Moen has consolidated its marketing business at Havas Chicago, awarding the agency brand responsibility for creative, media, digital and content.

The faucet manufacturer's measured media spending through the third quarter was nearly $13 million, and it spent about $16 million in 2014, according to Kantar Media.

The account was previously handled by The Martin Agency, which oversaw traditional creative, TV and print duties, while Critical Mass was responsible for digital creative and media. Cleveland-based Rojek Consulting Group handled Moen's agency review, which included other undisclosed contenders.

Havas said it is being charged with reinventing Moen for the brand's emerging millennial and multicultural customer base, not to mention the future generation of "centennial" shoppers.

In a statement, Moen vp of global brand marketing Tim McDonough explained the move to Havas: "While several prequalified agencies were excellent choices for Moen's consideration, the team from Havas Chicago demonstrated superior capability and insights, as well as deep appreciation for our company culture, ethos, and brand potential."

Oreo is the latest brand to take a stab at making the world a better place, as it launches a global campaign urging people to "Open Up" to new people and experiences—a message of diversity and tolerance delivered first in a 30-second spot with vocal by Adam Lambert.

That spot, called "Rolling Wonder," broke Monday. The campaign, which includes digital content, point-of-sale and global prizing, will roll out to more than 50 countries worldwide during the first half of 2016, Oreo tells AdFreak.

The idea of "Open Up with Oreo," created by The Martin Agency, is to urge people to open their hearts to those who are different and discover the similarities. The campaign is part of the larger global "Wonderfilled" platform that launched in 2013. (It's also slyly product focused, as many people "open up" their Oreos before eating them.)



The work follows last year's "Play With Oreo" campaign, and retains similar themes about being childlike. "Open Up with Oreo" is based off the idea that children are naturally open, and only as we get older do we close ourselves off.

Also on Monday, the brand introduced the Oreo Wonder Vault, a fancifully imagined place where new Oreo flavors are dreamed up and stored. Two U.S. flavors of Oreo are being released this month: returning flavor Red Velvet, and new flavor Cinnamon Bun. A third limited-edition flavor is expected shortly that Oreo promises will be "unlike anything we've done before." 

Erwin Penland has made its first big staffing move since the November announcement that CMO Joe Saracino would replace outgoing ceo Joe Erwin by hiring Martin Agency veteran Mike Lear as its newest executive creative director.

Lear officially joined the agency late last year, and in the new role he will help lead creative and strategy for clients including Denny's and L.L.Bean while playing a crucial part in all new business efforts.

He will also work closely with chief creative officer Con Williamson, who tells Adweek, "We met in New York while working on Microsoft's Cortana launch in the summer of 2014, and I really sparked with him right away."

"I'm going to jump in wherever I'm needed [at Erwin Penland]," Lear says, adding, "I don't want to stop writing, and it's great to be able to do that while working with younger creatives that we want to help nurture."

Lear heads to the Greenville, S.C.-based IPG shop after spending more than 11 years with Martin, where he held the svp/creative director title. During his time there, he worked on some of the agency's biggest accounts including Geico, UPS and NASCAR while managing the SiriusXM, Midas, The Smithsonian and The Onion business.

Prior to joining Martin, Lear spent two years with Crispin, Porter + Bogusky Miami, where he worked on MINI, IKEA, Google and Virgin Atlantic. He has also been an instructor at Atlanta's Creative Circus, and he served as an adjunct professor at Richmond's VCU Brandcenter for more than a decade.

The hiring news marks the latest step in a comeback of sorts for Erwin Penland after Verizon ended its longtime relationship with the agency in late 2015 and shifted most of its sponsorship/entertainment business to fellow IPG shop Momentum Worldwide.

"We're building something at EP," Williamson says. "I would almost call it a startup. The best part is, new business is calling." He goes on to praise Lear's "Swiss Army Knife" approach to advertising, noting, "There's no role for a ceremonial creative director anymore, and he can lead by example ... It feels like Mike's been working with us for years. He's home. He already has one pitch under his belt."

Lear tells Adweek, "The system for strong creative work is in place and we have an incredibly strong team. Not to mention, everyone at Erwin Penland says 'yes,' so now we have to continue to hold ourselves to higher and higher standards."

The first non-nudity issue of Playboy is here, and it actually does include some topless models—the vodka bottles in Stolichnaya's topical print ads by The Martin Agency.

See the work below. And check out our earlier story about how Playboy's no-nudity revamp could mean more ad dollars and higher-end brands.

CREDITS

Client: Stolichnaya
Chief Marketing Officer Lori Tieszen
Stoli Brand DirectorRuss Pareti
Stoli Brand Manager Lauren Longenecker
Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Director: Jorge Calleja
VP Creative Director: Neel Williams
VP Creative Director: Andrew Watson
Designer: Marco Piedy
Studio Artist: Melissa Aspero
Business Affairs Manager: Alice Isner
EVP – Managing Director: Chris Mumford
Account Director: Laurel Busony
Account Executive: Cassie Harris
Senior Project Manager: Rebecca Gricus
VP, Executive Print Producer: Jenny Schoenherr
VP, Group Planning Director: Mike Kelley 

After several years of decidedly unusual ads from New York's Barton F. Graf, travel aggregator Kayak is going in a new direction, choosing The Martin Agency for its next big creative assignment.

The Richmond, Va.-based shop, best known for its endless stream of amusing Geico spots, will handle communications planning and creative development for what promises to be a "multichannel creative campaign" for 2016. Kayak, which was acquired by Priceline just four months after its 2012 IPO, ended its relationship with Barton F. Graf after one last "oddvertising" effort last fall.

Martin's New York office, which recently hired James Robinson of twofifteenmccann as its first executive creative director and expanded his team, will lead the effort.

"We're excited to be working with the team at Martin," said Stephanie Retcho, Kayak's svp of North American marketing. "We have great respect for the work they have been doing and are looking forward to creating communications that will engage the Kayak audience in new ways."

Matt Williams, CEO of The Martin Agency, called Kayak "the known leader in online travel."

"They've completely changed the game when it comes to the planning process," Williams said. "We're thrilled to partner with them as they take their creative approach to the next level with new and innovative thinking behind their brand."

The forthcoming campaign will launch in the spring.

Recent spending totals for Kayak were not available at the time of publication, but according to Kantar Media, its parent company, Priceline Group, spent roughly $136 million on measured media in the U.S. in 2014.

Financial planning and everything associated with it can be stressful and complicated, even off-putting. For a financial services brand like TIAA—which just dropped the "CREF" from TIAA-CREF—that can present a marketing challenge.

