KBP’s Open Mind, $60M And General Hunger
February 18, 2008
MDC’s Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners has been banging out Wendy’s spots, but will now have to make room for Avon’s fragrance business. The shop won the estimated $60M account [via Adweak]. SoHo Square, a WPP shop, will continue to be the lead on skincare, wellness and recruitment efforts.
AdWeak is also reporting that Kirshenbaum is hungry to bring on 50 bodies across all departments, including creative and account management. Get those resumes dusted off, kids.
We’re interested in learning more about Open Mind, a division of KBP. The website describes it as a strategy team specializing in “customized insight services, including innovative qualitative and quantitative research, team facilitation, brand repositioning, and strategic consulting. open mind has become known for innovative, “hybrid” research, using multiple research approaches to uncover deep, “ownable” insights, and for actionable strategic thinking that takes into account constantly changing consumer behavior and the hyper-change happening in the media landscape.”
Seriously… hybrid research. What does that mean? Ownable insights. Uh-hunh. Hyper change. Why is it that agencies are always striving to sound like William Gibson?
Open Mind cites the USA Network, COMEDY CENTRAL, Univision, HBO and numerous other stations as clients. Plus some travel destinations and oddly, Applegate Farms.
We’d love to see some of Open Mind’s work and learn a little more about all that junk in their opening statement. Let’s see the goods. Anyone?
February 18, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Well, hopefully they don’t dick around those 50 people they want to hire like they are known to do. A friend of mine was actually hired by KBP, gave his notice at work, then got a call from them telling him his new job was being put on hold. This was after 4 interviews.
I was interviewed for 4 different accounts by a total of 10 different people. They’d interview me, give it to someone else, then ask me to come interview again for a different account. I finally quit going back and took a job somewhere else.
Congrats to them and all, but their hiring practices generally suck.
February 19, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Open mind is headed up by Robin Hafitz, formerly co-chair at Mad Dogs & Englishmen. She’s one of the first American strategic planners, and somewhat of a badass.
February 19, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Thanks!
February 19, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I appreciate Thor’s comment, and can sadly say my ass has gotten badder over the years. Open Mind was a pure research/strategy outfit before I brought it in to kb+p, so the verbiage is all research-oriented. hybrid = qual + quant, or other multiple research forms. ownable means learning something your competitors don’t know, which usually involves doing something more than a few focus groups. don’t worry your pretty creative heads over it.
February 19, 2008 at 8:42 pm
We would NEVER point out that you and your ilk are full of shit. Cheap perfume can’t mask smell of poop, statistically speaking.
March 18, 2008 at 12:58 am
robin, you are name aptly – you’re ROBBIN’ somebody.
our pretty little creative heads are never really worried about anything you pompous, sanctimonious sacks of sh-t do or proclaim. we merely amuse ourselves over the importance you bestow upon yourselves… and create the work that puts food in your ever-flapping pieholes.
good luck with your latest heist.