• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, July 14, 2014

Well this certainly tops all the agency recruitment efforts we've ever seen. Seeking the "world's most creative mind," San Francisco-based video marketing company, Virool, is launching a global creative talent search. "Launching" is the key word here. The Virool "Race to Space" calls for creative minds to generate their most original space-themed video campaign. The winner will "boldly go where no agency or brand has gone before" hopping aboard an all-expenses paid trip aboard the Virgin Galactic's first commercial space flight. It's valued at $250,000. That's some sweet coin and we wonder if the winner will bargain for the cash instead of the flight. A tough choice.

Beware digital marketers and agencies. If you are knowingly or unknowingly engaging in click fraud, you could soon be in trouble. The ANA's fraud detection unit, White Ops, has launched "The Marketers' Coalition," a research effort to determine the level of bot fraud and provide data and insights which marketers can put to use to reduce and avoid fraud and, ideally, improve ROI. Real ROI, that is. Not the fake ROI garnered because of bots gaming the system. Of the effort, White Ops CEO Michael J. J. Tiffany said, “The advertising industry is under siege. While some would say bot traffic is a ‘cost of doing business’ or a ‘victimless crime,’ they could not be more wrong. Corrupt data on campaign targeting and effectiveness harms brands and businesses, and the money made by criminals funds an underground that perpetrates many other forms of crime. Criminals have further benefited from confusion and uncertainty in scoping the problem. This concerted effort is a way to normalize the data, establish better intelligence and present a unified front.”

What do three guys with management consultant and financial services backgrounds have on today's ad gurus running ad agencies? Fifty percent revenue growth in the last year alone, 470 staffers from Singapore to San Francisco and clients ranging from Google to YouTube to eBay to Expedia. Matt Isaacs, Andy Bonsall and Andrew Shebbeare are a bunch of "math men" who, nine years ago, launched the London-based digital agency, Essence, to the giant it is today. Profitable from the start, the agency focuses solely on digital with a concentration on mobile. Google, of course, gave the agency a big growth boost. Isaacs said, “In 18 months, we went from a predominantly UK agency to 75% of the business was international. It was very dramatic. It is now 85%.” 

I love David & Goliath. They are awesome! Who can forget their Kia Soul Hamsters work? Their California Lottery work? That epic Kia Optima Super Bowl commercial from 2011? What's not to love? Founder David Angelo, who will become Chairman and remain working with clients, has named Client Service Director Brian Dunbar to the new position of President and Executive Creative Director. Of the move, Angelo said, "I'm still going to be hands-on and working with clients but it's a signal to the agency and everyone else that I have to share the responsibility of running an agency and its growth." Congratulations, Brian!

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