The company's new campaign, shortened name, new logo and revamped website are intended to present a financial services brand that's simple, maybe even a little fun.  

"This is a new way to engage with millions of people to help them along on their journey," said Connie Weaver, TIAA's chief marketing officer, of the company's messaging overhaul. "Many people are intimidated by the investment portion of financial services. You have to meet people where they are; they care about their problems, and they don't want someone to tell them about diversification. If they don't understand what that is, that makes people feel bad, and they shut down." 

Founded in 1918, TIAA provides financial planning services to people working in fields like education, healthcare, nonprofits and government agencies.

According to Weaver, the name "TIAA-CREF" communicated complexity to consumers and that's the opposite of what it wants to convey. The new campaign—a collaboration with The Martin Agency, Frog, First Born and Weber Shandwick—is meant to communicate simplicity.

New television spots, from The Martin Agency, which landed the account following a review in July 2013, roll out next week. 

Geico and The Martin Agency had a huge hit with their "Unskippable" preroll campaign on YouTube last year, which Adweek named the best campaign of 2015. This year's follow-up campaign, though, needed a completely new hook—because the YouTube buy this time involves 15-second prerolls where no skip button appears at all.

But don't worry. Geico still has you covered.

Instead of showing you the whole ad in the first five seconds, and then rewarding you with quietly awkward comedy if you stick around, the new spots have a different structure—they show the very beginning and the very end of longer ads, but fast-forward through the middle. And if you're curious about what happened in the middle (and the ads suggest that some really odd stuff went down), you can click through to see the full spot.

Check out the spots, directed by Nick Ball of Furlined, here: 

 
"Hike"

 
"Lake"

 
"Forest"

 
"Going Up"

 
It's not a radical departure from last year's ads. There's the same comedic vibe, and the same self-aware acknowledgment of preroll being, fundamentally, a burden. There's even another elevator spot. (Birds, fish and bears have taken the place of the dog, though.)

The conceit isn't quite as pure as last year's, if only because the viewer has to click through to see a second video—which feels like a big ask, particularly given that the campaign inherently admits even 15 seconds is probably too intrusive. But the ads are amusing, and you can't fault Geico for extending a campaign this smart and innovative. 

CREDITS
Client: Geico
Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward
Senior Director, Marketing: Amy Furman
Director, Marketing Media Advertising: Bill Brower
Sr. Mgr., Broadcast, Outdoor, Print & Sports Marketing: Melissa Halicy
Marketing Supervisor: Mike Grant
Marketing Buyer: Tom Perlozzo
Marketing Buyer: Brighid Griffin
Marketing Coordinator: Julia Nass

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Director: Steve Bassett
Group Creative Director: Wade Alger
Creative Director (copywriter): Neel Williams
Associate Creative Director (art director): Mauricio Mazzariol
Executive Producer: Brett Alexander
Broadcast Producer: Liza Miller
Junior Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Group Account Director: Brad Higdon
Account Executive: Allison Hensley
Account Coordinator: Allie Waller
Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo
Financial Account Supervisor: Monica Cox
Senior Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz
Project Manager: Karen McEwen

Production Company: Furlined
Director: Nick Ball
President: Diane McArter
Senior Executive Producer: David Thorne
Executive Producer: David Richards
Producer: Jason Gilbert
      
Editorial Company: Cut + Run
Executive Producer: Carr Schilling
Producer: Annabelle Dunbar-Whittaker
Editor: Frank Effron
Assistant Editor: Brian Meagher

Telecine: MPC
Colorist: Ricky Gausis

Animation/VFX: MPC
Executive Producer: Lexi Stern
Senior Producer: Juliet Tierney
Production Coordinator: Valentina Cokonis
Line Producer: Deepanjali Singh
VFX Supervisor: Gizmo Rivera
VFX Supervisor/Nuke Lead: Jim Spratling
Comp/Prep Lead:  Avinash Bhandary
Roto Lead: Sivakumar R

Music: Black Iris
Executive Producer: Jon Spencer
Senior Producer: Amanda Patterson
Executive Creative Director: Justin Bailey
Creative Director: Rich Stine
Composer: Justin Bailey

Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Engineer/Mixer: Jeff McManus, Mike O'Connor

Last year, The Martin Agency positioned Benjamin Moore with the line "Paint Like No Other," laying it on thick in ads starring a pair of ventriloquist's dummies.

Now, with those creepy puppets gone, client and agency return with a different approach, posing the question "Is It Still Paint?" in the anthem spot below:



So, we saw colorful paint cans stacked like a cityscape, a Close Encounters-type UFO, a game-show sendup, shocked folks at a 3-D flick and a weightlifter.

And then there's the narration: "What if there was a paint that made you look at paint differently—question everything you know, and what you don't know? What if it's built with better ingredients? Given superpowers? And even a secret base to test those powers? … It makes you wonder: Is it still paint?"

Broad strokes, wouldn't you say? A second ad follows the same formula, focusing on the paint's asthma and allergy friendly properties:



There's nothing to sneeze at in either spot, visually. Pulse Films directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace (aka thirtytwo) apply a nice even coat of flowing images throughout.

Of course, the product in question is still just paint, and it remains a tough mission to try to challenge that perception and turn it on its head. For many of us, paint will always be a commodity. When shopping for magenta (because we have no taste whatsoever), we seek out the hue, not the brand.

Does making advertising that stands out means the paint will, too? We're skeptical, but if you disagree with our conclusions, feel free to brush them aside. 

CREDITS
Client: Benjamin Moore
Chief Executive Officer: Mike Searles
Vice President, Marketing: Jim Ricci
Brand Management Director: Chris Connelly
Senior Media Manager: Deb DeHamilton
Senior Brand Manager: Harriette Martins

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Creative Director: Vanessa Fortier
Creative Director, Copywriter: Dave Gibson
Associate Creative Directors, Art Directors: Mauricio Mazzariol, Justin Harris
Executive Producer: Christina Cairo
Senior Broadcast Producer: Beata Mastalerz
Junior Broadcast Producer: Sara Montgomery
Group Account Director: Rich Weinstein
Account Director: Allison Oxenreiter
Account Executive: Hill Shore
Business Affairs Supervisors: Juanita McInteer, Alice Isner
Senior Project Manager: Courtney Faudree Hurd
Digital Designer: Lauren Erickson
Digital Executive Producer: Kim Zaninovich
Digital Producer: Betsy Wishart
Technical Director: Jeremy Misavage
Senior Developer: Alex McCallum
Senior Art Producer: Wylie Moran
Junior Print Producer: Jamie Dollins

Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: thirtytwo
Producer: Shirley O'Connor
Executive Producer: Hillary Rogers
President of Commercials: Kira Carstensen
Director of Photography: Reed Morano
Production Designer: Philip Ivey
Service Production: Batch Film
Line Producer: Iris Weber

Editorial Company: Final Cut
Editor: Jeff Buchanan
Executive Producer NY: Sarah Roebuck
HOP New York Producer: Jen Sienkwicz
HOP Los Angeles: Suzy Ramirez
Cutting Assistant, New York: Geoff Hastings
Assistant, Los Angeles: BettyJo Moore

Visual Effects: The Mill
Producer: Dan Love
Shoot Supervisor: James Corden
Creative Director: Tony Robbins
2-D Lead Artist: Krissy Nordella
3-D Lead Artist: Greg Gangemi
2-D Artists: Tony Robbins, Blake Druery, John McIntosh, Mina Mir, Antoine Douadi
3-D Artists: Lauren Shields, Nick Couret-Chailloux, Sean Dooley, Xuan Seifert
Matte Painting: Cedric Mernard
Motion Graphics: Laura Nash

Telecine: The Mill
Color Producer: Natalie Westerfield
Colorist: Fergus McCall

Original Music, Sound Design: Q Department

Audio Post Company: Significant Others
Engineer, Mixer: T. Terressa Tate
Audio, Finishing Producer: Alek Rost

The December 2013 passing of Mike Hughes, "patriarch, president and ultimate creative leader of The Martin Agency," left an opening that agency principals knew could only be filled by one person.

Today the Virginia-based IPG shop announced that chief operating officer Beth Rilee-Kelley has been promoted to president, effective immediately. She is the first to hold that title since Hughes' death.

The 33-year Martin veteran started as an assistant account executive in 1983, was named partner in 2005 and became COO in January 2011. In the role, her expanded duties will include partnering with clients and working on Martin's new business initiatives.

"It feels right," Rilee-Kelley told Adweek about her latest promotion, adding, "Mike is probably smiling at this one. His are some pretty big shoes to fill. He was my mentor and role model, and I worked with him for years in the creative department." She added that her partners, CEO Matt Williams and chief creative officer Joe Alexander, surprised her with the news.

"If I had to pick one person who personifies The Martin Agency when we are at our best, it would be Beth," said Williams. "She is smart, witty, decisive and kind. I know she will excel as our new president."

Alexander added: "Like Mike, Beth is an intuitive leader, an incredible listener and a great partner to our clients and our employees. We are lucky to have her. And I'm lucky to call her my partner and even better, my friend."

Together, the three executives have logged a total of 83 years of tenure at The Martin Agency. Regarding operational changes in her new role, Rilee-Kelley said, "I have client responsibility now in addition to having multiple departments reporting to me including IT, operations and human resources. I started in accounts and worked there for 15 years, so in many ways this is also about me getting back to my roots here at Martin."

While The Martin Agency remains best-known for its Geico campaigns, the shop's smaller New York office recently expanded its creative team and won lead creative duties for Kayak. The shop does not have additional staffing or business announcements at the moment, but Rilee-Kelley predicts more good news to come.

She told Adweek, "I guess I'm excited for myself, but more than anything I'm excited for the company. It's a pretty great feeling for your partners to feel so strongly that they ask you to take this role on."

The newly promoted president will report directly to Williams.

American cheese isn't just about getting your own. It's about helping someone else get theirs, too. That, at least, is the upshot of a sentimental new ad from iconic dairy company Land O'Lakes, created by The Martin Agency. 

A young man waits at a deli counter for his ticket to be called. A nursery-rhyme voiceover waxes philosophical about the passage of time, and the passing along of rituals. The young hero reminisces about how he's buying groceries just the way his mom used to do. 

When his number finally comes up, he makes a modern gesture of consumer chivalry. 



Featuring the tagline "Add a little good," the commercial is part of a broader campaign—Martin's first for the brand—that includes print and digital work, along with two other 30-second TV spots focusing on the marketer's most famous product: butter. 

In one, a little girl helps her mom cook, chopping onions with a plastic knife, washing carrots and ensuring the pepper shaker is handy. Like the first ad, the rhyming voiceover muses on the importance of showing the next generation the way. In the end, it turns out the meal they've been making isn't for themselves. 



In the last one, three Land O'Lakes farmers rise at 5 a.m. to tend their cows. The voiceover celebrates the company's model—it's a cooperative owned by more than 4,000 producers and members—before arriving at that old American saw about doing things right even when it's hard, as the farmers sit down for butter-drenched breakfasts with their families.



Overall, it's a sweet approach, even if it flirts with being saccharine. It's beautifully produced, with inviting visuals and soundtracks sure to tug on plenty of heartstrings, even if the sing-song copy risks driving viewers insane upon repeat exposure. 

It also doesn't hurt that butter pretty much sells itself. But the tagline is particularly apt, too—as good as butter is, it's probably not a good idea to eat too much. 

Print work and credits below. 

CREDITS

Client: Land O'Lakes
VP Marketing, US Dairy Foods: Heather Anfang
Director, Integrated Marketing Communications: Leah Lamon
Marketing Director, Consumer Cheese: Martin Abrams
Director, Test Kitchens & Consumer Affairs: Becky Wahlund
Team Leader, National Retail Operations: Bob D'Imperio
Director Member Relations: Pete Garbani
Director, Superspreads: Stacey Kearin
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Superspreads and INBD: Melissa Alphin

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Executive Creative Director: Andy Azula
Creative Director: Jordi Martinez
Senior Art Director: Tara Gorman
Senior Copywriter: Lassiter Stone
Managing Director – Production & Development: Steve Humble
Executive Producer: Letitia Jacobs
Senior Producer: Adrienne Daniel
Associate Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Business Affairs Supervisor: Alice Isner
Director of Production Business Management: Karen Taylor
Senior Project Manager: Courtney Faudree Hurd
Group Account Director: Walker Teele
Account Director: Carey Ely
Account Supervisor: Chloe Bos
Account Executive: Sarah Smith
Account Coordinator: Alexis Nelson

Production Company: Thomas Thomas Films
Director: Kevin Thomas
Executive Producer: Philippa Thomas
Producer: Jon Dino
Director of Photography: Robert Pendar-Hughes
Food Stylist: Debi Halpert

