JWT New York has confirmed that as of today, it’s decided to part ways with co-chief creative officer Ryan Kutscher, who has been with the agency for less than a year. JWT NY would not comment beyond the confirmation, but as a result of its move, the creative leadership at the office now rests in the hands of Kutscher’s now-former partner-in-crime Matt MacDonald and JWT North America CCO, Jeff Benjamin.

Kutscher joined JWT NY as MacDonald’s co-CCO after spending five years at CP+B, where he last served as creative director and worked on VW  as well as the award-winning “Whopper Freakout.” He and MacDonald replaced Peter Nicholson as JWT NY’s top creatives last May.

Nearly 18 months after joining up with JWT New York to work on the agency’s then-existing Microsoft commercial business, sources familiar with the matter confirm that executive creative director Bill Oberlander is no longer with the agency. Oberlander (pictured), a former Cossette CCO/EVP and McCann alum is not the only senior-level creative to be shown the door, though, as we’ve been told by sources that Jeremy Postaer is also out. From what we hear, the cuts were a result of “restructuring at the ECD level.” As you all know, JWT NY also recently parted ways with CCO Peter Nicholson following the hiring of Jeff Benjamin and Mike Geiger, so perhaps this latest “restructuring” is part of the mix.

JWT North America has enticed CP+B’s Jeff Benjamin and Goodby chief digital officer Mike Geiger to leave their respective posts and join the agency’s leadership team (guess JWT NA CEO/Worldwide digital director David Eastman’s got quite the charm). Benjamin (pictured) and Geiger will serve as JWT North America’s chief creative officer and president, chief integration officer, respectively.

JWT Worldwide chairman/CEO Bob Jeffrey seems obviously pleased, saying in a statement, “Jeff Benjamin and Mike Geiger are game-changers and they embody the future of our industry. With these appointments, JWT solidifies its position as the only agency that can deliver creativity and execution at the intersection of Silicon Valley, Madison Avenue and Hollywood. We know that clients need this unique expertise and we are excited to lead the way forward.”

Benjamin spent over eight years at CP+B, initially joining up as interactive CD and eventually moving all the way up to CCO/partner. Geiger, meanwhile, spent nearly twice that much time at GS&P, last serving as chief digital officer, associate partner.

As a result of JWT’s move, the agency’s NY CCO Peter Nicholson, who rejoined just over a year ago, is out of a job. Expect his replacement to be announced in the coming weeks.

-What’s up with Groupon’s odd new “Clicky” feature (above)? link

-R/GA tapped Contagious director Jess Greenwood to serve as director of business strategy.

-Coca-Cola brand Schweppes awarded its U.K. ad account W+K. link

-Google amplifies its search services with more + integration. link

-eMarketer sold a minority stake to a private investor. link

Tween heartthrob, pop sensation and accused baby daddy Justin Bieber apparently has the same effect on grown men as he does on middle-school girls according to this Black Friday ad created by JWT New York for Macy’s. The Biebs, sporting a new, um, more mature do and promoting his Someday gift set, shows off his acting chops as he causes a stir during a late-night trip to the retail chain. All we can say is good luck to those parents who will be forced to brave the stampede and wait in line this Friday to buy the Bieber set. On the bright side, at least a few bucks from each purchase go to Make-a-Wish. Credits after the jump.

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We’ve received confirmation from sources familiar with the matter that JWT New York’s director of integrated production, Clair Grupp, is no longer with the agency. The word is that the agency’s NY CCO Peter Nicholson is taking things in a new direction. Grupp, whose last day at JWT was last Monday according to sources, worked on campaigns for Huggies (remember this or this?), Halls and more. Prior to JWT, Grupp spent eight years at Cliff Freeman & Partners, serving as head of integrated production at the now dearly departed shop.

Now that he seems to have finally settled into his CCO post at JWT New York, Peter Nicholson‘s announced the first new additions to his creative team, namely Craig Love and Shayne Millington. The pair arrives from Wieden+Kennedy, where they spent three years as senior copywriter and senior art director, respectively, on Nike, Coke and Target.

Prior to W+K, Love (pictured, with undeniable facial hair) and Millington worked at Saatchi & Saatchi NY, where they were a part of the creative team behind Wheaties’ “Muscle Bag” and JCPenney’s “Back to School” campaigns as well as work for accounts including Honey Nut Cheerios, Olay and “I Love New York” NY State Tourism.

According to a statement from their new boss, “This duo has been producing stellar work for more than a decade. Their creative skills are indicative of the type of talent I am looking to bring to JWT.”

Well, here’s a big news item to end the week. It took a few months, but JWT New York has finally found a successor for Ty Montague as the agency’s announced that Peter Nicholson has joined up as its chief creative officer. As you may remember, Montague and co-president Rosemarie Ryan left JWT in March to eventually start up Co: and the agency’s North American CEO David Eastman and company have been on the hunt ever since.

It marks a second tour of duty at JWT for Nicholson, who was an ECD at the shop from 2005-2007. During the ensuing years, he took on posts including CCO at Deutsch New York before heading over to Redscout in April (that was quick) to take on the same title and work on accounts including Activision, Diageo, Kate Spade, PepsiCo and Samsung.

During his career, Nicholson also held creative posts at Publicis New York and Goodby.