DraftFCB Chicago has invoked the cuteness theory for their latest Del Monte Foods work, which suggests that people will always respond positively to cats or babies. The Facebook campaign lets users personalize a digital cat avatar with pet photos and create a jingle. Aside from the obvious cooing and awwing, those who play along could win a $100 daily prize or a $10,000 grand prize. I can almost hear the creaky bones of cat ladies crunching as they try to get up from their rocking chairs and walk to their computers without stepping on one of their 47 cats.

The app has been so successful thus far, according to echoes from the Chicago office, that the agency’s needed to add more servers to accommodate the traffic. That means cat ladies are probably making 47 entries for each of their kittens, giving them more chances to win and less chances to ever reclaim a normal life that involves other human beings.

Credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We had no idea there were remnants of the Coors account still lingering at Draftfcb since it was reported last summer that MillerCoors moved its entire account out of said agency and into the newly created, Chicago-based WPP entity called Cavalry. Yet, a memo we received that was sent from Draftfcb Canada president to staff yesterday evening says otherwise, though as you’ll see after the jump, the relationship between the brew brand and DFCB now truly appears to be over.

Along with the Coors biz now fully aligning with Cavalry (which sources familiar with the matter have confirmed), Mead’s note, which is essentially a recap of a Draftfcb Canada town hall meeting yesterday, mentions the departure of longtime VP/management director, Darrell Hurst as well other management mentions. We’re getting some further clarification and/or official comment on the matters at hand, but from talking to sources, Mead’s note appears to legit. Read verbatim after the jump (FYI, the “John” that Mead refers to in the memo is Draftfcb Canada COO, John Boniface).

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

There can only be one Phil Dunphy. And as much as Draftfcb would like you to pretend Paul Hattery is the second-coming of TV’s ultimate patriarchal dweeb, it’s not even close.

Paul Hattery is the main attraction in Cox Communication’s unique commercial/sitcom campaign Home with the Hatterys–a fake show about a family of four struggling with slow download speeds and other telecom-related hijinks. The original spot (above) was supposed to run as a one-off commercial, but after a positive reception, Cox and Draftfcb turned the idea into an ad sitcom with one-minute “episodes.”

The initial premise holds some value, straddling the parody v. pastiche boundary for a mockumentary like Modern Family. But, with 11 episodes, there are only so many DSL gags you can sit through before the humor dries up. Stale writing does in Paul’s character; he’s just a shallow sketch of Dunphy, mostly a consequence of one-minute clips that rely on soft one-liners. Although, when he drills his wife in the face with a dodgeball, you might crack a smile.

Interesting side note: The Home with the Hatterys opening credits play for 20 seconds even though the episodes last a minute; the Modern Family credit sequence plays for 10 seconds, and the episodes run for 22 minutes. There’s probably a more efficient way for Draftfcb to use their time. Credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As for O’Keefe, the outgoing exec (no timetable yet on his official departure date) initially joined Draftfcb in 1990 and eventually served as executive creative director in the agency’s San Francisco office before moving a decade ago to take on the same role at the agency’s Chicago hub. We’ll keep you posted when we learn more.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Couchgating isn’t a word, and the idea that friends join together to sit on couches and eat mystery meat chicken on football Sundays has been around for quite some time. However, anachronism aside, KFC’s new “Couchgating” spot is worth a watch. Draftfcb Chicago produced the ad, which shows a few gridiron junkies talking smack about why more people need to sit on their lazy asses eating crispy strips.

Is KFC food disgusting? Yes. Will it lead to an early death? Probably, depending on genetics. But, the dialogue in the commercial is completely irrelevant. Draftfcb created a successful ad because of two things: slow zooms and an NFL Films soundtrack. I could listen to that music for hours regardless of what’s on the screen. All that’s missing is some John Facenda or Harry Kalas voiceover. If we could see Terry Bradshaw throwing a wobbly Super Bowl touchdown and then chomping on some Yobogoya, that would be even better.

Although going for two might take on an entirely new meaning… Credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The new hire, though, spent the majority of his ad career at Deutsch LA (nearly 14 years), where he managed the U.S. Playstation account (he helped lead creative on the nifty “Michael” campaign for the brand) and also led work for clients such as CiCi’s Pizza, DirecTV and TGIFridays. Now at Draftfcb OC, Bryce will help his new boss Eric Springer steward the Taco Bell business (of course) and lead the soon-to-be-opened satellite office in LA (we’ve been told that the agency is in the process of looking for the right space).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

According to those in the know, Applebaum will work at Draft NY through year’s end. Prior to joining said agency, Applebaum spent over a decade at Y&R/BrandBuzz, moving up from ACD to creative director and working with clients such as Burt’s Bees, Jaguar, Dymo, Sharpie and LG. During her career, the creative vet also spent time at DMB&B and Ogilvy.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It looks like our spies were on point yet again as Draftfcb New York has confirmed that it “has been appointed Amtrak’s agency of record.” The agency would not elaborate further and referred all other inquiries to the client, but sources tell us that the 40-year-old passenger train brand held a “mandatory review” after its contract with incumbent Arnold D.C. expired.

