• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, August 11, 2014

Will Miller Lite bring back "Tastes Great...Less Filling"? If the fact that the brewer is having an agency review and if we can read between the lines of what MillerCoors CMO Andy England said -- "I think the original retro can and our learnings about why that has resonated so well have clearly informed our strategy" -- then yeah, maybe they will. After having parted ways with FCB in 2012 to begin working with Saatchi & Saatchi New York and then in April, working with some WPP shops, the brand is holding a formal review and has invited Leo Burnett, TBWA LA and WPP's Royal Order. New work will break in March.

MDC Partners has named kbs+ CEO Lori Senecal to be president and CEO of the MDC Partner Network. The Partner Network was established last year as a division within the MDC Partners company. Senecal will work with Andre Coste, who takes on the expanded leadership role of MDC Partner Network COO. In her capacity leading the Partner Network, Senecal will report to MDC Founder and CEO Miles Nadal, who will continue to oversee strategic and operational matters and lead the public company. At the same time, Senecal also joins the MDC Partners Board of Directors. In addition, Senecal will remain at the helm of kbs+ as global executive chairman focused on global expansion, while Ed Brojerdi, formerly president and CCO of kbs+, will become responsible for the New York office as CEO of kbs+ New York. 

Everyone who works in an advertising agency will get a kick out of this. And if you work in media, you will be high fiving everyone in the rest of the department. Writing in Australia's Mumbrella, Dan Woolley, managing director of agency search firm TrinityP3, has taken it upon himself to -- entirely unscientifically -- assign a value to each functional area of an ad agency. The assigned values supposedly correlate to that particular department ability to positively contribute to the agency's ROI. At the bottom of the list is account management. At the top are media planners and media buyers. Where's creative? In with middle with a 6 (out of 10). Do you think this guy has a handle on your particular department's contribution to ROI?

Beefing up its strategic marketing offering, MWW has announced former Havas SVP of Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning Jess Seilheimer will join the agency as chief strategy officer. Seilheimer brings 15 years of experience leading digital strategy for CPG, beauty, retail, technology, health and wellness and pharmaceutical accounts. In her role, Seilheimer will help the agency define and implement strategic planning capabilities and oversee marketing communication strategies across MWW's offices and practice groups around the globe. Of the hire, MWW President and CEO Michael Kempner said, "Jess is a true rock star of our industry. She brings best in class strategic planning and insights to MWW through a unique combination of digital innovation and creativity. A technological visionary and visual enthusiast, Jess has the perfect combination of skills and experience to identify new opportunities for our clients and growth opportunities for our firm."