Agency Spy

Da Frog’s CEO, Scott Goodson, recently attended Goafest (India’s big advertising festival) and got passionate about Indian girls. His client, automaker Mahindra, runs a trust in partnership with the Naandi Foundation with the sole objective of providing primary education to the underprivileged girls in India. It’s called Nanhi Kali and its worthy of some attention. The trust currently supports 33,000 girls.

For $65 you can sponsor a girl for one year to help pay her living costs, so that she can attend school rather than having to work or get married before she’s even hit puberty. Goodson is personally sponsoring 5. As of today, I’ve sponsored one. Sixty-five dollars is less than a one year subscription to the Economist. It’s less than a yearly gym membership. That’s less than one month of coffee from Starbucks, five days a week. Hell, I drank $65 worth of liquor this weekend, easy. You get the idea.

Maybe you’re already doing good in some other area in your life and just can’t afford that $65. I totally get it, but if you got it, GIVE. How about this - if every agency with an outlet in India ponied up $65 or hell, if every agency (no matter where they are located) sponsored one kid… again, you get the idea.

American residents click here to make a donation.

There’s been a lot of talk about whether advertising agencies are up to the job of handling social media. Remember this:

“Clients are placing more emphasis on mastering social media but find their agencies ill equipped to help them succeed in that space, according to a new survey?”

Agencies are trying to get it together with every shop trotting out some form of social technology or media buying on a social media site no matter the campaign. Consider McCann’s weak attempt with Applebee’s. Just get on the band wagon, guys! Don’t think. Use YouTube!

The latest addition is StrawberryFrog’s new website for their client Scion. The agency has launched a social networking campaign titled Scion Speak.

“Scion Speak is one of the best examples of tan integrated Social Media brand campaigns in the market today. It targets existing owners to stoke their passion for the brand and spread the word about the brand,” says Kevin McKeon, Executive Creative Director of StrawberryFrog. “Most social media campaigns are promotional, as in ads on Facebook, we wanted to do something completely different. We wanted to use the existing Scion fan base as our own media channel, with the aim of reducing Scion’s investment on conquering new customers and increasing the passion for the brand among its core fan-base. Scion Speak does just that.”

Scion Speak.com is a “new symbolic language that allows individuals within the Scion enthusiast community to create their own visual fingerprint that represents their lives and their passions.”

Hmm… wanna check it out? Let’s go. So… here we are at Scion Speak where users can create a crest, check out other folks work and then watch some videos. Not a bad idea considering that it allows users to extend their image across the brand, which Scion owners love to do. Owners are notoriously community oriented. On the current Scion website, owners can already create a mini-toy version of their car. They can upload pics of their ride and watch videos featuring Scion’s users across the country. They can also compete against one another as the “top dawg” enthusiast club and check out Scion radio.

So, question - why is this addition by StrawberryFrog so flat? Users create the crest, download it and then post to the gallery. Yawn. Once you’ve done that, then what? You can’t send it to your friends. You can’t download it to your phone. Car owners can save it at the largest size (21 x 16) at a resolution of 96 that is to small for print (minimum is 150), which means you can’t put it on your automobile. Why? Scion users are big on making their vehicle their own. That’s kind of the thing they love about the brand. Hunh… What else? Now what?

The concept of creating a new language for Scion owners is genius and Da Frog has the right imagery, lexicon and attributes for Scion users on the website. Yet, it’s pretty uniform. The language could have been built out by users themselves. Scion owners have their verbiage sort of like the Urban Dictionary. Why isn’t there a Wikipedia like attachment where owners can create the Scion dictionary - visually and with words?

At the least, make it Facebook and MySpace friendly. You know, make it easy for folks to cross platforms with the crest? Spread the language? There should be a button that will automatically upload it to your website if you’re using a blogging software like WordPress. Why can’t owners order stickers, print quality products for their use? Why isn’t this crest attached to other Scion brand messages like music through a widget? Where’s the mobile or fun, game angle, basically the meat of this thing?

It ain’t bad, but it also isn’t badass. Scion is a brand that’s willing to take risk, break the rules. Da Frog should of taken advantage of that and created an outstanding social media campaign that stood out, made some noise.

