AKQA

Well, it certainly didn’t take long for AKQA to build a presence in the City of Light, as the agency has announced that it’s now officially opened its doors in Paris with Nike France as its founding client. The new office, which will be based in central Paris’s Latin Quarter and is the eighth in the AKQA network if you’re keeping score, will be led by European managing director Guy Wieynk, creative director Peter Lund and ACDs Nicolai Smith and Julien Veillon. The staff count currently stands at 10, though AKQA hopes to add another 40 in Paris by year’s end.

 

 

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To follow up on our post last week regarding an apparent shift in C0ca-Cola’s agency partnerships, specifically in the search arena, we have now received confirmation from the soft drink giant itself that iCrossing has picked up the brand’s North American paid search marketing/SEM business. The Hearst-owned digital agency, which won the NA SEM business from AKQA, is now adding to its list of Coke assignments that already include global SEO, which iCrossing has handled for approximately five years.

As was mentioned last week, AKQA is not being shut out as the agency still has global assignments for SEM in Latin America and Canada according to the Coca-Cola camp. We’ve been told there was a review for the North American SEM account (that may have also included 360i), but further details weren’t provided.

Don’t worry, AKQA is still very much in the Coca-Cola mix from what we know, but over the past few days, several tinkers, tailors, soldiers and spies have been telling us that the agency lost out on the paid search part of the account. When pressed for comment, the digital agency said, “In respect for our long-term relationship with Coca-Cola, we are going to decline any comment in regards to our relationship.”

We’re hearing that the paid search portion was run out of AKQA’s New York office, but after a recent review, potential baton-grabbers could be iCrossing or 360i. From what we’ve been told, there is still a search relationship between Coke and AKQA, but the details are hazy when it comes to AOR status. We’ll keep you posted as the story develops.

 

Well, it looks like AKQA is happy with Pierre Lipton‘s handiwork as it’s promoted the man to executive creative director of its San Francisco office, making him only one of two U.S. ECDs at AKQA (the other happens to be Brendan Dibona, who’s housed in the D.C. office). Lipton originally joined AKQA from BBDO New York in the summer of 2010 as GCD on Xbox, subsequently leading campaigns included Halo Reach and recruiting creatives like these to the team. As AKQA San Francisco ECD, Lipton will now oversee the entire creative department that works with clients including the aforementioned Xbox, YouTube, Audi of America, Visa and Target.

During his two-and-a-half year stint as SVP/CD at BBDO NY, Lipton worked on campaigns for HBO (True Blood and Big Love work comes to mind) as well as AT&T. The new AKQA SF creative lead will continue reporting to the agency’s CCO Rei Inamoto and a  result of his promotion, will join AKQA’s Creative Council, which we assume is a perk.

Sources familiar with the matter are telling us that AKQA is planning to expand its global network, which currently includes seven offices from San Francisco to Shanghai, by opening up a Paris location some time next year. No word yet on whether the city of lights/love/romance, etc. will house an eighth official AKQA office or just an outpost like the agency has in San Salvador which serves as a development center.

While AKQA’s D.C. office lost a notable creative director recently, the digital agency’s New York office has added one as Jason McCann has moved back down from Toronto to the Big Apple to serve as CD. McCann spent the last eight years at TAXI, most recently serving as VP/co-ECD in Toronto on campaigns for Telus and MINI Canada, the latter of which earned a few Cannes Cyber Lions along the way.

As mentioned, McCann’s no stranger to the New York area as he spent two of his years at TAXI in its local office as ECD, digital on New York Life and Blue Shield of California among others. In fact, while working with his former employer, McCann served as ECD, digital for all six of TAXI’s North American agencies during his tenure. No word yet on if he’s working on specific accounts at AKQA NY, which currently works with the likes of Kraft. Update: McCann is working across accounts and officially started on Nov. 21.

In an effort to bring awareness to its new Politics channel, YouTube tapped AKQA’s San Francisco office to create the above promotional clip that will be aired as pre-roll during the online video giant’s debate/primary coverage. As the AKQA spot emphasizes, YouTube Politics’ coverage of debates, etc., will allow for viewers to form a video dialogue with candidates. Get those Rick Perry/Herman Cain questions prepared, stat!

Is there any bigger Halloween buzzkill than running over trick-or-treaters with your luxury automobile? Not only does it take a toll on your conscience, but the necessary repair work can run a high bill, especially if you’re driving an imported specialty vehicle.

With the Audi A6′s thermal imaging and night vision assistant technology, the holiday revelry doesn’t have to end on the way from the bar to the afterparty. The above spot, created by AKQA, reminds drivers of the 41 million little monsters on the roads this year (not to mention their accompanying parents, who make for slightly larger but equally frightening monsters). As we’ve been told, the technology, which can detect pedestrians up to 300 feet away, is displayed in the spot with no special effects added.

While Audi A6 drivers can enjoy Halloween with added security, those of you who choose to be cruising around in different cars should remember to keep an eye out, keep the speed down, and keep your car stereo blasting “The Monster Mash” to a reasonable level. Credits after the jump.

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From agency AKQA and prodco The Cartel comes a new spot for Nike+, starring young UK pop sensation Ellie Goulding and a remix of her debut single, “Under the Sheets.” Maybe I’m just a little old-fashioned with my exercise regimen, but are people actually jogging to dubstep remixes these days?

The spot follows Goulding during an international tour that makes stops in London, New York and Los Angeles, tracking her route using Nike+ and iPod technology. Similar to LCD Soundsystem’s 2006 opus for Nike and iTunes, “45:33,” Goulding is releasing a 30-minute mixtape called “Run into the Light,” now available exclusively on iTunes. As we’re told in the announce, the mixtape “works seamlessly as a 30-minute running aid, with peaks and troughs that sync perfectly into the rhythm of a run to help inspire the listener to run better than ever before.”

This spot also seemed somewhat familiar to us, at least in concept,  as it looks like an in-house project from Nike Sportswear we saw last Novemember that documented the workout of Brooklyn resident and Ra Ra Riot cellist, Alexandra Lawn. Maybe it’s just the use of an attractive young female musician jogging around an urban environment, but we can imagine Nike+ seeing the Sportswear spot and telling AKQA, “Do something like that,” to which AKQA responded, “We’ll do better.” Credits after the jump.

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A few folks at AKQA felt bad for San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, whose season came to an end after a gruesome home plate collision back in May, so they decided to send their hometown hero some well-wishes. And since there’s no better way to show compassion than creating a Twitter profile, @Poseyscast was set up right after the player’s foot injury occurred and since its launch, has lured hundreds of people to “sign his cast” via tweet. The case study above explains it all and the end result of this effort was a physical card featuring the five best tweets that was mailed to Posey himself. Hope it helped somewhat.

Credits:

CD: Rudi Anggono

AD/CW: Katherine Fernandez/Greg Damiani