Commentary

The Folks At SF-Based Agency West Think They're So Awesome All They Need On Their Website Is An Email Address

Well, this is rich. We all know that ad agency Web sites can, shall we say, be a bit pretentious and overly self-important, right? Anyone remember Boston-based Modernista? Visiting that site was like popping some pills and hanging with Alice in Wonderland Jefferson Airplane-style. But Modernista's site is just a quaint memory compared to the Web site of San Francisco-based West, an agency founded by former Apple exec Allison Johnson with help from Twitter and Square's Jack Dorsey. The site consists simply of images overlaid with the word "West" in various languages. The only link to anything...anything at all is a hello@west-sf.com email address. Not pompous at all, right?

Hmm. Is this really a promotion? Global media agency Carat has "promoted" Chief Strategy Officer Michael Epstein to the role of chief client officer. Hmm. Maybe it's just me, but working on strategy sounds a lot more important than babysitting clients. But, hey, that's just me. Carat U.S. & Global President Doug Ray is all cheerleader over Epstein and raved: “As we help our clients evolve to meet the demands of today’s convergent media landscape, strategic leadership is required to connect their business objectives with innovative media solutions across our account teams in the U.S. In just one year, Michael has proven to be a strong leader with the ability to approach our clients’ challenges from a broader business perspective, not just a media standpoint. The team rallies around Michael; he’s a true champion of our Redefining Media mission, a challenger of legacy conventions and a catalyst for change. I am confident he will continue to help move our clients’ businesses forward.”

While no one is talking -- confirming on denying -- there are rumblings that big changes are afoot over at Publicis Kaplan Thaler. Chiefly that the agency will no longer be known as Publicis Kaplan Thaler, rather Publicis Worldwide New York. In addition, the agency's three offices will consolidate to the 1675 Broadway location and that it will happen throughout 2015. You've got to wonder how Linda feels about this. Then again, she's done her time, built an empire and probably cashed out. So it's all good, it would seem.

What the? Jon Hamm is now WPP Geometry's new global chief creative officer? I thought he was busy playing Don Draper on AMC's Mad Men. Wait, what? There's more than one Jon Hamm? It would appear so. This particular Jon Hamm, who will begin his new role November 3, was previously global chief creative and innovation officer for Interpublic Group's Momentum Worldwide. Hmm. It makes one wonder if there's another Richard Whitman out there. Oh, wait.

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