This is a much larger conversation. Stay tuned for part deux.

Disney is “is looking for BIG ideas that break the traditional movie-marketing concepts,” according to a document issued to agencies that Brandweek got its hands upon. This brief goes on to say that Disney “will pay $50,000 for your time and own all your ideas and concepts.” Agencies preparing for presentations in this project based review include Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners; Droga5, StrawberryFrog and Wieden + Kennedy, Cutwater in San Francisco; and DraftFCB in Chicago.

Rewind. Excuse us? For $50K, you get totally powned. They want to own your ideas, forever and ever and ever. Make millions of them, while you struggle to pay the staff who created those awesome concepts. Other brands have gone this route including Hilton, and Kraft. We’re not against brands attempting to own your ideas. That’s business. This is the jungle baby. In many cases, maybe some of these folks just want to add Disney to their roster, boost their agency profile and so, lie down for the lion. Two unnamed agencies pushed back. We’re going to guess one was Droga. We applaud whoever they were. However, this is a no-no. Don’t do it! If you guys go in for this, then Disney knows it really does hold the industry by the balls. Other brands will follow suit and, and, and… this is the way it has always gone. It’s cyclical and totally depressing.

Seriously? You guys are gonna go for this? Yes, it’s great to have Disney on the client list and yes, maybe you have some groundbreaking idea for movie marketing you want out in the world, but you guys are willing to set the course of I.P. ownership for the rest of the advertising business?

Main entry: Sell Out

Pronunciation: \ˈsel-ˌaut\

Function: noun

Date: 1859

1: the act or an instance of selling out 2: something sold out; especially : something (as a concert or contest) for which all tickets are sold 3: one who betrays a cause for personal advancement.

We very rarely use the word sell out. It no longer applies in many instances considering the time we live in, but in this case? SELL OUTS!

Something else totally depressing? Julie Roehm is involved. Back from the media cyclone, Julie was contacted to help pick the initial list of agencies. She was on the phone calls for the agency briefings, but supposedly, is no longer involved in the process. This just gets ickier and ickier.

Kirshenbaum Bond recently won the Mega brands account. Da Frog had resigned the account. Just like you, we always wonder why agencies resign accounts. Was it a frustrating CMO? Was lack of cash? Normally, you never find out, but today, Scott Goodson has posted his agnecy’s reasons for kicking Mega to the curb.

Read it all here.

Kirshenbaum this. Kirshenbaum that. Why is it that every time we turn around this week we hear Kirshenbaum. Kirshenbaum nails Avon! Kirshenbaum unload its new Wendy’s spots! Mega Brands, maker of Mega Bloks and Rose Art, has shifted its estimated $20 million creative and media planning account to Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners after StrawberryFrog resigned the account.

You may have seen Da Frog’s last effort for the toy maker. If not, check out the quirky spot above titled, “Creativity to the Rescue.” We don’t get if these were for the adults or the kids or what the companion site was like. It’s cute and all, but we kinda feel like we’re missing something here that helps one make sense of the video. Anyway, AdWeak is reporting that Kirshenbaum’s first work for the brand will hit the airwaves in time for the back-to-school shopping season.

As if the big US automakers need any more competition, India is bringing their autos Stateside. Mahindra will be the first line of Indian-made vehicles to hit the U.S. market. However, the distributor for the automaker said that tens of thousands of light pickup trucks annually will be assembled on US soil. Ohio to be exact. Americans will be able to choose from among three Mahindra vehicles: the Scorpio, a luxury SUV; and a pickup truck offered in both two-door and four-door models. All three will use diesel engines. By 2010, their hybrid will be available, as well.

The company is well known as an international tractor maker, but folks are wondering if Americans are ready to purchase a car from India. We say, “hell yeah.” A large junk of Americans are quite willing to buy cars from overseas vendors, especially once you step out of the out heartland and don’t these pics above look suburban warrior ready? Plus, in these days of recession, and with diesel engines posting a 20 to 40 percent better mileage rating than comparable gasoline engines, if the price is right…

StrawberryFrog has been named the AOR, so we’ll see how they handle all these issues. Side note: StrawberryFrog was also appointed AOR for the international Mistubishi Motors, which is part of DaimlerChrysler.

