Commentary

Agency Poaches Talent With 'Poaching Phone'

This is, ahem, a novel idea. In order to avoid hefty headhunter fees, Dubai-based agency FP7 placed "poaching phone" cell phones inside hollowed-out faux marketing books and sent them out to creatives they were eager to hire. Each book was custom designed for each candidate and the phone number of FP7's executive creative director was programmed into each phone. The agency says the campaign was a success, and they "poached" four new employees, an art director, a design chief and another creative team. The agency claims to have saved $80,000 on recruitment fees

Over in Australia, they don't poach talent -- they poach computers with sensitive political information. Federal MP Clive Palmer claims that the robbery of three computers stolen from the ad agency he uses has a "bad smell of dirty politics." He says each of the computers contained details related to ads that he and the agency were planning to run. Of the robbery, Palmer said: "It seems too coincidental that the election would just be called and we are finishing our production and we just lose everything."

Martin Mohr, previously with TBWA\Helsinki, has joined TBWA\Chiat\Day New York as a creative director. Martin will lead digital creative across clients in the New York office and will report to TBWA\Chiat\Day New York’s Executive Creative Director Matt Ian. At TBWA\Helsinki, Martin was responsible for leading the adidas Window Shopping project, which was The Gunn Report’s third most awarded digital campaign of 2013. Martin was also involved in the creation of the Nissan Nismo watch concept, a branded piece of wearable technology. Of the hire, Ian commented: “Martin brings with him an immense knowledge of digital and a strong background of TBWA and our global clients. He is a true innovator and his talent will be a fantastic asset to the creative team in New York.”

You know, wouldn't it be nice if, like in the old days, brands would just trust their agencies? But in our fickle, ADD-addled world, twitching and change are the norm. Recently, Mercedes held a review for its $317 million media business. The incumbent, Omnicom’s PHD, which has had the account since 1999, participated. The agency retained the business. Of the review, a Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman said, "Every couple of years you want to check outside your universe to make sure you have the best partner for your business. That's the case with PHD."

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