Editorial Company: White House Post
Editor: Heidi Black
Assistant Editor: Sam Perkins
Executive Producer: Joni Williamson
Head of Production: Joanna Manning
Producer: Jonlyn Williams

Animation/VFX: Go Overboard
VFX Supervisor/Lead Flame Artist: Jan Cilliers
Flame Assist: Sarah Vigil
Flame Artists: Brandon Sanders, Jim Bohn, Michael Angelo
Matte Painter: Dark Hoffman
Producer: Krystle Seiden
Executive Producer: Celest Gilbert
Colorist: Matthew Schwab

Music for "Next" & "Soup Kitchen": Human
Composers: Craig DeLeon ("Next")
Thomas Keery ("Soup Kitchen")

Music for "Co-Op": Asche & Spencer

Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Sr. Sound Designer, Music Composer, Technical Supervisor: Jeff McManus
Executive Producer, Owner: Kristin O'Connor
General Manager / Scheduler: Clinton Spell II

Harry Jacobs, an ad industry veteran who helped build a global reputation for The Martin Agency, died at his Richmond home on Sunday. He was 87.

Jacobs spent more than five decades in the advertising business, shaping two major agencies and receiving many of the industry's top plaudits in the meantime. At the time of his death, he held the title of chairman emeritus for The Martin Agency, where he led the creative team that won Geico and turned it into one of the world's best advertisers.

He was colloquially known as the "Dean of Southern Advertising" and admired for a focus on quality creative that made him something of an anomaly in the pre-Mad Men era.

Jacobs was also unusual in that—unlike most of the agency world's mid-century figures—he was not based in New York or Chicago.

Harry M. Jacobs was born in New Bern, North Carolina in 1929 and studied design at East Carolina University and the Corcoran College of Art & Design before being drafted into the army in 1954; he later served as a communications specialist at the Pentagon before entering the advertising business in 1959 as an art director at Atlanta's Cargill, Wilson & Acree, which was the South's largest agency throughout the '60s and later merged with Omnicom's TracyLocke.

He ascended to the role of president at that shop, earned the AAF's Advertising Man of the Year designation in 1972, and joined The Martin Agency in 1977 as president and its first creative director.

In a June 2015 interview with Virginia's Richmond BizSense, Martin CEO Matt Williams said, "Harry is the one who was responsible for really evolving The Martin Agency to regional, then national, prominence on the basis of its creative work. ... He spent upwards of 30 years running The Martin Agency, and he really is one of the creative beacons in this business and for our company."

Williams added that Jacobs and agency founder David Martin "formed the core leadership team" at the agency along with creative director Mike Hughes and current chairman John Adams, who joined Martin right before Jacobs and worked with him for more than 35 years.

"Harry Jacobs was one of the most elegant gentlemen I have ever known," said Adams on his passing. "But he was also one of the most fierce. His standards for the work were unrelenting. I'm convinced that the success of our company is due, in no small measure, to the high creative bar Harry set and one that we're continually working towards. We are heartbroken about this news. But Harry and his legacy will live on here for years to come."

"I saw Harry about a month ago, and I brought some work with me. He loved to see what we were up to. I showed him a print campaign and he gushed. Harry never gushed. When I told the team back at the office, you would have thought they had just won a One Show gold," said Joe Alexander, chief creative officer at The Martin Agency. "Harry was never satisfied, and that's just one of the lessons he leaves with us. I'm going to miss him—he was a mentor and dear friend."

During his time with The Martin Agency, Jacobs led creative on campaigns for such clients as Coke, Hanes, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Geico, PING, UPS, Walmart and many more. He later became a global representative of sorts for the larger industry, traveling around the world to promote the power of creativity as part of The Wall Street Journalʼs Creative Leadership Series.

He served on many boards and panels and was recognized for his work with membership in four industry halls of fame: The One Club Creative Hall of Fame, the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Advertising Hall of Fame and the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame.

In a 2005 interview following his retirement, Jacobs told Adweek that he wanted to be remembered for "having sense enough and enough pride to have hired and worked with some of the outstanding talent in the business, and helping develop some of the outstanding people in the business."

He remained active at The Martin Agency, which kept a separate office for him, in various consulting roles for more than a decade after stepping down.

Jacobs is survived by his wife of 54 years, Barbara "Bobbi" Mills Jacobs; their three adult children; his two children from a previous marriage; and eight grandchildren.

Walmart, one of America's largest advertisers, decided this month to consolidate its U.S. advertising and in-store creative work with a newly launched unit of Publicis Groupe in a move that the latter describes as "a new strategic relationship that will give Walmart unfettered access to all of Publicis Groupe's agencies and resources."

The Martin Agency has been the retail chain's creative agency of record since 2007. A spokesperson confirmed to Adweek today that the relationship between agency and client will soon end, writing, "As of September, we will no longer be working with Walmart on their advertising. We've worked with them since 2007 and are very proud of the work we've done together and wish them the best."

A Publicis press release announcing the win states that the relationship, which is "not exclusive" and went into effect on July 1, will initially apply to U.S.-based work but will also include "resources outside of marketing, including capabilities to support corporate reputation and technology that builds relationships with customers."

"Our ambition globally is to make every day easier for busy families, and having
best-in-class marketing is critical to achieving that goal," said Walmart Stores, Inc. president and CEO Doug McMillon in a statement, adding, "This relationship with
Publicis Groupe will help us think and act differently, which will ultimately enable us
to serve our customers even better."

The release states that Publicis Communications chief executive and potential Maurice Levy successor Arthur Sadoun will lead the account. In a statement, Levy himself wrote, "This relationship is the direct result of Publicis' new approach, 'the Power of One,' which is designed to deliver end-to end solutions for our clients." According to this approach, Publicis can now draw resources from all of its various U.S. agencies to work on the Walmart account.

The decision does not appear to have been preceded by a formal creative review, and it did not affect Walmart's media account, which went from Publicis Groupe's Mediavest to WPP's GroupM earlier this year. Mediavest then laid off approximately 80 employees in a pre-planned restructuring.

Publicis agency Saatchi & Saatchi has been working on the creative side of the Walmart business since late 2013, when it won a review to become one of the chain's roster shops. That decision came several months after Andy Murray, founder and former chief executive of the agency's shopper marketing division Saatchi & Saatchi X, left to join the Arkansas-based retailer as its svp of creative. (Saatchi & Saatchi X has served as Walmart's primary in-store and shopper marketing agency since 2006.)

