• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, October 12, 2014

Nissan CMO Roel de Vries is not happy with the current state of client agency relationships and says the proliferation of specialty agencies and extensive growth of holding company divisions has led him to question why it is that the client must manage this explosion of diverse resources. But he has basically thrown his hands up and says: "But it’s my job to herd all these cats and put them in a room and say please ‘talk to each other'." He also notes that agencies have been obsessed with "the fashion of digital," which has led to a lot of experimentation with shiny new objects that haven't amounted to much. He notes: "A big part of it has made our marketing less efficient than the traditional TV ad, which it shouldn’t, but it is. If we look at all the analysis, traditional media is still doing extremely well, and it’s not because traditional media is more powerful, it’s because we and our agencies are still in the learning process of how we engage people.” It's been 21 years since Wired ran the first ad banner. How long do agencies need to get their act together?

One New York ad agency creative director, who wishes to go by only his first name for obvious reasons, has launched a new company called Wall-(m)Art. The company, more of a hobby than an actual business, sells frames to anyone who wants to buy one and have it placed over the purchaser's favorite graffiti. Of course, graffiti is illegal and so is affixing a frame to a wall to surround that graffiti. Which is why John just goes by John and there's really no Wall-(m)Art (yes, I know what that sounds like) website anywhere to be found. But, hey, creative minds need to stretch their muscles from time to time so this graffiti frame thing is just what the doctor ordered.

Ever heard of N.W. Ayer? If you're one of those Millennial whippersnappers then it's very likely you haven't. They were huge. They came up with “Be All You Can Be” for the Army. They are the geniuses behind “A Diamond is Forever” for DeBeers. They coined the phrase “I'd Walk A Mile For A Camel.” They developed “Reach Out and Touch Someone” for AT&T. Yes, it was embroiled in a huge scandal with the Army account that would be the beginning of its demise. But I did get to spend two days there eons ago when I was in college as part of an Advertising Women of New York thing before all that shit hit the fan. Oh, and they also came up with “When It Rains It Pours,” which brings me to the gist of this item; five factoids about Morton Salt . 1. The Morton Salt umbrella girl was one of three alternatives to 12 ads N.W. Ayer presented to Morton. It was nearly thrown out. The rest is history. 2. The first umbrella girl ad ran in Good Housekeeping in 1914. 3. The graphic of the umbrella girl with salt spilling out behind her led to the brand's classic slogan. 4. The umbrella girl has had 6 makeovers in the 100 years of her existence. 5. There was never a human model for the umbrella girl. 

Digital ad agency Huge is getting...ahem...huger. The agency is expanding its current 55,000 square foot office space to 80,000 square feet at its 45 Main Street location in Brooklyn's Dumbo. The expansion is part of a new five-year lease the agency signed with Two Trees Management. Currently the agency employs 850 people worldwide with 500 in Brooklyn. Of the expansion and their love for Dumbo, Huge Managing Director Eric Moore said: “Dumbo is our home. We’re delighted to grow and expand in the neighborhood and the building that has grown alongside us as a business. Our employees love working in Dumbo, and being here and in Brooklyn is now a critical part of our brand and our DNA as a company.”

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