Ogilvy

Effective January 4, 2010, current Ogilvy NY Chairman/Ogilvy North America CEO Carla Hendra will assume the post of Global Chairman of the agency's new Global Strategy & Innovation practice. According to the announce, the new unit was specifically built "to offer clients multidisciplinary strategic services that combine creativity with rigorous effectiveness."

At her new post, Hendra, who's been with Ogilvy for 14 years, will report directly to Global CEO Miles Young. In a statement, Young says, "Clients fundamentally want insights and ideas that accelerate their brands and business, and it is our goal to deliver on both superbly. As Ogilvy's primary driver of digital services, as well as founder of our strategic consulting business, Carla is the perfect candidate to advance innovation around the globe."

More: "Ogilvy Launches Big Apple Bike Share Program"

Sources have confirmed to us that Deutsch New York SVP/group account director Matt Dowshen left the agency last week after 3 1/2 years to head up account management uptown at Ogilvy. While more specific information wasn't revealed, a tipster notes that Dowshen's new employer is "the same agency that he was taking Kodak business from for the past two years."

Prior to Deutsch, which he joined in May 2006 to head up IKEA and the global Novartis business, Dowshen spent most of his early ad career at JWT Bangkok and Sao Paulo.

More: "Ogilvy Launches Big Apple Bike Share Program"

If you happened to be strolling around the West Side Highway in Manhattan this morning (hopefully you brought an umbrella), you probably saw Ogilvy bike riders pedaling past you (our intern Ralph Lee was supposed to view the festivities firsthand, but he's apparently afraid of a little drizzle...wimp). Anyways, the well-Tweeted event marks the launch of Ogilvy's new OgilvyBikes corporate bike share program, which includes the creation of 150 covered bicycle spaces in the agency's new West Side garage to accommodate the bevy of Breezer rides the agency's purchased.

According to the release, the agency is offering free helmets to those who want to join the program and ride loaner bikes as well as accoutrements like a shower facility. One of Ogilvy's main goals with the program is to show how it's reducing its carbon footprint at its new green HQ on 11th Ave.

In a statement, O&M North America COO/OgilvyBikes lead Gunther Schumacher explains, "When we moved to our new building we purposefully incorporated as many green elements as possible, underscoring sustainability as an important business objective for Ogilvy. The OgilvyBikes program comes at a time when the City is opening up streets for bicycles and a greater number of our staff is looking to be part of a movement driving environmental change close to home, while getting fit and having fun at the same time."

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More: "Ogilvy Hires 4 Senior Level People"

Ogilvy announced four new senior level hires today.

Tim Maleeny (pictured): Senior partner and head of account planning

Marta La Rock: Worldwide planning director on Kraft/GSK (formerly EVP, director of idea planning at TracyLocke)

Dan Ng: Worldwide planning director on American Express/Motorola (formerly head of planning at Tribal DDB)

Magnus Blair: Planning director on Dove (comes over from Anomaly)

More: "Ogilvy Gets A New Talent Officer"

David Hauser, co-founder/CTO of Massachusetts-based firm Grasshopper, which offers virtual phone services for entrepreneurs and small businesses, is crying foul over Ogilvy's new AmEx spot that touts the power of entrepreneurship.

On his MINDDrift blog, Hauser points out that not only has Grasshopper's piano-driven animated video been out months before Ogilvy's piano-driven narrated work, but that Google Analytics showed the mega-agency was trolling the Grasshopper campaign site multiple times before releasing the AmEx ditty.

Some of the more interesting excerpts from Hauser's textual rant include:

"It bothers me that a very large ad agency would 'borrow' from not one entrepreneurial company (Grasshopper) but also an independent communications professional we hired to produce a video. But what bothers me more is that the message is being used for direct commercial gain by AmEx to promote another venture of theirs, OPEN Forum.