Comments over at the car blog Jalopnik range from the dubious to the downright thrilled:

“So does that mean when some Indian fellow is upset with his Mahindra, he will have to call a customer service rep in Ohio? Im no Alanis Morriset [sic], but I think thats what they call Irony..”

“It’s smart to go after the professional market first, where hard numbers have a chance at trumping brand bigotry.We’ll see if it’s as good as they claim, but a small diesel 4×2/4 pickup that gets over 30MPG and can take a beating? They could make a nice little niche for themselves.”

“hell, i drive an average of 300 miles a week for business, in a car (mazda 3) and only average about 28mpg because of the loads. give me a cheap diesel pickup, 4×4, and still 30 mpg and ill take one in a heart beat.”

” these guys are dreamin if anybody is buyin for over $10,000 with $20,000…. i’d buy a 5 year old dodge diesel first”

DaFrog was recently included on AdWeak’s daily poll asking visitors to pick the break out agency of 2008. Last time we checked, SF was leading the vote. Is it possible that they really will be the break out of ‘08?

Frito-Lay ducked around their parent companies agency of choice Omnicom Group and selected StrawberryFrog New York to serve as their creative agency of record for its forthcoming snack line called, True North. OMD is handling media duties.

[Source]

OMG. An electric light shoe! Why didn’t we think of that? We have much respect for Dutch designers Freedon of Creation who created the giant, illuminated shoe containing a miniature city for Japanese footwear brand Onitsuka Tiger. Come on… it has a mini city in it! A virtual mobile world on your feet.

The shoe brand hired StrawberryFrog Amsterdam to create the ‘Electric Tiger Land’ campaign for 2008, which pushes Onitsuka Tiger’s message: ‘Made of Japan.’ Below, see the making of video for their first spot. Watch the finished product here. Give it a second and the spot will begin to play in the header space. See more collateral from the print and real world campaign elements here.

Meanwhile, the shop has also been working on a project work for Morgan Stanley, an Ogilvy & Mather client. AdWeak is reporting that “the yearlong assignment, which began earlier this month, involves print and interactive. Morgan Stanley has bought the rights to the bottom right-hand space of The Wall Street Journal every Wednesday until the end of the year.”

“We have a variety of needs,” said Michael Gallery, executive director, firm-wide marketing, Morgan Stanley, New York. “We have a single campaign that we adjust when needed. Ogilvy continues to be our lead agency.” Get the details here. 

Our first “Life and Times” interview was with Deep Focus CEO Ian Schafer [see it here]. This go around we’ve selected Mike Lanzi, the newly appointed Managing Director of Da Frog’s New York office. Mike tells us why he left BBDO, names his biggest failure/success and gives a definition for innovation we can stand by.

________

1. You are no novice in the advertising game having worked at BBDO and the Martin Agency before hooking up with Da Frog. If you could go back to the beginning of your career and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Focus on doing something that you love, take great pride in that work, and believe that you can challenge convention to outwit the dinosaurs.

2. Why did you leave BBDO? Was it the money? The title? All of those things or something else? Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve recently reported on a rash of falling bodies from agencies across the US. Some due to lay-offs from account losses and others are just high-level defections.

Now, we have a new entry into the category. Hot indie shop StrawberryFrog is performing a little house cleaning. It appears that due to their recent expansion and account wins, the shop is getting rid of the fat and replacing it with the highest quality art directors, planners, insight and account directors they can find.

Kevin McKeon, Partner and ECD said, “Yeah, we are pushing the bar higher. We are at a point of incredible growth right now, and because of that, we are upgrading our staff, to get the best people possible at every position. We’re being very tough on ourselves. Innovative agencies have to be, as hard as that is sometimes.”

We give them credit for admitting that they’re letting people go no matter the reason. Most folks say “no comment” as if they can’t admit the truth. Double cred for giving us a well thought out quote. Seems like someone believes in transparency. SS+K was also very open about their actions when they let go of eight bodies this past September.