so, and Boost's competitive pricing, as well as real-world marketing efforts. But, hell, we actually liked the recent Boost ads featuring Mickey Avalon and Young Jeezy.

"While disappointed with the decision after a five-year run, we wish them well," said Grogan. "We recognize that an evolved business model, with an emphasis on retail execution, will lead them to new partnerships."

So, Bill... What you're saying is that Boost has a new, more nuanced plan that the Boys Club can't handle? Isn't that why Heineken bailed on the Boys for W+K? We've always said the Boys do their best work when the message is simple - sex, drugs and a basic execution of the idea of cool.