• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, October 3, 2013

Michigan-based Ctrl Alt Delete (yes, that is their name) has hired Kelly Lyvere as creative and social director. The agency says Lyvere will bring the agency a "new sense of style, splash of color and ray of light." My, my, Lyvere must be one hot ticket. While that may be true, the agency's PR machine is stuffing words in her mouth because there's no way she actually defined herself thusly: “With my ability to transform a client’s strategy into a creative vision, I am able to deliver an exclusive design and creative appeal for each communications tactic. I will serve as the creative and visual communications lead when partnering with clients to ignite brand recognition and customer loyalty through the power of graphic visuals and compelling content.” What the? That makes us want to run to the bathroom and stuff our finger down our throat! Anyway, prior to this role, Lyvere spent 5 years providing communication planning and support to The Dow Chemical Company. 

Uttering a quote that's a bit more grounded than Lyvere's, BBDO North America CCO David Lubars said of Greg Hahn getting elevated to the position of chief creative officer for BBDO's New York office, “Greg is a brilliant and creative leader. Also a humble,great soul.  He’s someone who has been helping to lead his clients forward for as long as I have known him. Greg was behind the award-winning ‘HBO Voyeur’ project which took home a record-setting ten Lions at Cannes. He’s also pioneered new ideas in mobile and social. As Chief Creative Officer, Greg will now be able to bring this thinking to a wider array of clients -- it’s how we can help them be that much more relevant to their customers and stay ahead of the game.” See? Now doesn't that seem a lot more human? More real? 

Well it seems congratulations are in order. Perhaps you've heard of Wexley School for Girls? No, it's not where female advertising interns go to learn how to deal with chauvinistic male co-workers. It's a Seattle-based ad agency with a decidedly strange name that just celebrated its tenth anniversary. Over the course of its ten year history, the agency has placed a six-story phone in the middle of New York and deployed bacon carts to the Amazon compound for a Microsoft recruiting effort. And that's just a small slice of what they've done. You should see the press releases we receive from them! Which is all the more reason to celebrate their anniversary. Because they are one of the few agencies from which we look forward to seeing work.

And while we're collecting quotes, we might as well share with you what Trenton, New Jersey-based EFK Group CEO Eleanor Kubaki had to say about her agency's recent win of Prince Global Sports. Of the win, Kubaki said, “EFK Group is very excited to be a part of the team that will reposition Prince in the marketplace. Our agency’s track record of success in cutting edge digital, social media strategies and award winning creative to revitalize brands aligns perfectly with Prince as the company seeks to regain its historic dominance as the world leader in racquet sports.” As opposed to other fading brands who need a swift, cutting edge kick in the ass to get their marketing back on track? 

While having your client out-of-pocket for a few days is always reason to celebrate, having that same client take an extended leave -- and take their budget with them -- isn't such a celebratory experience. But that's what's happening to D.C. agencies as the government shutdown continues. Of the shutdown, Ogilvy PR North America CEO Robert Mathias told Advertising Age, "As both a citizen and business leader, I hope Congress finds its responsible self. It's not good for our business or for the American people. When you stop work on a portion of your business, it causes any number of staffing issues from redeployment and beyond. We are in a good place now because our business is strong and we have been able to redeploy staff in the short-to-medium-term." Here's hoping the coffers open up again soon.