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'They had the right vibe,' says Modernista! co-founder Lance Jensen on recruiting former Arnold mates Will Uronis and Shane Hutton. 'They get their stink around things,' he says, describing their [...]

The 18 months Mary Wells Lawrence spent writing A Big Life in Advertising was a bittersweet period for the founder of one of advertising's greatest creative shops. There was much [...]

Advertising agency DDB Needham U.S.'s media director Page Thompson has been able to secure new-business billings while providing strong leadership and creativity. Thompson's department is among the top media agencies with placements reaching $2 billion in 1997. Clients such as McDonald's Corp are very pleased with the the media department's ability to pinpoint ways to improve the effectiveness of advertising spending. Thompson has also proved to be a valuable resource to DDB Needham's creative department., Winning is about billings, for sure. But it's also about a creative approach to media. How do you measure success? The simplest way is to look at the numbers and [...]

Advertising agency Merkley Newman Harty's new partner and executive creative director, Marty Cooke, plans to broaden the agency's portfolio. Merkley Newman Harty has a strong business reputation, but most of its work has tended to be regionally based and focused on advertising for financial and technology companies. Cooke wants the agency to work on more advertising that promotes consumer products. Cooke cited advertising legends Helmut Krone and Ed McCabe as strong influences in his career., Marty Cooke is showing the latest print campaign for client Forbes' technology off-spring, ASAP. One ad, neon green and heavy on attitude, reads: 'Is intellectual capital the new wealth, or [...]

Jim Durfee and Lee Clow, inductees into the One Club's Creative Hall of Fame, discussed quality advertising and talked about the influence of computer technology on creative advertising. Clow and Durfee claim that advertising campaigns must contained emotional information, and must be exciting in order to attract consumers. The men differ on how creative artists will be impacted by computer technology and technology-based art tools. They also talked about memorable advertising campaigns such as the Energizer Bunny and the Pillsbury Dough Boy., 'Creatives want to be part of a department where they can huddle for warmth.' On the night Lee Clow and Jim Durfee were inducted into The One Club's Creative Hall [...]

Ammirati & Puris executives Brent Bouchez and David Page have been poached by M&C Saatchi to serve as president and executive creative director of the agency's North American operations, respectively. The pair will be charged with making the 26-member operation into a name in US advertising. M&C Saatchi is better known for its newsworthy creation by Maurice and Charles Saatchi back in 1992 than for its standing in the American advertising market., In 1986, Brent Bouchez made a decision that plagued him for years. He left the creative hothouse that was Chiat/Day, Venice, Calif., to join Ogilvy & Mather, L.A., and work [...]

Lee Clow, chief creative officer of TBWA Chiat/Day North America, believes that he and the agency are ready to return to the ground-breaking reputation that he established during the 1980's. Clow cites financial pressures and difficulties with partner Jay Chiat as causes of the agency's perceived slump during the early 1990's. The campaign for Nissan, the agency's largest client, attempts to humanize the car agency. He sees the development of new media, the blurring of distinctions between advertising and entertainment, and the emergence of communications artists as important industry trends., For Lee Clow, one of life's defining moments came last year at a planning conference in New York, where he and Jeff Goodby were among the presenters. While the emcee [...]

Chief financial officers at major advertising agencies have become much more than accountants. They work closely with the executive officers and boards at their companies to accomplish acquisitions, strategic divestments and increase the values of their companies. Several CFOs are mentioned including Fred Meyer of Omnicom, Gene Beard at Interpublic and Keith Bremer of DDB Needham., In 1988, Fred Meyer moved around the corner from CBS' Black Rock headquarters to join the Omnicom Group on Madison Avenue. Although he was shifting from one creative, entertainment-driven outfit [...]