Interestingly enough, a spy in the know adds that to greet the new client, walls in the DFCB NY office were painted in Amtrak coloring yesterday and included wording to the effect of, “you’re now free to use electronic devices,” which is supposed to indicate what you can’t do on a plane but can do on Amtrak Acela..or something. Someone please send us pics if this is the case. Anyhow, those familiar tell us that Draftfcb NY will take on a fully integrated assignment for Amtrak including traditional, digital as well as media buying/planning. Billings are estimated at $20 million.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It’s always wonderful when brands (and agencies) totally surprise you. That’s the way I felt upon viewing Kmart’s and DraftFCB Chicago’s “Halloween Costume Challenge,” a dark, Matrix-esque new seasonal spot starring dancer Monternez “Monty” Rezel of America’s Got Talent.

In the parking lot of a Kmart store on Chicago’s northwest side (the Addison and Kimball location for those familiar), Rezel set a Guinness World Record by going through 150 costume changes in just over six hours filming this spot. Set to David Condos‘ song “Like Wolves,” the spot freezes Rezel in midair during his dance, with a circle of cameras capturing his moves in 360-degree glory.

For those social mediaites out there (we know you’re out there), the live-stream of the event garnered 148 mentions, 33 retweets and 453,000 impressions. Alright, so those metrics aren’t that amazing (because I wasn’t invited and no one watches live-streams unless someone is breaking the speed of sound), but the end product is. And, really, when you have a spot this good, that’s all that matters. Credits after the jump.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We’ve been hearing spies chirping about what’s happening with the Taco Bell creative account for the last few days, with names like Deutsch LA being thrown into the mix and so forth. Now, we have some clarification on the matter from none other than Draftfcb, which, like the Yum Brands chain’s chief marketing/innovation officer Bryan Niccol stated a few weeks, remains lead creative agency for Taco Bell. But what does the future hold? Here’s a statement from Draftfcb:

“We’re proud of our long-standing role as Taco Bell’s lead agency, the work we continue to produce, and the results we’re achieving together.  As the lead agency, we  sometimes proactively tap into and collaborate with other IPG units to provide Taco Bell with an even greater depth and breadth of resources; these include outstanding companies like Amusement Park, Martin Agency and Deutsch, as well as Weber-Shandwick on select creative projects.”

Before you hit the panic button or anything, isn’t Omnicom CEO John Wren emphasizing the same type of agency collaboration/coordination over at his holding company? Perhaps this is just the hot trend nowadays, who knows. Anyhow, we’ve reached out to Yum Brands as well for further comment/clarification. We’ll keep you posted if and when we hear anything.

Update: Taco Bell did respond and reiterates the fact that Draftfcb is its agency of record and that the brand is “very pleased with their work.” If you need us to hammer it home a third time, let us know.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Anyhow, the departing exec joined Draftfcb NY from CP+B, where he spent five years in the latter’s Boulder HQ working as executive integrated producer for clients ranging from Burger King to Bing to Best Buy.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

During his lengthy stay in the OC, Brown helped lead creative, as noted, on all Taco Bell work, including this year’s “Live Mas” repositioning and  “Operation: Alaska” effort. From what we’ve been told, lead creative on the Yum Brands chain’s account remains in the hands of Draftfcb North American ECD, who is also leading a search for Brown’s successor. Regarding his new SVP/GCD, Draftfcb Chicago CCO Todd Tilford says, “Teddy is an outstanding creative with a truly integrated marketing philosophy, a true professional, and a great human being.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Air New Zealand, you know, the carrier that’s paired its spokespuppet with Lindsay Lohan (above) and once had an animated Al Bundy provide safety tips, has expanded its relationship with Draftfcb, handing North American creative duties to the agency’s San Francisco office. The airline had already been working with Draft’s New Zealand branch, with the latter serving as the former’s brand agency in Kiwi country since January of this year.

DFCB SF beat out multiple agencies in the pitch, which was handled by SelectResources International, and as a result, will be tasked with driving brand awareness and online conversion North America. The agency seems to have the vote of confidence from ANZ brand manager, Western markets John Wilhelm, who says in a statement, “We are confident DraftFCB San Francisco is the right partner to help us lay a strong foundation for sustainable growth and help us take the Air New Zealand brand to the next level in the US and Canada.”

From what the Air New Zealand folks tell us, the brand as of late has been working with agencies on a project basis in North America,  so there was no incumbent in the pitch for this business–though ANZ has retained agencies in the past.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Draftfcb just sent the word out to employees this morning that it’s purchased Tarrytown, NY-based pharma marketing company Hudson Global, which houses 55+ employees and offers digital media, interactive marketing, strategy as well as data & analytics services. As a result of the acquisition, DFCB will align Hudson Global under its Healthcare umbrella, which also includes units such as  Area 23, Mosaic, NeON, and ProHealth.

Despite being bought up, though, the eight-year-old Hudson Global, which focuses on pharma, diagnostic and biotech, will keep its name, its Tarrytown office and leadership that includes co-founder/CEO/president Robert Blink and co-founder/EVP Jason Goldklang. In a statement, Draftfcb global CEO/president Laurence Boschetto says, “Our acquisition of Hudson is part of a long-term plan to make strategic acquisitions that will bolster our clients’ businesses and strengthen our agency’s offerings in those markets that offer the greatest opportunity.”

(pictured l-r, Goldklang, Maiman, Blink and Boschetto)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.