• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, October 22, 2013

Deloitte, a consulting firm with a long history of serving the needs of CIOs and CTOs aims to bolster its offering with "a full suite of digital marketing services." Moving in that direction, the firm has acquired Seattle-based digital agency Banyan Branch. Of the acquisition, Deloitte Consulting Principal Mike Brinker said, "Social analytics give CMOs and business leaders the power to navigate huge amounts of data to identify market influencers. With Banyan Branch's strong record of helping brands make sense of it all, we will bring actionable insights to our clients so they can genuinely connect with their audience." The Banyan Branch acquisition is just the first of what will likely be many as Deloitte beefs up its marketing services offerings. Deloitte Digital is currently ranked 24 on Ad Age's list of the 50 largest U.S. digital agencies in 2012.

So remember that ANA study, The Rise of the In-House Agency that found 58% of brands now have an in-house shop? Forbes reached out to several CMOs to query why this trend continues. Perhaps summing things up best, Fidelity EVP CMO Jim Speros said, “We have greater control over the creative process; speed is certainly an issue. We find we can get things to market much, much faster with a high degree of control. We have people here who understand the business and the industry. At agencies, you have the revolving-door syndrome. We have a lot more stability here. Plus, people understand the industry and culture. There is tremendous cost savings and also we are able to attract and retain solid talent because Fidelity has a lot to offer in terms of benefits, stability. Those would be main reasons, then maybe an additional reason might be tighter integration with our data and analytics team. We have teams of analysts who work closely with our creative teams also.” Agencies, what say you?

We love Barbarian Group, No, really, we do. Ever since Subservient Chicken and even before, we've loved the agency and the work they've done for brands. We were sad to see Rick Webb leave the agency but he is faring well in his new venture. We love CEO Benjamin Palmer and are glad to hear he's sticking with the agency as Barbarian Group President Sophie Kelly assumes the role of CEO and Palmer takes on the newly created position of Chairman. Of Kelly's appointment, Palmer said, "Sophie has helped us grow up as an agency and has played an instrumental role in building the business while maintaining our creative and tech-focused culture. Sophie has been running the business operationally for some time, and this move is recognition of her talent and achievements." Congrats, Sophie!

Japan’s Bob Garfield has died. Oh Bob, don't worry. We know you're alive and well crafting your next masterpiece for your Bob Garfield At Large column right here on MediaPost but did you know your Japanese counterpart of sorts, Yukichi Amano, died of interstitial pneumonia in Tokyo on Sunday? For those who don't know, Amano was a big time ad critic in Japan who, in 1979, founded Kokoku Hihyo, a monthly magazine critiquing advertising. Amano also wrote columns for several newspapers and, as well, served as a TV commentator. He, like Bob, was a big deal. Of course our Bob is still a big deal though he'd be the first to admit the seas no longer part for him when he saunters up to the Carlton Terrace in Cannes. Such is the life of an ad critic in this new world of snark-fueled ad bloggers and wannabe critics who care more about page views than the quality of their content.

After having completed the merger of Lowe and Campbell Ewald, Interpublic Group will open a New York office for the new Lowe Campbell Ewald divorcing Lowe from a previous partnership the agency had with Deutsch that didn't go so well. Interestingly, Deutsch New York GM Sal Taibi will head LCENY as president. Guess things must not have gone too terribly, at least for some. The agency, which will open in January in a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Manhattan, will handle the Cadillac account among others. Of the new venture, Lowe and Partners CEO Michael Wall said, "Lowe Campbell Ewald is an agency with a strong heritage and an integrated full service offering that drives great business results for its clients. Being able to front those capabilities out of New York alongside the existing U.S. locations should prove an attractive proposition for both national and international clients. Sal Taibi is a natural choice to lead New York given his experience in the market, the strength of his client relationships and his intimate knowledge of Lowe. "