A spokesperson for IPG told Adweek today that The Martin Agency's parent company will continue working with Walmart in some capacity, writing, "Walmart remains a valued IPG client. We're proud to continue supporting Walmart on a variety of projects." IPG's Golin is currently Walmart's PR agency of record.

Walmart spent nearly one billion dollars on measured media last year, according to Kantar Media.

One of the last places you'd expect to see 13th century Venetian explorer Marco Polo would be in a pool with a bunch of kids during a round of the modern-day water game Marco Polo.

But that's exactly where he appears in Geico's latest goofy commercial from The Martin Agency, which juxtaposing the surprise of the off-kilter visual gag with the obviousness of what the the insurer emphasizes as its competitive edge—lower rates for consumers.

The theme of the new mini-campaign is, "It's not surprising."

In the spot, the famous traveler stands, in full period garb, chest deep in a backyard pool, completely baffled while a handful of children swim around him yelling "Marco" and "Polo." His ineffectual attempts to bridge the gap are entertaining enough.

"Excuse me," he says in Italian, "I am Marco Polo." Alas, it's to no avail.



But the ad's true highlight is its llama—apparently Polo's ride to the party (which is in itself a bit of a surprise—it made it to South America sometime in the past 700 years, too). It stands outside the pool, peering over the edge at the commotion, face permanently fixed in a state of bored indignation.

That's a more subtle role than many of Geico's animal figures, who often stand front and center in its ads—earlier this year, an obnoxious talking alligator showed viewers how to properly dodge a lunch check, building on a long, amusing history of using animals to help sell its policies. This aloof, understated approach works well, and in the end, even the hapless Polo catches on to the rules and joins the fun, making for a charming little last shot.

Of course, perhaps most surprising of all is how calm parents and Geico customers Amanda and Keith are about the oddly dressed old man with the pack animal crashing their family afternoon. Then again, maybe saving $645 on car insurance when they have three kids to raise—the new campaign also notably shows actual Geico customers and their actual savings—might well have the same effect on them as popping a couple of Valium.

CREDITS

Client: Geico
Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward
Director, Marketing Media Advertising: Bill Brower
Sr. Mgr.,Brand Team/Media Advertising/Sports Marketing: Melissa Halicy
Brand Team Senior Supervisor: Mike Grant
Brand Team Planner: Brighid Griffin
Brand Team Planner: Tom Perlozzo
Brand Team Coordinator: Julia Nass
Brand Team Coordinator: Tim Ware

Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Director: Steve Bassett
Group Creative Director: Wade Alger
Creative Director: Sean Riley
Senior Copywriter II: Ken Marcus
Executive Producer: Brett Alexander
Broadcast Producer: Brian Camp
Associate Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Junior Broadcast Producer: Sara Montgomery
Account Director: Ben Creasey
Account Supervisor: Allison Hensley
Account Executive: Jon Glomb
Account Coordinator: Allie Waller
Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo
Financial Account Supervisor: Monica Cox
Senior Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz
Project Manager: Karen McEwen

Production Company: RadicalMedia
Director: Steve Miller
Executive Producer: Gregg Carlesimo
Head of Production: Frank Dituri
Producer: Jonathan Dino

Editorial Company: MackCut
Editor: Ian MacKenzie
Assistant Editor: Mike Leuis
Executive Producer: Gina Pagano
Producer: Sabina-Elease Utley
Sound Design: Sam Shaffer

Editorial Company: Running With Scissors
Assistant Editor: Drew Neuhart

Telecine: The Mill
Colorist: Fergus McCall

Finishing/VFX: RWS
Flame Artist: Chris Hagen
Flame Assistant: Paul Widerholt
Post Producer: Katherine Leatherwood

Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Senior Sound Designer: Jeff McManus
Executive Producer, Owner: Kristin O'Connor
General Manager/Scheduler: Clinton Spell II

What comes to mind when you picture the world's biggest asshole?

Maybe it's a guy peeing into a beer bottle while driving, throwing said urine-filled bottle out the window, grinning as it crashes and splashes on a car behind him. Or maybe he's the creepy guy with a bumper sticker that reads "Caution! I can go from 0 to horny in 2.2 beers" tacked to the back of his pick up truck.

According to a new campaign for Donate Life from The Martin Agency that person, that enormous asshole, is Coleman F. Sweeney. In life, Mr. Sweeney, played by actor Thomas Jane, exhibits all of the worst characteristics of a person. After he dies, one action amidst a lifetime of being a jerk turns him into a hero. But how?

"You could live your entire life as an asshole, but if you did one good thing, make that one good thing donating your organs when you're no longer with us. [The idea] seemed pretty simple," Wade Alger, group creative director for The Martin Agency, said. 

One of the main motivators behind the new work is to encourage millennial men to become organ donors, as that demographic has dropped off in recent years. Overall there are currently 120,000 men, women and children waiting for a organ donation, and roughly 8,000 of those people, about 22 per day, die each year because they won't receive the organs they need in time. By signing up, a millennial could save as many as 50 lives.

The Martin Agency felt one of the best ways to capture the attention of young men in the U.S. was through a bit of crude humor (did you catch that lovely car accessory dangling from the back of Sweeney's car?) and crass language, hence the "World Biggest Asshole" campaign title. All parties who worked on the campaign weren't really worried about offending any viewers though.

"I think everyone knew it was the right way to talk to this group. The realization was that while I might not agree with the language in this, I'm not the target and therefore I can get over it," Alger added.   

The Martin Agency first got involved with Donate Life, an organization that aims to raise awareness about organ donation, through managing director, account management, Chris Mumford. Mumford developed a personal relationship with the organization after his brother passed in 2008 after suffering a massive heart attack.

"After a few months on an artificial heart, he received a heart transplant. Unfortunately, he died unexpectedly shortly after his transplant. But the prospects of a transplant gave my brother and all of us hope … and ultimately allowed us an extra six months with him. We are forever grateful for the opportunity we were given by his donor," Mumford said.

After finding a cause that the team was passionate about, The Martin Agency then teamed up with Furlined about doing a project together. The 18-month timeline kicked in while searching for a time when Furlined directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon could donate their time to create the spot. The team also had to factor in Jane's schedule, as well as Will Arnett's, the ad's narrator.

Alger said he knew the spot, while cheeky and a bit crude at times, was something special because of the number of people willing to donate their time to pull the project off. "It was really great. I'm glad that the world finally gets to meet the world's biggest asshole," Alger said.

