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Archives: August 2013

Hmm, So Detweiler Lands at Arnold After All?

We first heard about this at the beginning of July and at the time, the Arnold camp couldn’t confirm that Curt Detweiler had assumed a senior-level post at the Havas-owned agency. Well, what do we have here, it appears that Detweiler has updated his LinkedIn to show that he’s now EVP/managing director/ECD at Arnold Worldwide. It doesn’t seem too far-fetched considering that Arnold’s global CEO is Robert LePlae, who in 2009 while serving as McCann North America president, brought on Detweiler as the agency’s North American creative chief.

LePlae eventually split from McCann in fall 2011 and landed at Arnold a year ago to initially assume the role of global president. As for Detweiler, the creative exec remains based out of San Francisco it appears. We’re trying to get  confirmation on his arrival and specifics such as his start date from Arnold, but as you may know, Detweiler spent several years as a creative director at various TBWA offices and served as partner/ECD at the now-defunct Ground Zero before joining McCann.

Digital Copywriter Hopes ‘Mighty Boosh’ Impression Will Win Agencies Over

 

Sure, we’ve seen far more clever routes being taken by creatives in order to land an agency (we think this guy set the bar), but hey, we can always appreciate those taking more standard steps to sell themselves. Take for instance this enterprising Toronto guy/gal who among other things, boasts via Craigslist that he/she does one hell of an impression of characters from The Mighty Boosh, the U.K. comedy troupe that had a show on BBC years ago. Not sure if that will really help this digital copywriter’s cause, but hey, there’s this:

“Perks of working with me include:

-The submission of polished, timely work
-Full access to my knowledge of obscure rap music
-A delicious curry dish at every office potluck (it’s all I know how to cook)
- My impersonations of characters from The Mighty Boosh
-A two-week break from my Mighty Boosh impersonations at Christmas

Your duties will involve:

-Paying me every two weeks
-Occasionally supplying me with coffee
-Providing me with at least one healthcare benefit”

Not sure if this person’s looking locally, but if so, your move, Toronto agencies. Hey, we like the moxie.

 

Jell-O, CP+B Give Young Boy an Unfortunate Comb Over

Men with comb overs look hapless. Little boys with comb overs look creepy. To see the difference, please watch the latest Jell-O television spot, appropriately titled “Comb Over.”

In the forty-five-second ad built by CP+B, a balding father whose depressing life resembles a deflated balloon schools his son on the importance of the little things, like a cup of Jell-O pudding. In turn, we see some surreal daydream where the son, still about six years old, goes through a day in the father’s life, only now he has a giant cone head and a comb over. If you ever wanted to know what the male offspring of Lord Voldemort and Francis Dolarhyde (Manhunter version, not Red Dragon) would look like, here you go. Is that not the definition of creepy, a little boy who somehow resembles two fictional psychopaths all because of a comb over? Still, the commercial’s surrealist twist manages to make it stand out in an otherwise standard concept. It’s almost sweet, if not for the whole hapless/depressing/pitying reaction that comes along with comb overs.

Credits after the jump.

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HTC Places Big Bet on New Campaign Starring Robert Downey Jr.

Finally, with help from WPP-owned 171 Partners, HTC is getting creative. For their new “Here’s to Change” global campaign to promote  the HTC One smartphone, the brand has enlisted Robert Downey Jr. as both the star and purveyor of creative input. Engadget suggests that this is new CMO Ben Ho making good on his promise to make HTC’s voice louder.

So far, we’ve got RDJ as mysterious, self-important “Subversive Thinking,” a man with Terry Richardson glasses and a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. He flies in a helicopter and enjoys high-fives. He wears a puce-colored tie. We meet him in HTC’s first teasers: “Big Things Ahead,” “Prelude to Change,” and “The Arrival.” The entire “Change” campaign should run 24 to 36 months, with the first 2-minute spot debuting Thursday. And with any luck, our main man will be quirkily cooing to that cat.

We Hear: What’s Going on at West Studios?

