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Wieden & Kennedy

Copywriter Behind AT&T’s ‘It’s Not Complicated’ Campaign Heads to W+K NY (Updated)

We’ve received confirmation that Carl Jannerfeldt, who has spent nearly the last three years at BBDO serving as a digital creative/copywriter on, perhaps most notably, AT&T’s now-ubiquitous “It’s Not Complicated” campaign, has joined Wieden+Kennedy New York as a senior creative. Sources familiar with the matter add that Stockholm native Jannerfeldt officially assumed his post yesterday and will work across a variety of accounts at the agency, which counts clients including ESPN, Heineken, Delta and Jordan Brand.

Jannerfeldt’s most recent AT&T work, run out of both BBDO New York and Atlanta, featured some NBA legends, though the videos appear to have now been taken private. Ah well, we always our charming efforts featuring the roundtable moderator and the kids, which the new W+K staffer was involved with (one example below).

During his career, Jannerfeldt has also worked as a copywriter for a couple of years the now-defunct, Stockholm-based Farfar.

Update: Got some clarification from the man himself. Jannerfeldt tells us that he was mainly involved in the AT&T “Brackets by Six-Year-Olds” digital campaign that launched during March Madness, the concept of which inspired the spots above, hence why his name was included in the credits. Thanks for the clarification, sir.

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W+K, Oreo Relationship Concludes with ‘Super Important Test’

In case you were wondering, the domain name www.superimportanttest.com is no longer available, thanks to W+K and Oreo, who bring us, yes, a “Super Important Test,” which as we imagine was the intention is hardly a test. You have two options (cookie or cream) and you’re correct either way. Get it?

Super Important Test” marks not only the conclusion of W+K’s Oreo’s “Cookie vs. Creme” campaign that began with the buzzed-about “Whisper Fight” spot from the Super Bowl and the subsequent “Separator Machine” clips, but the relationship between W+K and the Mondelez brand itself. As you may know, Draftfcb and now the Martin Agency work primarily on the Oreo account.

Anyhow, W+K curated quite a bit of content for the website–more than 30 different videos may play after you click cookie or creme–but this type of limited platform really begs the question: What’s the point? How does this sort of advertising advance the OREO brand in any meaningful way? I’m asking a serious question, not just trying to be glib, so if there is an answer, please post a comment.

Virality for the sake of virality is turning into a common approach for most creatives, and a website full of 30 unrelated internet videos that may or may not be funny seems like a great way to waste an advertising budget. Oreo was never going to choose cookie over cream or vice versa, but it didn’t have to choose. This is a case of a clever idea that simply ran out of ingredients.

Stills and credits after the jump.

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The Old Spice Wolfdog Calls it Quits

And thus, W+K Portland and P&G bid farewell to Old Spice’s “Wolfdog,” who in the past week has garnered over 4 million views via videos such as this and this and who’s even produced a Tumblr as well as  a record. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and Wolfdog is now out as Old Spice’s director of marketing and you can see his resignation clip above. Some people, though, have told us that this campaign is fairly similar to the one from Atmosphere Proximity to promote “The Big Ad Gig.” What do you think? Check out one more clip from the week-long campaign if interested as well as credits after the jump.

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Kevin Durant Seduced By Villain’s Role

Kevin Durant used to be nice, but not anymore. At some point this season, the second-best player in the NBA stopped being the silent choirboy fans respected, and Nike and Wieden+Kennedy anticipated the change for their recent “KD Is Not Nice” campaign. Call it truth in advertising, because for whatever reason, Durant has really started to embrace the roll of edgy superstar.

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And with This, We Put Our ‘Harlem Shake’ Coverage to Bed

 

As Emma Carmichael at Deadspin told us yesterday, the internet is doing it all wrong when it comes to the “Harlem Shake,” which actually originated over 30 years ago but has now been transmogrified (and pretty much diluted) into an unstoppable meme. The Deadspin scolding, though, hasn’t stopped the agency world (and world at large) from producing their own interpretations of the “shake,” and the latest to follow suit is Rokkan, which purposely waited until Valentine’s Day to release their entry. See above.

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the submissions from Wieden+Kennedy, which hit the internet with Shake showings from both its Portland and New York offices. The one from Portland HQ (below) was actually posted less than a week ago but has already racked up nearly three-million views. If you haven’t totally tuned out yet, tune in after the jump to the W+K NY edition, which seems like a rather fitting entry to the Harlem hullabaloo. As mentioned, we will now do our best to cease coverage of this meme moving forward. Amen.

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W+K Alum Martinez Lands CD Gig at Martin Agency

W+K vet Jordi Martinez has headed to Richmond, VA to assume a creative director position at the Martin Agency. Martinez, who just started in his new role this week, will be “ applying his knowledge of the digital space” to various accounts and helping out with new business efforts at Martin, which of course currently boasts a client roster that includes Geico, Pizza Hut, Mentos, the JFK Presidential Library, etc..

During his five-plus years at W+K, Martinez worked out of both the agency’s Portland HQ and the Amsterdam office. While he was at the latter serving as creative technology director, Martinez spearheaded W+K’s Dam Armada unit, which was launched in 2011 and focused on digital solutions, programming and product development. Along with Dam Armada, Martinez worked on the Honda Insight “Let it Shine” Vimeo takeover from 2009 as well as the digital component of Nike’s multi-award-winning “Write the Future” campaign. Martinez’s new boss at Martin, CCO Joe Alexander, says of his new hire, “Jordi’s the complete package—a great talent and an even better dude. He immediately gives us deeper depth across multiple disciplines, especially creative tech.”

