• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, October 1, 2013

Oh what the advertising agency world will do to get itself to Cannes. Not content with a once a year trip to Le Croissette, there's a growing interest among advertising agencies in MIPCOM, a global programming festival held October 7-10 that attracts distributors and content producers. Of the growing interest among agencies, Starcom MediaVest Group North American President Brent Poer said, “It’s an amazing platform to not only network and meet the folks who are selling format rights, but also to meet the people who are creating some of those original formats.” It, of course, has nothing to do with the fact it's an all-expenses paid trip to a beach full of bars where Champagne flows freely.

Looks like Lowe Campbell Ewald is in a bit of trouble. AgencySpy has word from CEO Jim Palmer that “Our industry is one of constant change, and we must routinely review where we are now and what we must do to stay competitive down the road. We are realigning our resources to best serve the current and future needs of our clients. Saying goodbye to our dedicated teammates is hard on all of us and without question the most difficult part of this business.” Translated? There will be layoffs. No word on who or how many at this point.

Once upon a time there were these two agencies in Kansas City called Smith Donovan Marketing & Communications and See|Hear. In 2009, the two agencies merged. Then this past summer, they split up. Now, Terry Smith, who was president of Smith Donovan is starting over as Smith Bender Marketing along with Steve Nitzel and Phil Bauer. All three were former executives at Hallmark. To minimize set back caused by client losses, something Smith is very familiar with after having lost many of his clients during the split, the agency will rely on a team of freelancers as opposed to a team of in-house creatives. So does that make Smith Bender an ad agency or a temp agency?

Here's an interesting move. To better service financial services companies, Peppercomm Strategic Communications has acquired Walek & Associates, an independent financial, capital markets and investor relations firm. The agency says the acquisition will strengthen the shop's position in the financial services sector. The move will combine Peppercomm's marketing and communications offerings, including creative design, digital, social media, experiential and strategic licensing with Walek's expertise in asset management, capital markets and investor relations. Hmm. Why don't more agencies acquire companies within industries upon which they focus?

Seriously? Thisfrom a marketing consultant with over 30 years in the advertising business? In a long-winded article written for Fobes, Avidan Strategies Founder Avi Dan argues...wait for it...understanding an agency's culture is more important than whether or not it makes beautiful ads. Dan writes,"Understanding an agency’s culture lets you know whether there is a fit in values and aspirations. It lets you know whether the teams from both sides will be on the same page, and whether the relationship will be collaborative. Cultural compatibility is the surest way of predicting a successful relationship. It helps set expectations, establish norms and protocols, resolve conflicts, and generally help people know how best to work together." It's all kind of like telling a 14-year-old boy he should get to know a girl for her personality, not lust after her because she has enormous boobs. Then again, considering who runs things in marketing, perhaps Dan's advice can't be uttered often enough.

With the goal of attracting more female customers, Baltimore-based Under Armour has selected New York-based Droga5 to handle the brand's female products. Last year, Under Armour achieved $1.84 billion in sales but just $400 million of that went towards women's products. The selection of Droga5 follows the installation of Leaanne Fremar as the brand's senior VP and executive creative director for the women's division. See? 1 + 1 does equal 2.