This Might Be an Ad That’ll Actually Get Click-Through

Why Apple’s Latest Online Spot From TBWA Is ‘Value Added’

The next 600 words nominally review the latest Apple ad, but actually they represent more of a bone toss.

The tossee is Randall Rothenberg, president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The … um … tosser is AdReview.

The reason is a friendly, ongoing dispute concerning the future of online advertising. The difference of opinion breaks down as follows: AdReview believes the internet will be at best a marginal ad medium, never to replace the venerable but collapsing Mainstream Media.

BBDO Loses Brand Pepsi

After Nearly 50 Years, BBDO Loses Brand Pepsi in U.S. TBWA Will Take Over Communications; Arnell to Handle Design

The beverage giant today named TBWA/Chiat/Day, Playa Del Rey, Calif., communications agency for the Pepsi brand in the U.S. The agency already has responsibility for PepsiCo’s Gatorade label and will now handle advertising duties for the trademark.

“We decided to appoint TBWA/Chiat/Day to refresh Pepsi’s communication across multiple consumer touch-points and to reinvigorate Pepsi’s legacy of leading-edge advertising,” said Dave Burwick, chief marketing officer, PepsiCo North America Beverages, in a statement.

Pepsi’s new identity
Pepsi also tapped Arnell Group, which created Pepsi’s much-talked about new logo, as its design shop. Arnell will be responsible for brand identity and packaging innovation for Pepsi. The agency already handles PepsiCo’s SoBe brand.

“This is fully complementary with our ongoing relationship with Arnell, who has created the new Pepsi identity and packaging and is responsible for the ongoing design and brand identity development,” said Mr. Burwick.

BBDO will retain responsibilities for several core businesses, including Pepsi Max, Mountain Dew, Amp Energy and the North American Coffee Partnership. The move does not affect BBDO’s PepsiCo business outside of the U.S. A BBDO spokesman declined to comment on the move.

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Changes in Beer Industry Have Wholesalers on Edge

Distributors Feel Squeezed by Retailers, Brewers Amid Mergers and Acquisitions

SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) — The beer industry, gathered here for its annual wholesaler convention, seems to be in dire need of the relaxing properties of its product.

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TBWA Wins Visa’s $600 Million Global Account Omnicom Shop Prevails in Holding-Company Review

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Visa said it has awarded global creative and strategic marketing duties on its $600 million account to Omnicom Group’s TBWA Worldwide, following a holding-company pitch for the business.

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The Summer Issue continues…

If you don’t already have a printed version in your hands, check out the last batch of finely-tuned editorial culled from Creativity’s summer issue. (Until the Awards Report drops next week) » Read more

Rate the Ad: Lenovo: Troll Last week, Rate the Ad served up a viral that leaned precariously toward the soft porn aesthetic and, literally, into the toilet. This week, we pluck a bizarre :30 from the vast collection of Olympics 2008 work. » Read more

People news from JWT, TBWA and more Former Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles ECD Harvey Marco joined JWT, New York as chief creative officer. Marco takes over for Ty Montague, who will now focus on management duties within the agency as co-president. … TBWA, Germany announced that creative director Bettina Olf (pictured) will join its Hamburg office as ECD in September. … » Read more

Google CEO Responds to Atlantic’s ‘Stoopid’ Cover

A 3 Minute Ad Age Video Report

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Although he was originally booked to discuss digital-entertainment strategies at Ad Age’s recent Madison & Vine conference, the first subject Google Chairman-CEO Eric Schmidt lit into was The Atlantic magazine. The August edition was fronted by a headline screaming the question “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?” Mr. Schmidt also discussed the curious new technique Google hopes to use in its fight against copyright infringement.

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What You Missed at Last Week’s 4A’s Planning Conference TBWA’s Suzanne Powers Has Some Answers to the Most-Talked About Questions

Commentary

Last week the 650 planners that descended on Miami for the American Association of Advertising Agencies’ annual account planning conference were asked to wrestle with a basic question: what business are we really in?

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Schulson and Aviram off to Y&R, New York

Lora Schulson (pictured) and Nathy Aviram, the former TBWA/Chiat/Day/N.Y. senior producers behind the agency’s much-celebrated work for Combos, Skittles, Starburst and Sprint-Nextel, will be reuniting with former colleagues Ian Reichenthal and Scott Vitrone at Y&R, New York. » Read more

Rate the Ad: T-Mobile: Cow Last time, we threw Walmart’s new, light logo out to the crowd and were delighted that dozens of Rate the Adsters spoke up. The retail giant is switching out their highly recognizable navy block lettering and star, the symbol of the company since 1992, for a brighter blue, lowercase and a sunburst. This week, we look to what’s been deemed offensive by ad viewers in the U.K., where banned ads have grabbed recent attention. We want your perspective on the new T-Mobile spot, which revolves around a veterinarian searching for cell phone minutes up a cow’s rump. » Read more

Only three days left to enter Penguin and Creativity’s book cover contest Designers, artists, illustrators, this Friday, July 18, is the deadline for the Creativity/Penguin Book Cover Competition. Along with Penguin Books, patrons of some of the most eye-catching book covers of the last few years, we are inviting you to create a cover for British author Sam Taylor’s upcoming novel The Island at the End of the World. The winner will be selected by Penguin editors, creative director Paul Buckley and the editors of Creativity and will become the official cover of the book, to be published in 2009. The winner will also receive a cash prize comparable to the going cover fee rate. The competition is open to all artists, whether you are just starting out or are an established name in the business. » Read more

People news from McCann, Wieden + Kennedy and more McCann Worldgroup, San Francisco appointed ex-Leo Burnett, Chicago creative directors Josh Denberg and Paul Hirsch (pictured) as GCDs. … Wieden+Kennedy, New York hired AKQA alum Jerome Austria in the newly created position of interactive creative director. ..