• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 24, 2014

SoRIIP Digital is getting ripped to launch itself as a new digital agency out of Orange County. Great timing (or not) it would seem, given that AdWeek just questioned why some agencies are making it in Southern California and others are not. RIIP Digital will be led by Ryan Rasmussen and Steven Patton, former CEO of AKMG. Of the new endeavor, Patton says, “I'm extremely enthusiastic about this new opportunity with Ryan and riip.com. Having taken close to three years off from the industry after the sale of AKMG, I've had numerous opportunities presented to me. This was the first opportunity that I was excited to join. I was fortunate to work with a phenomenal team at my previous company, many of whom have gone on to be leaders in our industry. Ryan has the same vision and is giving me the autonomy to build a world-class team. That gets me excited!” I only have one reservation. The name. I can't be the only person who, upon first look, saw RIP Digital instead of RIIP Digital. You'd think they'd want to steer clear of anything associated with the "death of digital." Or death in general.

Oh, and isn't Publicis Groupe jumping for joy this week! And every other agency that has been sucked up by the holding company behemoth and been dragged kicking and screaming into the nightmarish world of Lotus Notes (technically IBM Notes). It seems the party's on at Publicis agencies this week, as the giant has finally relented and is shifting from Notes to Microsoft Outlook for email and calendaring. Never before has such mundane news risen to such heightened frenzy in the agency world.

You've likely have never heard of Turn Creative, a Hong Kong-based creative boutique that prides itself on staying small and out of the AAAA's. But you're going to love what founder Tony Hon has to say about agency pitches. Hon says: "We seldom do pitches. I don’t see the reason for pitching. Before having a thorough understanding of your potential clients, I don’t see what makes a pitcher qualified for giving advice. In many cases, marketers already have a clear idea of which agency they prefer. The pitch process is a required company policy in disguise. Big agencies are trapped in a vicious cycle where deep-seated problems from the pitching system like long working hours and low productivity remain unsolved." Right? Right? He's right, right?

As if inventing something new, Jacksonville Beach ad agency Void Creative has rebranded to Adjective & Co. and will focus on marketing to Millennials. Of the shift -- after all, naming an agency Void Creative is, shall we say, devoid of common sense -- Co-Founder Taylor Harkey said: "Our name describes what we do perfectly. Yes we create ads, but in order for an ad to be good, it has to be creative, meet objectives and drive business. Millennials no longer respond to being sold 'nouns' -- they respond to feelings and personalities, created by adjectives." Really, Taylor -- really? You think using emotion and personas hasn't been the way agencies have crafted campaigns for, oh, the last 60 years or so? Damn Millennials. Thinking everything they do is new.