Warranty Support

Last September, when Lee Doyle left his role as the head of WPP’s MEC media network, the company said he would stay within the corporate fold in what was then an undefined role. That’s now borne out as Doyle has been named to the newly created job of president, client development, at WPP media network Mindshare.

The move is part of the new management structure under Antony Young who was named CEO of Mindshare North America last summer. Young had previously been the U.S. chief of Publicis Groupe’s Optimedia agency and was replaced by Marla Kaplowitz, who was named North American CEO in October.

Doyle moves over to an agency that is currently the North America, Western Europe incumbent in Unilever’s $7 billion global media review.  Mindshare said Doyle has the new-busines chops for the role. While he ran MEC’s North American operations, the company grew 40 percent and won the consolidated AT&T media assignment, with about $2 billion in spending, and other new business from Marriott, Bloomberg, Michelin, IKEA, Activision, Novartis and Macy’s.

In addition to Doyle’s recruitment, Mindshare said it hired Alexander Ouvaroff as the agency’s West Coast lead. He was most recently evp at Marketing Evolution where he oversaw Anheuser-Busch InBev, and he takes over for Sandy Constan who recently stepped down from that L.A.-based role at Mindshare. The company also promoted Michael Epstein, who was previously client leader, to president, strategic resources and client services. Two other Mindshare executives have been promoted as well: Jake Norman, managing director business planning and client lead for Tim Hortons and J.M. Smucker is now the president, chief strategy officer, Mindshare Canada, a new role at the company, and  Dervilla Kelly has been upped to executive director, client leadership, another new role.
 

QR codes have been exhibiting an uncharacteristic characteristic lately—they've been not sucking as much. We had the Korean retailer's 3-D sunlight-activated QR code, which was scannable only at lunch, when the shadows lined up. Now, we have this Guinness QR code on a beer glass, dreamed up by BBDO New York. It's literally activated by the product—you pour a Guinness into the glass, and the beer's black color fills out the code. (Those inferior amber-colored beers are useless here.) Scan the code with your smartphone, and it "tweets about your pint, updates your Facebook status, checks you in via Foursquare, downloads coupons and promotions, invites your friends to join you, and even launches exclusive Guinness content." In a pinch, it might even send out an SOS signal if you happen to be stuck on the Guinness submarine. More images after the jump. Via @TheSmarmyBum.

Office-supply ads in the U.S. aren't generally known for their subtle wit. In Argentina, it's another story. A new Staples spot from David, the Ogilvy & Mather-owned ad agency that opened in Buenos Aires (and São Paulo, Brazil) earlier this year, somehow manages to make the purveyor of printer paper and folders seem practically cool by ditching the annoying red "Easy" button (you know the one) and embracing a little lo-tech quirk.

The hard truth, as the ad states, is that most offices are awful environments. The HQ office of imaginary "Unlimitech Solutions," which apparently hasn't redecorated (or bought new PCs) since the late '90s, is especially bad. So, with a group of important visitors on their way up, the boss decides the place needs a little refreshing. His assistant responds by throwing up a Windows 95 screensaver on her messy desktop computer, and then on every other unsightly surface in the room, which she pronounces "classy," utterly deadpan. Of course, with a few clicks of the mouse (and a strange little electronic soundtrack), Unlimitech could have solved its dilemma with some file holders and new monitors from Staples. It may not be as "classy" of a result, but it's a little easier on the eyes.

The beauty of this spot is that it completely ditches the usual, polished TV aesthetics. Both the old and the new Unlimitech offices (screensaver version notwithstanding) look like dumpy places you've probably worked at. The spot's simple, middle-management realism hits a subtly funny note, proving you don't need a shtick to make a memorable ad.



CREDITS
Client: Staples
Agency: David, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Executive Creative Directorss: Joaquin Cubria, Analia Rios
Creative Directors: Matias Lafalla, Ramiro Gamallo
Art Director: Ricardo Casal
Copywriter: Juan Javier Pena
Production Company: argentinacine
Director: Rafael Lopez Saubidet
Photography Director: Julian Ledesma
Producers: Nano Tidone, Marcos Landajo
Editor: Agustin De Vittorio
Postproduction: Aldo Ferrari, Luli Jimenez

Skechers, the fitness shoemaker that just agreed to a $40 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over deceptive advertising charges, quietly pulled its toning shoe for girls from its product line.

Sometime while under investigation by the Children's Advertising Review Unit—and likely considering the FTC's $25 million settlement last September with Reebok over claims of false advertising for its toning shoes—Skechers stopped selling Active Club Shape-Ups for girls.

CARU this morning released the findings of a yearlong investigation that Skechers ads and packaging for the girls' toning shoes was misleading and implied the product would make a girl more popular and more fit.

The cartoon ad for the girls' toning shoes, which ran on TV nets such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, featured HyDee, an attractive, tall, slim teen who sings and dances to a jingle: "HyDee's got new Shape-Ups. She's got everything a girl wants. She's got the height, got the bounce. Yeah, she's looking good and having fun. Cause HyDee's got new Shape-Ups." On the packaging, Skechers claims, among other things, that "You can wear your Shape-Ups anywhere, which means you can help tone your muscles, improve your posture." The claims even imply that wearing Skechers can make a girl taller.

CARU's guidelines state: "The presentation should not mislead children about benefits from use of the product. Such benefits may include, but are not limited to, the acquisition of strength, status, popularity, growth, proficiency and intelligence."

"Children are not just little adults," CARU said in its decision. "By virtue of their immaturity, inexperience and lack of cognitive skills, children are more vulnerable to advertising messages and need the extra protections provided by the guidelines."

Skechers initially resisted the investigation, refusing to provide product and packaging samples and evidence to support its fitness claims, telling CARU that its implied claims were "puffery." When it came time for CARU to announce its findings, Skechers provided studies about its adult shoes, but nothing that tested young girls.

Responding to CARU's questions about packaging, Skechers said it placed stickers on boxes advising consumers to "Disregard all fitness benefit claims."

Soon after that, Skechers informed CARU that it was no longer selling the product and has no more plans to advertise it.

"Skechers has voluntarily abandoned the claims that CARU has identified and has discontinued production of this product and the related advertising materials," said the company in CARU's final decision document.

Skechers did not immediately return requests for comment.