CREDITS

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Copywriter: Wade Alger
Copywriter: David Vogeleer
Copywriter: Brig White
Copywriter: Miranda Morgan
Designer: Will Godwin
Senior Digital Producer: Jill McGrath
Broadcast Producer: Steve Humble
Managing Director, Account Management: Chris Mumford
Account Director: Audyn O'Rourke
Account Executive: Cori Kaylor
Account Executive: Carter Crenshaw
Production Business Manager: Karen Taylor
Group Project Management Supervisor: Danielle Cin

Production Company: Furlined
Director: Speck + Gordon
President/Executive Producer: Diane McArter
Senior Executive Producer: David Thorne
Executive Producer: Jay Wakefield
Line Producer: Greg Schultz
Director Of Photography: Jeff Cutter
Production Designer: Andrew Reznik

Editorial: Cut & Run
Editor: Graham Turner
Executive Producer, Editorial: Carr Schilling

Color & VFX: The Mill
Colorist: Adam Scott
Executive Producer, Color: Thatcher Peterson
Lead Flame Artist: Robin McGloin
Additional 2d Artist: Don Kim
VFX Producer: Jordan Sharon
VFX Supervisor: Tim Davies
Production Coordinator: Pat DeVaney

Sound Design: Lime Studios
Sound Designer: Jeff Malen
Executive Producer, Sound: Susie Boyajan

Music: Duotone
Managing Director: David Leinheardt
Executive Creative Directors: Jack Livesey & Peter Nashel
Executive Producer: Ross Hopman
Producer: Giovonni Lobato
Composed By: Coldplay
Arranged By:  Ross Hopman & Jordan Lieb
Performed By: Civil Brother

Starring:
As "Coleman Sweeney" - Thomas Jane
Voice Over by Will Arnett

They're tiny hard candies that may be small enough to fit between your thumb and forefinger, but they're still packed with adventure, says a fun new campaign from The Martin Agency.

Anthropomorphic Tic Tacs experience Hollywood-level excitement in four 30-second web spots, featuring miniature worlds wherein mints wear human garb and enjoy human experiences, like cage diving with sharks, riding barrels over the top of waterfalls, jumping classic sports cars over the Grand Canyon and piloting rocket ships to Mars.

Part of the brand's clever "Go Little" positioning (almost like a modern-day version of "Think Small"), the clips are completely ridiculous, and thoroughly enjoyable—stupid and carefree, yet somehow on message.

The writing is clear and simple, with appropriately minor bits of suspense built into each spot. (Will the diminutive green daredevil stick the landing, or explode against the cliff face?) The visuals don't disappoint, either, with charming detail on all the bite-sized models and inviting backdrops. (The spots were directed by Jeff Boddy of Martin's production partner Hue&Cry.)

And that's not to mention the cheesy, retro-TV-style intros. "In a big world … dare to be little," barks the voiceover. Meanwhile, even the campaign's name, "Little Adventures," is aptly on-the-nose. (Stories filmed in miniature are often adorable when done well. See also: McCann New York's amusing work for French Toast Crunch.)

Overall, the point is clear, without having to say it in so many words: Tic Tacs, the heroes in these stories, are, perhaps counterintuitively, packed with flavor. The real question, then, becomes: If eating one is tantamount to space travel, what happens when you pour a dozen into your mouth?

CREDITS
Client: Tic Tac
VP of Marketing: Todd Midura
Marketing Director: Dan Cutchin

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Director: Danny Robinson
Associate Creative Director: John Szalay
Senior Designer: Todd Hippensteel
Copywriter II: Mark Habke
Executive Broadcast Producer: Letitia Jacobs
Associate Broadcast Producer: Emily Goodman
Junior Broadcast Producer: Nicolette Steele
Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo
Senior Production Business Manager: Kelly Clow
Group Account Director: Darren Foot
Account Supervisor: Stephanie Brummell
Account Executive: Lauren Dushkoff
Project Manager: Hayley Soohoo
Senior Community Manager: Ari Sneider
Planning Director, UX Strategy: Meg Riley
Planning Director, Strategic Planning: Elizabeth Cleveland

Production Company: Hue&Cry
Director: Jeff Boddy
Creative Director: Magnus Hierta
Executive Producer: Joe Montalbano
Producer: Colleen Hopkins
Production Coordinator: Abbey Reddington
Storyboard Artist: Timo Prousalis
Assistant Editor: Andrea De Leon
Designer: Shannon Rollins
Animators: Liam Ward, Timo Prousalis, Andrea De Leon
Set Design Company: Nix + Gerber
Set Designers: Lori Nix & Kathleen Gerber

Live-Action Shoot: The Branching
Executive Producer: Lucas Krost
Producer: Alexandra Krost
Director of Photography: Thomas Bingham
Production Coordinator: Adela Satrova
1st AC: Tony Summerlin
2nd AC: Jack Payne
Media Manager: Rex Teese
Gaffer: Chris Thompson
Key Grip: Mike Flinn
Swing: Patrick McLynn
Production Assistant: Alex Delarosa

Offline Postproduction House: Running with Scissors
Head of Production – Brian Creech
Editor – Danny Reidy

Online Postproduction House: Running with Scissors
Colorist: Drew Neuhart
Flame Artist: Chris Hagen

Music Company: Tiny Lion
Composer: Tiny Lion

Mix company: Rainmaker
Mixer: Mike O'Conner

Geico has tapped Ice T as the latest cameo in its ongoing "It's Not Surprising" campaign. And while that may be a surprising follow-up to guys like Marco Polo, he breathes comical new life into the ongoing shtick. 

The rapper takes a break from his packed film and TV career to appear as The Martin Agency's latest punch line. The first ad has a pretty basic setup: Neighborhood regulars, passing by a lemonade stand, lean toward the kids and conspiratorially ask, "Is that iced tea?" "Nope, it's lemonade," they reply, with growing frustration. 

You're smart; you can see where this is going. 



The second piece of content, "The Art of the Squeeze," makes way better use of the man who brought us "I'm Your Pusher," all while mocking a tome of a similar name that's probably way less useful. Watch as Ice T uses lemonade to explain his nuanced and diverse negotiating arts, in steps as simple as making the drink itself. 

"It's said when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Then what do you do—drink it? Please. I say, you take that lemonade and you sell it to a thirsty fool at top dollar," he says. "Now pay attention and imma show you how to negotiate like a G, or like me, Ice T. This is priceless."

In Step 1, "Establish Dominance," he explains why it's key to keep eye contact, a trick that works even better with sunglasses. "This forces the customer to stare at themselves, and who's not gonna buy lemonade from themselves? It also helps you look cool—unless you're me, in which case, I always look cool." 



