Monday, December 15, 2014
- The Martin Agency
The Martin Agency was named agency of record for Ferrero U.S.A.'s Tic Tac brand, following a six-month review that included four other agencies. The Martin Agency will handle strategic and creative development for an integrated brand campaign slated to launch in the first quarter of 2015. Merkley & Partners previously handled the account. "We chose The Martin Agency because they showed us an exciting brand platform that will help reinvigorate our brand," said Martin Stoewahse, VP of Marketing for Ferrero. "The Martin Agency will develop a fully integrated campaign that will make consumers take a fresh look at our iconic brand." Tic Tac spent $12.8million on measured media in 2012 and $13.5 million in 2013, per Kantar Media. "This is one of our favorite challenges to tackle," said Matt Williams, CEO of The Martin Agency. "Take a brand that everyone knows and loves and inject it with new energy."
- Droga5
Following a review, YMCA of the USA, the national resource office for 2,700 Y's, named Droga5 New York as its agency of record to support its national positioning efforts. The agency will be charged with developing a creative strategy to help increase understanding of the Y's impact in communities across the country, engage individuals more deeply in the Y's cause and support the Y's fundraising efforts. "The Y is moving the needle on critical social issues in important ways. However, research tells us there is still some confusion as to the depth of our work," said Donna Bembenek, Vice President of Marketing Communications, YMCA of the USA. "We are thrilled to work with Droga5 to develop compelling, creative ways to bring our story to life in order to help the public understand the impact their local Y's are driving every day." The new creative strategy will build on current positioning efforts and launch in 2016. This is the first national ad campaign of this scale and scope launched by the Y since World War I. "The Y is a truly purposeful and valuable community pillar for so many," says Jonny Bauer, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Droga5. "We're passionate about ensuring the breadth and depth of the YMCA story be told." YMCA spent $10 million on measured media in 2013 and $6.8 million in the first half of 2014, according to Kantar Media. - CooperKatz & Company
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the world's oldest and largest private cancer center, tapped CooperKatz & Company as its strategic communications partner, following a review. The company joins MSK's roster alongside creative agency Pereira & O'Dell, Media Storm as media agency, DigitasLBi as digital agency and Phase2 as Drupal technology partner. Joanne Davis of Joanne Davis Consulting, Inc. led the review. Memorial Sloan Kettering, named the number one hospital for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report, is looking to enhance its reputation and how people think about cancer. The appointment of CooperKatz is the next phase in MSK's evolution, following the launch of its first new creative campaign in almost two decades: "More Science. Less Fear," created by Pereira & O'Dell. "Since our founding, MSK has changed how the world understands cancer, and part of our mission is to share and amplify this knowledge," said Christine Hickey, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs at MSK. "We look forward to partnering with CooperKatz in creating a dynamic and engaging communications platform that helps people see, discuss, and understand cancer in new ways." CooperKatz will also work with MSK to promote its new models for broadening the reach of its standards of care and clinical research program in partnership with other cancer care providers. - Child's Play Communications
Child's Play Communications added iDeaUSA to its client roster. The Child's Play team will be responsible for media relations and blogger management for the launch of two products: THE Q, a tablet for kids and Q Whoo, a safe messaging app that protects kids while connecting families. The Q uses a Play, Learn, & Earn System that allows parents to incentivize their kids to play what they deem good apps, enabling them to earn Q coins that can be exchanged in THE Q's Prize Store for real rewards like toys, games and clothes. Q Whoo allows children, family and friends to safely send and receive texts, pictures, video and audio messaging on tablets and mobile devices. The platform includes safety features such as parental message review, content blocking and behavior profiling to make sure all incoming and outgoing content is safe, age-appropriate and secure. "Child's Play Communications is an expert at reaching the very market we need to focus on -- parents," said Stephen Perl, president of iDeaUSA. "We are looking forward to working with them to make THE Q and Q Whoo a huge success." - InterMedia Advertising
InterMedia Advertising was named agency of record for Iceland Health's new Axial Rx joint health formula. The agency will handle creative, media planning and buying, and overall account stewardship for the brand. Axial Rx is a natural formula that provides relief for joint discomfort. Iceland Health is best known for its omega-3 based products. "We selected InterMedia because of its long and successful history in launching and growing health supplements," said Forrest Haag, Brand Manager for Axial Rx. "With InterMedia's years and breadth of expertise, this puts us on the fast track to get Axial Rx into the hands of consumers nationwide." InterMedia's 120-second spots showcase testimonials from joint discomfort sufferers and offer an initial free trial of the product. The spots will air on targeted national cable networks.