W+K Kickstarts Dodge Dart

W+K’s line of Dodge ads appeals to consumers with a distinct voice that separates the brand from most  auto manufacturers hawking new models. By now, we all know the recipe: frenetic cuts, clean white text, VO that tries too hard to be cool, and the loop from “No Church in the Wild.” The commercials run so often,  you almost forget that the song used to belong to Jay, Ye, and Frank Ocean. I doubt any of them drive Dodge Darts.

But for those of us who want to drive Dodge Darts, the latest spot, titled “How to Change Buying Cars Forever,” details a clever crowdfunding pitch meant to make new cars a little more affordable. Interested buyers can design their own Dart online and set a funding goal for family and friends who want to purchase individual parts as gifts. Mom and Dad get the steering wheel, your brother covers the leather seats, etc.

And if you’re getting married, the Dodge Dart Registry throws a nice wrench in the department store marital registry monopoly. Nobody wants a new toaster. Credits after the jump.

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Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy Play Nothing But… Hole for Nike

After the Tiger Woods sex scandal broke, it was a bit surprising that Nike stayed loyal to the face of its golf line. But, by offering 23-year-old phenom Rory McIlroy a 10-year $250 million contract, is it possible that Tiger’s days may be waning? At the very least, Nike Golf is no longer dependent on the success of Woods to carry its brand for the next decade.

A new spot from W+K finds Tiger playing the “old guy,” challenging McIlroy to a chip shot contest reminiscent of McDonald’s classic Michaell Jordan/Larry BirdNothing but Net” campaign from the early 90s.  “No Cup is Safe” depicts Tiger as the wily veteran, with Rory as the new, young face of the PGA nipping at Woods’ heels. To be honest, it’s a bit uncomfortable to watch, as I’m sure it was for Tiger to shoot it. The sun may be setting all too soon on Tiger’s career, while Rory’s is just beginning. Perhaps Tiger offered some advice to Rory on set, some advice that no one bothered to give him 14 years ago when he was in the same situation as Rory is now.

It’s hard to see this spot as anything other than a “passing of the old guard,” which is probably what Nike asked for. It’s cute, but full of sadness and hope at the same time. Perhaps I’m making this a bigger deal than it actually is, but, as a fan of both athletes, it’s hard to imagine a world where these guys can coexist at the top of the professional golf ladder. Credits after the jump.

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DeCourcy Returns to Agency World, Takes Global Co-ECD Role at W+K

Sorry for the delay, folks, but it’s been somewhat of a busy week in Wieden + Kennedy’s world as the agency has followed up the launch of its new, John C. Jay-led unit dubbed W+K Garage with the formation a new global management team. Perhaps most notably, W+K’s latest move signals the arrival of Colleen DeCourcy (pictured), who started up her own social media-focused design shop, Socialistic, over two years ago, but has now joined up with W+K to take on role of global co-executive creative director.

Her fellow global co-ECD is Mark Fitzloff, who’s spent 13 years at W+K and the last five as executive creative director at the agency’s Portland HQ, leading creative on Old Spice among other accounts. Replacing him as ECD in Portland will be Joe Staples, who’s spent over eight years within the W+K network and will now partner with fellow lead creatives Susan Hoffman and Tom Blessington.

Along with the new ECD appointments, W+K global COO Dave Luhr will assume the role of president while agency co-founder Dan Wieden will become chairman of its global management team. In a statement regarding the management moves, Wieden says, “I don’t think we’ve ever had a chairman, but now I [am] one—albeit an active one.  Between Dave and Mark, we have 40 years of proven W+K experience, respect and leadership. This level of talent and experience gave me the confidence to search outside the agency to find a third global management team member with digital expertise. Colleen brings an energy and a knowledge base that is second to none. I am convinced that our next 30 years are going to be pretty damn exciting.”

During her career, DeCourcy has also spent a few years as CCO at Organic, chief digital officer at TBWA and chief experience officer at JWT.

W+K Opens Up ‘Garage’ with ‘Unleashed’ John C. Jay Set to Lead

Wieden + Kennedy creative lead John C. Jay, who has been with the Portland-based agency for two decades and currently serves as global ECD/partner, has been appointed as lead for a new unit dubbed W+K Garage, which we’ve been told “will serve as a multidisciplinary creative agency for the connected age, focused on the concepting, creating and investing in innovative experiences, content and technology.”

Agency namesake/co-founder Dan Wieden says this in a statement: “When a man has a vision it is best to help him realize it. This is John Jay unleashed. W+K Garage is for clients who seek a more personal, one on one relationship with one of the industries most celebrated creative minds. John’s connections are deep and worldwide. As is his ability to scour the globe and pull together the perfect team for the challenge at hand. I have never seen the man more energized.”

The “energized” senior creative joined W+K in 1993, subsequently working on accounts including Nike, Microsoft and Coca-Cola while also helping launch the agency’s Tokyo office nearly 15 years ago. We’ve been told by the W+K camp that the “Garage” offices will be based in Portland but there is also salon space in NYC. In addition, we’re getting word that there will be new hires and discussions are underway with potential clients, though the agency has yet to confirm a roster at this point in time.

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