Ice T conveys a big-brother quality, and the time we spend with him is a solid payoff after the first ad, which feels like a tease in comparison. (Also, it's clear that lots of agencies have taken his advice on haggling.) 

The content comes with its own subsite and hashtag, #lemonadenoticet, which Ice T himself is gleefully punting on the socnets: 

Let me know what you think. @GEICO has me out here selling #LemonadeNotIceT! Come and get some, it's delicious! https://t.co/o2IxSfYJPp

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) September 9, 2016

That tweet isn't much, but coupled with all this tangy goodness, it's still more satisfying than the sponsored social missives from people who actually seem to be making a living that way. And if you want more, there's behind-the-scenes content, too, which manages to be just as shades-wearingly cool as the ads themselves. 

We leave you with Ice T's recap of the purpose of a director: "I always tell people acting's pretty easy because you have a guy called a director, and his job is to tell you what to fucking do, so you just do what he tells you to do." 



CREDITS

Client: Geico
Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward
Director, Marketing Media Advertising: Bill Brower
Brand Team, Media Advertising, Sports Marketing Senior Manager: Melissa Halicy
Brand Team Senior Supervisor: Mike Grant
Brand Team Planners: Brighid Griffin, Tom Perlozzo
Brand Team Buyer: Julia Nass
Brand Team Coordinator: Tim Ware

Topic: Geico Savings TV – "It's Not Surprising" Campaign
First Run Date: Sept. 8, 2016
Media: Broadcast, Internet
Ad Name(s): "Ice T," "Ice T CTA," "Ice T :15," "Art of the Squeeze"

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Group Creative Directors: Steve Bassett, Wade Alger
Creative Director: Sean Riley
Senior Copywriter: Ken Marcus
Art Director: Jesse Mitchell
Copywriter: Ryan Durr
Executive Producer: Brett Alexander
Broadcast Producer: Brian Camp
Associate Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Junior Broadcast Producer: Sara Montgomery
Account Director: Ben Creasey
Account Supervisor: Allison Hensley
Account Executive: Jon Glomb
Account Coordinator: Allie Waller
Business Affairs Supervisor: Suzanne Wieringo
Financial Account Supervisor: Monica Cox
Senior Production Business Manager: Amy Trenz
Project Manager: Karen McEwen

Production Company: RadicalMedia
Director: Steve Miller
Executive Producer: Gregg Carlesimo
Head of Production: Frank Dituri
Producer: Jonathan Dino

Editing Company (Broadcast): MackCut
Editor: Ian MacKenzie
Assistant Editor (RWS): Drew Neuhart
Assistant Editor: Mike Leuis
Executive Producer: Gina Pagano
Producer: Sabina-Elease Utley
Sound Design: Sam Shaffer

Telecine (Broadcast): The Mill
Colorist: Fergus McCall

Editing Company (Social): Running With Scissors
Editor: Drew Neuhart
Head of Production: Brian Creech
Post Producer: Katherine Leatherwood

Telecine (Social): Running With Scissors
Colorist: Drew Neuhart

Finishing, Visual Effects: RWS
Head of Production: Brian Creech
Flame Artist: Chris Hagen
Flame Assistant: Paul Wiederholt
Post Producer: Katherine Leatherwood

Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Senior Sound Designer: Jeff McManus
Executive Producer, Owner: Kristin O'Connor
General Manager, Scheduler: Clinton Spell II

Stock Music (Social): Lulatone

Timberland wants to give liars the boot—a comfy boot, that is, and shoes too, with anti-fatigue technology, so folks won't have to invent ridiculous excuses when their tired, aching feet make them goof up in the workplace.

Come on, some mustachioed motorcycle dude named Fernando—rocking a shiny, skin-tight purple jumpsuit and his own trumpety-hot theme song, no less—didn't really cause a boo-boo at the warehouse, now did he?



Yeehaw! Hump that cycle seat!

"We felt there was more room for unexpected comedy around the excuses people make rather than just trying to make funny films about making mistakes," Trent Patterson, creative director at The Martin Agency, which made the campaign, tells AdFreak.

"This route allows us to highlight a lot of different types of workplaces and workers, and then have those workers tell almost any story," he says. "So, the campaign can go in a ton of directions."

Such as dispatching Ray-Banned bros in black to the scene when some strange, perhaps extraterrestrial whatsit has fallen from the sky—plop!—right into freshly laid concrete:



You know, Mulder and Scully would look dope in Timberlands. (Well, in anything, really.)

"We liked the idea of the spots feeling very different from each other," says Patterson, "so 'Crash' gave us a chance to make an action sequence to juxtapose against the swooning in 'Fernando.' "

Amusing stuff, and certainly on brand—but perhaps a stretch, like leather pinching at the heel when you jam your beefy hoof into Timberlands two sizes too small. And if the gags get overly complex, could people miss the point? After all, the whole "unreliable narrator" hook is a tad tricky.

"We wrote some stories that were more elaborate, with more twists and turns that seemed funny, but would probably have been a lot harder to follow," Patterson says. "Ultimately, we settled on stories that, while outlandish, were pretty straightforward."

That's also why each ad closes "with a very clear payoff line—'Stop the excuses'—labeling what came before as a fib," he says.

Bottom line: Wear Timberlands ... and be a better worker-drone for the Man!

CREDITS
Client: Timberland
Director of Marketing: Cassie Heppner
Senior Marketing Manager: Rebecca Conway
Associate Marketing Manager: Ryan Murphy

Agency: The Martin Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander
Creative Director: Trent Patterson
Associate Creative Director: Alexander Zamiar  
Associate Creative Director: Jonathan Richman
Executive Broadcast Producer: Christina Cairo
Executive Broadcast Producer: John McAdorey
Associate Broadcast Producer: Coleman Sweeney
Senior Production Business Manager: Kelly Clow
Business Affairs Coordinator: Kim Leonard
Planning Director: Kristin Axelson
Account Director: Michael Henry
Project Manager: Karen McEwen

Production Company: Tool
Director: Benji Weinstein
Managing Partner, Live Action: Oliver Fuselier
Executive Producer, Live Action:Lori Stonebraker

Production Service Company: Steam Films
Managing Partner/EP: Krista Marshall
Managing Partner/Head of Sales: Jennifer Sykes
Line Producer: Rob Jacklin

Production Company (Product): Spang TV
Executive Producer: Melanie Cox
Producer: Christina Garnett
Producer: Erin Surber
Director/Director of Photography: Jamie Prescott

Editorial: Beast
Editor: John Dingfield
Color: Company 3
Colorist: Tyler Roth
Online: Method Studios
Online Artist: Mark Anderson
Design: Method Design
Head of Production: Lauren Roth

Original Music for Fernando: Overcoast
Composers:  Colin Beckett, Travis Tucker, Aaron Esposito
Producers: Travis Tucker, Colin Beckett

Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Studios
Sound Designer & Mix Engineer: Mike O'Connor
Executive Producer, Owner: Kristin O'Connor
General Manager/Scheduler: Clinton Spell II

Instagram feeds are littered with food-porn photos of burgers, ice cream concoctions, pizzas and more, but Land O'Lakes wonders if the thousands of users who share food photos every day ever stop to think about the thousands more who go hungry each day. 