Creative directors believe that their job has remained essentially the same as when legendary creatives such as Bill Bernbach was around. Some think that the new emphasis on planning is misplaced, and that creatives should spend more time on advertising and not worry about strategy. Leadership and vision are essential to creative directors, as they have to initiate a style and lead their subordinates through a maze of negotiations and complaints., Few formulars for creative directors with higher client expectations David Ogilvy dubbed them Trumpeter Swans: an image that conjures up a rarified species, combining grace and elegance with personal genius [...]

McCann-Erickson Worldwide CEO John Dooner wants to focus the giant agency on creative quality. Since replacing Bob James in July of 1994, Dooner has taken steps to implement his plan to focus on the customer, so that McCann is seen as the best in marketing, media, and especially creative. He has been more interested in the international operations than past executives, but his biggest project is the New York, NY, office, which lost most of its domestic business when Coca-Cola took its advertising business to Creative Artists Agency in 1992., In the summer of 1990, John Dooner flew to Atlanta for a meeting with Coca-Cola. When the head of McCann-Erickson North America landed at Harts-field International Airport, he got a [...]

Advertising agency BBDO West's new president and executive creative directory, David Lubars, arrived just in time to redirect BBDO West's advertising campaign for its lead client, Apple Computer Inc. Apple's advertising business amounts to more than half of BBDO West's accounts. Apple is a very demanding client and is currently going through a transition, which is especially challenging for BBDO. Lubars' career is discussed., Three weeks into his job as president/ executive creative director of BBDO West, David Lubars sits in temporary offices and holds up his vision of management nirvana-- a 'sperm chart' [...]

Advertising executive Steve Dworin, formerly of Deutsch Inc, is now a free agent and is highly sought after in the advertising industry. He has a middle class upbringing and a casual style, but he is a master at making a sales pitch and he seems to have all the right answers. Dworin thrived at a number of ad agencies, including Ogilvy and Mather and J. Walter Thompson, before becoming president at Deutsch., What would Steve Dworin do without his black BMW? Technically, of course, it is Deutsch Inc.'s BMW, though it's Dworin's to use until the end of the lease, part of [...]

Frankenberry, Laughlin & Constable co-founder Dennis Frankenberry lost his battle with depression on Dec 6, 1993, when he shot himself at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, KS, where he had gone for treatment. Frankenberry had experienced several highs and lows during his career in advertising. He considered his work on the 1988 George Bush presidential campaign to be his greatest career accomplishment. Unfortunately, his fortune declined, and he was plagued by the physical and mental illness which led to his untimely death., He was one of the brightest creatives to come out of the Midwest. His notorious campaign ads helped elect Bush in 1988. But Dennis Frankenberry never could solve his own [...]

On a steamy Sunday afternoon in Singapore's Beach Road business district, an old man slaughters chickens for a Malay wedding feast. The building behind him is quiet, save for the [...]

Generation X is the most difficult advertising audience ever because of its cynicism and aversion to being typecast. It makes sense then that the advertising creatives best qualified to reach this group are themselves twentysomething. Five of these creatives are profiled. They are Susan Griak, of Kirshenbaum & Bond; Shalom Auslander, of Margeotes Fertitta & Weiss; Marianne Besch, of Deutsch/Dworin; Tomas Del Mundo, of DDB/Needham; and Israel Garber, of Messner, Vetere, Berger, McNamee, Schmetterer., Susan Griak knocked off work early this evening. In just a few weeks she's going on vacation. She's heading home to the Twin Cities with Risa Mickenberg, a fellow Creative [...]

When one considers the liberal atmosphere that pervades advertising, it is surprising that so many gay ad executives are still closeted. Yet 3/4 of the 100 ad professionals interviewed by Adweek said that by revealing their names they risked persecution on the job. They are especially afraid of alienating conservative clients, and, not surprisingly, they have few role models in the industry. Several openly gay executives recount their struggles., After years of silence, gays in advertising are starting to be heard. But not without a struggle. The moment happened for Nancy Webster, an art director/designer in Burson-Marsteller's advertising design [...]