We first inquired about this two weeks ago when the tips came in and have yet to hear back, but there seem to have been some notable defections in recent times from West Studios. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, West is the San Francisco-based shop that was launched two years ago by former Apple global marketing communications head, Allison Johnson, and was initially co-funded by Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey (we’re being told that Dorsey has since distanced himself from the company). During its initial launch, West was headed up by Johnson, former Martin Agency GCD Keith Cartwright and Katalyst digital head, Sarah Ross.

Well, as tipsters have pointed out, the latter two are no longer at West and in fact Cartwright doesn’t even acknowledge his time at the operation on their LinkedIn profiles. Of course, these aren’t the only notable departures from the SF shop in recent months. Travis Britton, former Cutwater principal/ECD who joined West as chief experience officer last year, has parted ways as has COO, Amanda Kelso (former W+K ECD Todd Waterbury was also in the mix but is now of course serving in the same role at Target). And today, we’re hearing that a major client is on the outs with the shop. We’re putting in more inquiries to the rather secretive West Studios, and will try to clarify what the state of the union is as soon as we hear more.

Monday Morning Stir

-TDA_Boulder continues with more outdoor hijinks for FirstBank in a new campaign that emphasizes the word “free” while making folks wonder, “so, what’s the catch?” (above)

-Devin Brook has taken the helm as managing partner of Brand New School’s L.A. and New York studios.

-Apple is set to unveil the next iPhone on Sept. 10. link

-Vulture asks Breaking Bad‘s Bob Odenkirk to analyze actual lawyer ads. link

-Forgot to mention this on Friday, but if you haven’t heard, Y&R has been tapped as the first global agency of record for the Special Olympics, which will hold its World Summer Games in Los Angeles from July 25-August 2, 2015. Ad duties will be handled out of Y&R’s New York office.

If This ‘It Can Wait’ Doc Doesn’t Help the Cause, We Don’t Know What Will

We figured we’d hold off on posting about this until this afternoon because it’s Friday and you might actually be able to view this in full, if you haven’t already, because it deserves to be.  Werner Herzog, the legendary director, writer and/or producer of a million projects including Grizzly Man during his 50-year career, has gone behind the camera once again for the above documentary, From One Second to the Next. This is the epic, poignant, sad and important extension of the ongoing “It Can Wait” PSA campaign initially launched by AT&T that has now been supported by the other major wireless carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Herzog, along with BBDO New York, continues to hammer the message home that texting while driving doesn’t shouldn’t mix via the tales of four different people who were affected by it on either end of the spectrum. Be safe this weekend and if you’d care to, take the “It Can Wait” pledge here. Credits after the jump.

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Advertising Jobs: Magnani Caruso Dutton, 87AM, Aerify Media

This week, Magnani Caruso Dutton is seeking an account director, while 87AM needs an associate media planner. Aerify Media is seeking an account manager, and OMD is on the hunt for a global account director for retail. Get the scoop on these openings and more below, and find additional just-posted gigs on Mediabistro.

Find more great advertising jobs on the AgencySpy job board. Looking to hire? Tap into our network of talented AgencySpy pros and post a risk-free job listing. For real-time openings and employment news, follow @MBJobPost.

Campbell Mithun Nabs Two from Annual ‘Lucky 13′ Intern Program

In April, Campbell Mithun selected the finalists of their annual Lucky 13 internship contest, which this year focused on fresh branding ideas for Twinkies. Now, two from that group, Ben Blaska and Brian Skalak, have been hired to work full-time in account positions and assist teams on KeyBank and various General Mills accounts.

“We always strive to hire our Lucky 13 interns at the end of the summer,” says Debbie Fischer, director of human resources at Campbell Mithun.  “This year Brian and Ben join us during an exciting time of organic growth.  Our other two interns, Jonathan and Harry, return to Syracuse and UNC Chapel Hill and we wish them well as they complete their degrees.”

The boys start work this coming Monday, August 12, and as you can see in the above video, they’re jazzed. I especially appreciate the hand-flailing at the end. For further amusement, you can see Ben, Brian, and fellow intern Jonathan Unger practicing ad-speak in Batman voices in the clip below.

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