With help from The Martin Agency, Land O'Lakes created the "Delete to Feed" campaign, aiming to help Feeding America erase hunger, one Instagram photo at a time. Participating is really simple. Any Instagram-loving foodie can do it. All you have to do is delete one food photo from your Instagram account and Land O'Lakes will donate 11 meals to those in need.

"This small act has a big payoff, since each deleted photo provides 11 meals to those in need. Hopefully, this helps raise awareness of the food insecurity problem within the United States," Andy Azula, SVP, executive creative director at The Martin Agency, said.

Users can simply visit the Delete to Feed website and hook up their Instagram account so the campaign can keep track of how many photos have been deleted. Once the account is linked users simply select the food photo they wish to get rid of and delete it. 

The campaign is slated to conclude in mid-October or when the brand reaches its target goal of 2.75 million meals donated, which is equal to about a $250,000 donation.

Nail Communications, a Providence, R.I.-based shop that counts New Balance and Stonyfield Farm as clients, decided this summer to take the radical step of doing away with time sheets. The independent shop joins Anomaly, which boldly made this move when it opened its doors a dozen years ago, as well as Nashville, Tenn.-based Bohan Advertising and Eric Mower + Associates, a full-service shop in New York. Next year, Alaska-based Spawn Ideas plans to do so as well.

While time sheets have been used forever to track client work, they are considered a major time suck. Agency managers have tried everything—from incentivizing employees with beer fridges that spring open only after time sheets are turned in to embedded software like that of KBS, which is supposed to simplify the process. And yet time sheets often are still either turned in late or are incomplete.

For small shops, the benefits of fewer employees and a smaller client pool make it easier to manage work flow, which in turn gives these agencies the bandwidth to run their business without time sheets. The benefit in doing so is that value will be placed on the work, not the time it took to put the work together. "There is a great freedom and a feeling that the effort is more about the right solution versus the best solution given the time we have," noted Spawn CEO Karen King.

Another benefit for some shops is that eliminating the burden of filling out time sheets can lead to an increase in productivity because "if you're paid by the hour, you have an incentive to go slowly," explained Nail Communications' managing partner Jeremy Crisp. For some shops it even leads to greater profits. The first year after Bohan went time sheet-free, CEO Shari Day said the agency had its most profitable year to date.

Most agencies, however, continue to hold on to time sheets because they believe they're essential to conducting client business.

"When you have more clients and various services, you're going to want to be able to track those services in a little more detail, and the only way we can do that on the cost side is by tracking time," argued KBS CFO Chris Mozolewski. "It's more factual, and it supports the overall business model."

While the practice seems to work well for smaller shops, there also are some downsides. Some clients aren't as keen to operate so freely. In fact, Day said the agency has had to walk away from a new business pitch on more than one occasion because of it.

"I can certainly see how an agency would love to tell a recruit, not only do we have free breakfast and Ping-Pong tables, but we don't have to do time sheets like those big agencies. That's a very seductive message," said Stuart Sproule, president, Landor North America. "But I think it's a recipe for disaster. I don't see how it's sustainable from a business standpoint."

This is clearly the case for the major players, and there are even holdouts at larger indie shops. "There's too much insight to gain from tracking time to not track time," explained Riana Bocchino, The Martin Agency's senior project manager. "In our industry, we launch, measure, then optimize our work. Why wouldn't we do the same with our most valuable assets?"

This story first appeared in the September 26, 2016 issue of Adweek magazine.
Click here to subscribe.

IPG's The Martin Agency named Amber Guild, agency veteran and former president of brand consultancy Collins, as the first managing director of its New York City office. She began the new job last week and reports directly to Martin CEO Matt Williams.

This move marks a key stage in the maturation of Martin's New York unit, which is more than a decade old but has so far operated as a satellite operation. The agency's largest accounts, including Geico, are based in its Richmond, Va., headquarters. The New York office's clients currently include Kayak, Optimum and Sunglass Hut.

"Martin New York has grown dramatically in the past couple of years, but we've been eager to find just the right person to help lead that office to an even higher level, and Amber is that person," said Williams in a statement. "She will bring her extensive expertise and be a great partner to executive creative director James Robinson and director of brand strategy John Gibson as they grow and shape Martin New York." 

"I've had a crush on Martin since my early days as an account executive," Guild told Adweek in explaining her decision to move from a consultancy back to a creative agency. Earlier in her career, she held accounts and management roles at several major shops including Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi and Y&R before moving into leadership positions at T3 New York and Collins. She also appeared on AdAge's 2016 "Women to Watch" list.

"When I was growing up in account management, my job was to become a trusted adviser to our clients by understanding their business, building and creating affinity for their brand, and creating an environment for my team that inspired great, effective work," she said. "If anything, as I've become more senior, I put even more attention to building environments and cultures that allow for people from different backgrounds (diversity!) to thrive—it's not just the right thing to do, it's business critical."

Regarding the New York office's evolution, Guild told Adweek: "It's important to point out that Martin New York has already been here for several years and has steadily grown since it first opened its doors. We live in one of the most diverse cities in the world—a city I was born and raised in—and our opportunity is to make sure our talent and our work reflect the creativity, diversity and complexity of the world we live in."

The Martin Agency, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015, also opened a London office in 2014 and added several key members to its New York team over the past two years, chief among them ecd Robinson and lead strategist Gibson.

Robinson called Guild "that one-in-a-million leader" in a statement, adding, "in our first conversation she had completely reshaped not only how we are currently looking at Martin New York, but created a new vision for what we can become. We are lucky to have her." The new leader said that her first job as managing director is "[to] figure out how to build on what James Robinson, John Gibson and the team at Martin have already started." 

In January, The Martin Agency hired several new creatives in New York before announcing that it had won a creative agency of record review for Kayak, the travel-booking site.