2022 is officially in full-swing, meaning agencies are past the quiet of the holidays and actively launching new partnerships, innovative technologies and clever national campaigns.
We’re making a few changes to the Revolving Door Roundup, splitting our roundup into two different articles. Agency Moves addresses new business wins, product launches, mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships. Roster Updates centers on personnel moves.
This week, you’ll see an augmented reality activation with the artist behind ‘Big Energy’, a star-studded campaign launched with a ton of famous Bobs (you’ll understand in a minute) and an agency created specifically to cater to Web3, metaverse and blockchain. Let’s dive in.
Arnold Worldwide
Bob’s Discount Furniture launched “Assemble the Bobs,” a star-studded national brand campaign joining some of the most famous Bobs across industries to celebrate the brand’s growth and entry into new markets. The campaign was co-produced by the brand’s internal marketing team and leading creative shop Arnold Worldwide.
Some notable Bobs from the campaign include movie star and Saturday Night Live veteran Rob Schneider, American rapper, actor and television host Rob Van Winkle, WWE Superstar and four-time wrestling All American Bobby Lashley, late artist and creator Bob Ross, Cuban model and actor Roberto Hernandez and of course, Bob’s Furniture founder Bob Kaufman.
Dolphin Entertainment
Dolphin Entertainment announced the creation of its new marketing and consulting agency, which will focus specifically on clients in the areas of Web3, metaverse and blockchain. The agency will absorb Dolphin’s NFT division and kickstart with more than two dozen active Web3 projects and partners.
The goal of the agency, which has yet to be named, is to give Dolphin the infrastructure it needs to provide holistic support and specialized insights to clients exploring areas such as NFT/crypto influencer relations, Web3 development, digital creative direction and smart contract creation.
Gestalt Brand Lab
Chia-based food brand Mamma Chia announced an inclusivity, diversity and empowerment-centered rebrand powered by Gestalt Brand Lab. The new look has revamped the company’s color palette, packaging and website, aligning all brand output under a master design aesthetic.
Gestalt Brand Lab utilized Mamma Chia’s tagline, “Seed Your Soul” to fuel a redesign focused on connecting with health-conscious customers through a natural and inclusive look. The brand will roll out its updated materials throughout the first half of 2022.
Havas Media Group
Havas Media Group announced it was chosen by Edgewell, a leading personal care and hygiene consumer products company parent to brands like Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic, as its media agency of record.
HMG will manage U.S. media planning, buying and optimization for men’s and women’s hair removal, sun and hygiene, placing it in partnership with brands like Skintimate, Wet Ones and Xtreme.
Hyper-Hybrid Production
Design agency Stimulated-Inc. and media consultancy firm Bring It In Media have partnered to launch Hyper-Hybrid Production, a solution for in-house agencies to supplement animation, motion, development and design in a time- and cost-effective manner.
The solution was developed by Stimulated-Inc. founder/author Robb Wagner to supply IHAs with access to a hybrid network of full-service creative producers and specially-trained artists, allowing them to quickly receive and distribute turn-key content. Cheryl McGarry-Marley and Lindsey Sutton of Bring It In Media noticed a natural alignment with their firm’s goal to increase agency efficiency, and the two brands launched their partnership to scale the product to a larger market.
Joan
Creative agency Joan has been selected by S&P Global, a provider of credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics in the capital and commodity markets, as their lead global agency. Joan will be building out S&P Global’s new strategic and creative foundation, and launching the brand’s first global campaign in early 2022. Entering its next stage of growth, S&P Global is working with Joan to amplify its vision for people and partners worldwide.
Reform School
After years of collaborating on Super Bowl spots, TV sketches, music videos and more, producers Evan Silver and Ryan Ennis have launched Reform School, a film production studio with a mission to impact culture through humor and storytelling.
Silver joins Reform School with an impressive history working with clients like HBO, Nike and Burger King. Ennis has been freelancing for 17 years for agencies including Droga5, Mother, Deutsch LA and 72andSunny. Together, their new agency is already producing for Amazon, Fage Greek Yogurt and MTV.
Renegade Global
New York Times best-selling author Amy Jo Martin has launched Renegade Global, a company bringing holistic training to workplaces looking to attract, retain and grow talent. Renegade Global is especially committed to empowering corporate teams and independent female leaders, executives and founders to succeed.
The new brand’s first corporate client was a Fortune 100 company who said of its team, 100% reported an improvement in their effectiveness as a leader, 88% an increase in joy and fulfillment and 63% progress in their ability to bounce back after setbacks.
Shadow
Shadow has been selected as ‘Agency of Record’ by non-alcoholic mixer brand Betty Buzz. Founded by actress, model, director and advocate Blake Lively, the line aims to shine light on mixers, the unsung heroes of the drink world.
You Are Here
Sprite and the Atlanta Hawks have partnered with hit rapper Latto to introduce a series of immersive videos in and outside of the State Farm Arena. The partnership will use volumetric scanning, a technology that creates digital clones of real people, to transport the artist to the Atlanta Hawks game on January 28.
Following the game, consumers in metro Atlanta will be able to access Latto’s performance through augmented reality by scanning Sprite bottles. Atlanta agency partner You Are Here supplemented the campaign with unique technology behind its augmented reality components.