• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, June 8, 2014

So that dude Dov Seidman who sued Chobani and its agency, Droga5, for supposedly stealing the brand's "How Matters" tagline from Seidman's work is getting an earful from Chobani. Basically, Chobani said screw you -- and issued a statement that reads: "We are disappointed that Dov Seidman would choose to challenge Chobani's use of its 'How Matters' trademark. Mr. Seidman's allegations are baseless and without merit. Chobani chose 'How Matters' as its platform because it represents what Chobani has always stood for, including its use of natural ingredients to make wholesome and nutritious food. Mr. Seidman does not own a trademark registration for 'How Matters' and has never used that phrase as a trademark. Numerous other companies use phrases including the word 'how' in connection with marketing language and corporate social responsibility phrasing, and Mr. Seidman himself argued to the trademark office that there is no likelihood of confusion in circumstances similar to these. We are confident that our use of 'How Matters' does not violate any legal rights of Mr. Seidman, and accurately portrays who we are and what we do."

New Jersey has an Ad Club? Who knew? Well apparently, they do. And they've been doing it for 46 years. And they also have awards. And this year, Graphic D-Signs, Inc. won top honors in the Digital Media category at the 46th annual Jersey Awards. The Best in Digital Media award was given for its website design for Cornerstone Air, an HVAC and plumbing company based in Land O Lakes, Fl., which also won a Jersey Award for Best Consumer Website. Of the win, Graphic D-Signs President and CD Dan Antonelli said, “These honors are perfect representation of the teamwork we have at Graphic D-Signs. We put our heart into what we do, day in and day out for our clients. As great as these achievements are, I’m blessed with a team that’s never satisfied with the status quo, and we’ll continue to push the boundaries of great design. Tomorrow we’ll be even better and more successful than today.”

Speaking of awards, FCB Chicago just won an Effie for its Ship My Pants Work for Kmart. At the event held last week in New York, the agency took home a gold for its hilarious work for the retailer. Also taking home honors at the event was GSD&M and Starcom MediaVest for their work for Walgreens’ “At the Corner of Happy and Healthy” campaign. And let's not forget Ogilvy & Mather which took home the Grand Effie for its Dove Sketches work which was said to have resulted in $24 million in sales and $52 million in media exposure.

DDB San Francisco has said goodbye to its president, Mike Harris. Harris, who headed the San Francisco office as well as a now closed LA satellite office which served the agency's Wells Fargo account, is heading to an LA production company and will assume a senior management position. DDB North American President Mark O'Brien, who hired Harris in 2012, had nothing but kind words to say about Harris noting Harris is off to a "new challenge and, typical of Mike, he is pushing himself into a new area for him, production. "