...This video was never created so that we could monopolize the message, 'entrepreneurs can change the world,' but there are certainly lots of ways to get this message across without replicating someone else's campaign (especially if you have the resources of Ogilvy & Mather). After all, we were open to sharing the video. In fact, we even released it under the Creative Commons license so anyone could download it, show it at conferences, company meetings or anything else. What's more, we removed our branding almost entirely so that people could just use the video to motivate people. Instead, a very large ad agency decided it would be easier to just 'borrow' the feel of our messaging, and not even engage in a partnership that would truly help entrepreneurs (there are definitely ways to do this, American Express)."

Hmm, well besides the similarities in music, messaging and overall tone, we can't figure out why Hauser would be so upset.

Update: A source within Ogilvy tells us their piece was produced in early spring, possibly March.

Update 2: An Oglivy representative confirms that the video was produced in March, noting, "We
couldn't say that if Amex wasn't ok with that. This kind of work takes a long time to go through the pipeline."

Regarding Ogilvy employees allegedly visiting the Grasshopper site, the rep. states that those visits came from the UK and Hong Kong (we're not sure how they know that; would not elaborate); the ad was produced by Ogilvy New York. Furthermore, we hear there was a large marketing push by Grasshopper whereby chocolate grasshoppers were sent to various outlets, creating a stir about the campaign. That could be how the UK/Hong Kong folks arrived (in May, btw, according to Ogilvy).

And then there's Girl Effect.

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More: "Jamba Juice Offers Tepid Statement in Light of Campaign Controversy"

Ten years ago today, the man who you know as David Ogilvy died. His life was laden with anecdotes that he famously shared with friends, colleagues and staff — here's a list of Davidisms, which in 1991 he scribbled for Fortune writer Patricia Sellers:

1. Remember that Abraham Lincoln spoke of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He left out the pursuit of profit.

2. Remember the old Scottish motto: "Be happy while you're living, for you are a long time dead."

3. If you have to reduce your company's payroll, don't fire your people until you have cut your compensation and the compensation of your big-shots.

4. Define your corporate culture and your principles of management in writing. Don't delegate this to a committee. Search all the parks in all your cities. You'll find no statues of committees.

5. Stop cutting the quality of your products in search of bigger margins. The consumer always notices — and punishes you.

6. Never spend money on advertising which does not sell.

7. Bear in mind that the consumer is not a moron. She is your wife. Do not insult her intelligence.

David Ogilvy

Charleston

November 15, 1991

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More: "Ogilvy Wants You To Taste Blood"

Thanks for the info man. Full story here.

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More: "Jeff Goodby in AdAge: 'We are becoming irrelevant award-chasers.'"

Ogilvy has appointed Colin Mitchell (pictured) and John Shaw to joint Worldwide Planning Directors.

Mitchell, a 10-year veteran of the agency, will be based in New York while Shaw, a JWT and Wieden + Kennedy alum, will set up camp across the pond in London. Together, the pair will serve as chairmen of the Ogilvy & Mather Global Planning Council, whose goal is to emphasize effectiveness around the world. To help the dynamic duo in their cause, Ogilvy's promoted Tim Broadbent to take on the newly created role of, you guessed it, Global Effectiveness Director.

More: "Jen Colman Leaves Ogilvy"

So um, we aren't exactly sure if the arrow to the right is pointing to the proper building but the one on the left definitely is. It's an interesting retrospective on the new model. From old midtown to old midtown west, the new Ogilvy is surely different. We've been promised some night shots so stay tuned.

Update: Both buildings hold or held Ogilvy.

More: "The New (but still old) Ogilvy"

A spy sent us a few pics of the new Ogilvy building on 47th and 11th here in Manhattan. See if you can pick it out among the other Hell's Kitchen structures. We would point it out for you but we're currently at the New York Times' Times Center and the wifi signal here is terrible. Way to go, media company. Anyway, adding a helpful arrow to the image has proved incredibly difficult.

Ten points for the first among you to e-mail me identifying the new-old O&M. agencyspy at gmail dot com.

More: "Ogilvy's Moving, Wanna Fight About it?"