Developing advertising aimed at children is more difficult, yet more fun, than developing advertising for adults, according to Bob Skollar, Rob Sorcher and Scott Sorokin of Grey Advertising Inc. Skollar, Sorcher and Sorokin are in charge of Grey's Kids Task Force. They have noted that children are very tough judges of advertising and are easily bored. Furthermore, unlike adults, children with slightly different ages react positively to very different advertising methods. The advertising campaigns for several specific children's products are also discussed., The numbers tell the story. In 1990 some 4.2 million children were born in the U.S.--the most since 1961. That same year there were already 31 million kids in the [...]

Six top movie advertising executives are profiled. They are creative directors Steve Frankfurt, of Frankfurt Gips Balkind; Steve Perani, of Poetic Justice; Ron Michaelson and Lucinda Cowell, of Concept Arts; Cynthia Wick, of Aspect/Ratio; and advertising director Michael Smith, of Warner Bros., Marketing movies is unlike marketing any other product. Not only are films are an abstract sell, but each one is different and each one has an exceedingly brief shelf life. [...]

The resignation of Fallon McElligott's popular creative director, Pat Burnham raises the question: what qualities must a creative director have in the 90s? Burnham's departure was caused largely by his stormy relationship with agency head Pat Fallon. Some say the seeds of discord were sown during the difficult MasterCard pitch, where Fallon found Burnham's support wanting. Burnham was an excellent creative, say co-workers, but he lacked the inclination to do what Fallon wanted him to do most: dazzle clients in pitches., In Minneapolis, commercial director Rick Dublin's annual St. Patrick's Day party is always one of the hottest tickets in town. this year, even though six inches of new snow had [...]

For a half-century, David Ogilvy has blazed across the advertising skies. The tail of his comet stretches from the pre-television era and Madison Avenue in its gray-flanneled heyday on through [...]

In the famous gruff voice that has provided voiceovers for dozens of commercials, Hal Riney politely grumbles, 'I'm not retired, and I'm not trying to retire quickly or easily.' He's [...]

It's no revelation that uncertainty prevails leading into this year's broadcast television upfront. What comes as news are some of the reasons for the uncertainty--and the possibility that it is [...]

The small screen still dominates the big picture. Although the economy was top of mind among the 850 attendees at the ninth annual American Association of Advertising Agencies Media Conference [...]

On a wall outside Rich Hamilton's office hangs a sheet containing 'The Eight Commitments to Excellence.' These principles guide his business--and, for that matter, his life. The list begins with [...]

D'Arcy Masius Benton and Bowles Inc's Nancy Hale is one of the best in developing innovative ways to promote her clients' products using outdoor media. For example, Hale was able to showcase Corning's Corelle dishes in a deal with the transit authority in Phoenix, Arizona. The campaign showed that Corelle dishes were unbreakable as they slid back and forth in a plexiglass case mounted on the authority's buses., This DMB&B vp knows how to make just enough visual noise to drive a message home to those who are driving by Whether it's a pitch for a dish or [...]

J. Walter Thompson USA's director of media research, David Marans, is critical of the ways media research is being conducted. Marans feels that much of the results of television viewership surveys are useless to advertisers. Marans is an advocate of passive television devices, which would provide a better measure of television viewing than the current people meters that require viewers to push buttons., Some people think he's a loud voice in a reserved crowd, but those who count know he's right If ever anyone were destined to work in media research, it would [...]

Wieden and Kennedy, New York Creative Dir Stacy Wall has worked for the advertising agency for five years. He has created several advertising campaigns that are considered odd to make viewers of the television advertisements pay attention. Several of these advertisements have been for the athletic shoe company, Nike, and feature athletes., When Stacy Wall was years old, his father, marketing executive at Hanes Hosiery, approved a Long Haymes Carr ad remembered as a classic moment in advertising history, In the famous [...]

To stimulate ideas, copywriter Alexandre Gama always carries a book of quotes around with him. And when Gama, 36, and his 32-year-old partner, art director Marcello Serpa, stunned Brazilian ad [...]

