EuroRSCG

Yeesh, guess it’s one of those days. Something’s amiss at Denver-based Factory Design Labs as Blake Ebel, who resigned from his co-chief creative officer post at Euro RSCG Chicago in the summer of 2010 to join up with the former shop in the same role, is no longer on its agency leadership list. Ebel, if you recall, spent six years at Euro Chi and had a brief stint as co-CCO alongside Steffan Postaer, who  also left the agency himself just six months later. During his career, Ebel has also worked as a VP, creative director at Y&R as well as senior art director at JWT.

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It appears the Sprint loss last December is still having its effect on Euro RSCG, particularly the Chicago office, which handled direct, mobile and email marketing efforts among other things for the wireless carrier until it handed its whole ad business to Digitas and Leo Burnett–aka, Team Sprint. Within the last half-hour, we’ve received several tips and IMs from folks who either were directly affected or were hearing secondhand. Here’s one tip: “Just got laid off with about 15-20 other people at Euro Chicago. All creatives.”  Euro RSCG Chi has yet to comment on the matter, but we’ll do our best to make sure they do.

Update: Sources familiar with the matter have shed some light on things, telling us that “…the loss of Sprint required [Euro RSCG] to reduce staff by about five percent  – overall they’re down around 10 people. Creatives were part of the five percent.” Our sources add, that Euro was “able to shift more than 30 off of Sprint and on to existing agency business,” which includes Playstation, Claire’s, Beam and Hefty.

Sources familiar with the matter confirm that Euro RSCG New York ECD Michael Lee is no longer with the agency. Guess it’s that kind of day. Lee moved across the pond 22 years ago, was made creative director of integration when Messner Vetere Berger Carey Schmetterer materialized as Euro RSCG in 2002 and eventually held a leadership role in the creative department at Euro’s New York office. Our sources say that it was Lee, who worked on Evian and Volvo among other clients during his time at Euro, who “led the decision” to part ways with the agency.

A spokesman for New York Life has confirmed that Euro RSCG has been selected as the company’s new agency of record and is beginning work on a new ad campaign for 2012. A month ago, Adweek reported that the three finalists vying for the insurance company’s creative advertising duties were Euro, TBWA\Chiat\Day and Carmichael Lynch. We’ve been told that “The Company You Keep” made its decision last week and the account will be run out of Euro’s NY office (as one would think).

The New York Life AOR responsibilities were previously handled by Taxi, which did not defend.

Well, after hearing about this from tipsters for a month or so, we have finally received confirmation that Al Kelly‘s time as CCO of EuroRSCG New York has come to an end after just 10 months. Here’s the official statement: “Euro RSCG NY and Al Kelly have mutually parted ways, effective today.  We thank Al for his contributions to the agency and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

Last year, when Kelly joined Euro, our former writer Inocul8tor predicted that the Fallon/Chiat/Goodby alum would last a month. Guess he beat the odds.

 

 

Well, it took them nearly a month after we reported it but EuroRSCG has confirmed that Steve Doppelt is joining the agency as executive creative director. Also joining in the ECD ranks is Steve Kashtan, who arrives from DDB New York, where he spent the last five years, give or take, as a creative director. Once again, Lee Garfinkel‘s co-chairman appointment at the start of 2011 may have had a little to do with the Kashtan hire as they’ve had some history at DDB and Lowe (while Doppelt worked with Garfinkel at Lowe on Sprite, Heineken and Sony among other accounts).

Doppelt will focus primarily on Dos Equis at Euro while his fellow ECD Kashtan will work on Charles Schwab and Kraft Foods. If you need history on Kashtan, he spent 10 years at Lowe and eventually moved up to EVP/GCD.

Not sure if you folks got the memo, but just in case you haven’t, Euro RSCG New York has a new chief strategy officer by the name of Tom Morton (pictured), who arrives from Publicis U.K., where he held the same title for a solid 11 months. Morton’s new boss is Jeff Brooks, who took on the sole CEO role at Euro’s NY office after his partner-in-crime Pete Zillig split for a new “global role” within the network.

Anyhow, back to Morton. During his career, the new Euro CSO has worked for the likes of TBWA London, where he spent nearly six years and last served as executive planning director for the agency’s range of clients including Apple, Nissan, Playstation and Adidas. Prior to TBWA, the planning also racked up several years at both DDB London and RKCR/Y&R.

In a statement, Morton, who will work across Euro’s NY client roster that currently includes Dos Equis, Volvo, Kraft Foods, etc.,  speaks with the usual aplomb and hyperbole, saying, “The opportunity at Euro New York is massive. There’s so much to work with: the baked-in digital capabilities, the Future First positioning, the moxie of the people I’ve met. I’m going to enjoy building a planning culture to match the agency’s ambitions.”

After spending over four years as group creative director at Omnicom’s New York-based unit Merkley + Partners, Steve Doppelt is heading to Euro RSCG’s Big Apple branch according to sources familiar with the matter. From what we hear, Doppelt is joining up as ECD on the latter agency’s famed Dos Equis account, though his exact title and start date haven’t been confirmed as of yet. We’ve been told by our sources that Doppelt’s hiring had a little something to do with the fact that since Lee Garfinkel took on a co-chairman role alongside Matt Ryan at Euro NY at the beginning of the year, the former has been contacted by people who have worked with him in the past.

Anyhow, during his time at Merkley, Doppelt served as creative lead on accounts including Arby’s, Dave & Buster’s and Ad Council. Prior to Merkley, Doppelt spent four years as a CD at Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, working on business including Mohegan Sun and Verizon. His resume also counts creative stints at Publicis, the now-defunct Cliff Freeman & Partners and Lowe.

Since it’s been preying on a few minds, we can confirm that the L.A. office of the integrated marketing unit Euro RSCG Edge has cut four staffers from the roster. According to spies, the reduction affected those in the creative and project management departments. What we can’t confirm is if anyone pulled a John Pucci during the move.

On a positive note, the Euro network’s Windy City branch hired BBDO Chicago alum Lisa Leone as a CD on the Reynolds Group and Hornitos brands among others and appointed Elena Robinson as its first director of integrated production.

This one slipped by us, but Euro RSCG Chicago has bumped up Michael Shirley from CD to group creative director, digital, which, as the title suggests, calls for him to oversee all aspects of the agency’s digital work. Shirley has been with the agency for just over 18 months and during this time, he has also served as a digital creative director for other agencies within the Havas network including Palm+Havas, Camp+King and Euro 4D.

Prior to Euro, Shirley helped found NYC creative boutique agency, Mouth. Euro RSCG Chicago CCO Jason Peterson has high praise for the man, saying, “He is not an online tourist, he is the mayor. Shirley is what all clients need: a creative leader who knows that the idea and brand come first, followed up with a young and modern understanding of digital and social tools.”