Overseeing the creative work of Batey Ads' $80-million Singapore office can be a challenge. But overseeing the creative output of the entire Batey network in Southeast Asia--billing $190 million--can be [...]

Three years ago, during a dinner for senior executives at Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, agency ceo Jack Connors announced that Dr. Jack Sansolo had been named president. It was the [...]

When WPPs Martin Sorrell bought Ogilvy & Mather, the agency's founder cried for two months. Here, Ogilvy assesses who is the better adman. David Ogilvy, now chairman of the WPP [...]

NEW YORK -- Horizon Media has hired MediaVest's Jill Nickerson as vp, director of out-of-home services. Nickerson, who reports to Aaron Cohen, evp, chief of media negotiation, will oversee a [...]

NEW YORK -- Con Williamson has rejoined JWT here as an executive creative director after freelancing on the agency's successful pitch for Royal Caribbean. JWT led a WPP Group team [...]

NEW YORK -- Chipotle Mexican Grill said DeVito/Verdi here has been hired as the restaurant chain's lead agency. Chipotle, Denver, said it chose DeVito/Verdi because of its 'innovative thinking and [...]

NEW YORK -- Cynthia McFarlane, evp, managing director of Conill Advertising's U.S. Hispanic business, has expanded her duties to assume the new post of president, Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi Latin [...]

NEW YORK -- MDC Partners' Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners here has hired Neilan Tyree as director of new business, the company said. In that role, Tyree will oversee new business [...]

NEW YORK -- Optimedia has hired Frank Friedman (shown) as head of local broadcast, succeeding Ellen Drury, who left the agency last month. Friedman previously served as svp and managing [...]

NEW YORK -- Independent Horizon Media has hired Marc Strijdveen as svp, director creative media solutions, a new position. Strijdveen will be responsible for devising strategies based on consumer, business [...]

NEW YORK -- Cossette Communications has added top executives to its management team in New York to lead client services and digital marketing, respectively. Jason Moyer, a former account director [...]

NEW YORK -- Jim Elms has joined Grey's flagship office here as evp, director of context planning, a new position at the WPP unit. His mandate: Oversee a new capability [...]

NEW YORK -- Interpublic Group's Universal McCann has promoted David Morgan to the new position of global chief client officer. Previously, Morgan was president of UM Asia Pacific. Jeff Cressall, [...]

NEW YORK -- Mcgarrybowen here has tapped BBDO senior account director Julie Levin to manage its Kraft Foods account. Levin, 35, takes the title of account managing director. The independent [...]

NEW YORK -- In a move that signals the growing importance of branded content within the agency, WPP Group's MindShare has promoted David Lang to president of MindShare Entertainment and [...]

NEW YORK -- DraftFCB said it has promoted Sandy Greenberg and Terri Meyer to executive vice presidents, executive creative directors. They had been evps, gcds. The pair work on accounts [...]

NEW YORK -- JWT global account handler Peter Grossman has assumed the added responsibility of leading client services at the WPP Group shop's headquarters here. Grossman, a global business director [...]

NEW YORK -- WPP Group's Grey here has named Bill Power evp, director of account management, a new position. He begins Oct. 22. Power joins Grey from crosstown rival BBDO, [...]

NEW YORK -- Interpublic Group's Universal McCann has tapped Rob Frydlewicz as svp, director of media research. He replaces Susan Nathan, a 16-year UM veteran who left the agency in [...]

BOSTON -- Michael Densmore has rejoined Havas' Arnold as chief talent officer, a new position. Most recently at WPP Group's JWT as a senior partner and global business director, Densmore [...]

NEW YORK -- Ilana Bryant has rejoined independent StrawberryFrog as global chief strategy officer and partner. She will be based here and oversee the strategic offering across the shop's three [...]

NEW YORK -- Michael Houston has joined the New York flagship office of WPP Group's Grey as evp, director of marketing, a new post. He will helm business development efforts [...]