INDUSTRY NEWS & VIEWS

EXPERT INSIGHTS

Working as a Woman in the Ad Industry

Suzana Apelbaum discusses what women bring to a creative team, how the industry can attract and retain more women, and what it's like to work on a global client at a smaller agency.

• Portrait: Mutt Industries
  (l. to r.) Partners Scott Cromer, Steve Luker, Mike McCommon Portland, Ore. The founders of Mutt Industries came from a long line of well-known agencies like Wieden + Kennedy and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, but they didn’t want to rest on their pedigrees. They wanted to create an agency that, while independent and scrappy, could also work well with other shops. The result has been projects like the integrated campaign they did for knife maker Gerber Legendary Blades, where they armed the survivors in AMC’s against zombie attacks, as well as assignments for blue-chip clients like Ford and Gap through those clients’ AORs.
• Miracle Whip Unveils Storytelling Campaign
  That’s the core question behind mcgarrybowen Chicago’s new campaign for the Kraft sandwich spread. The effort, which launches this week, features TV ads that use angry mobs from the 17th century to skewer those with pre-conceived notions about the brand. The tagline is “Keep an open mouth.” Online, print and outdoor ads also are part of the mix. Most of the ads direct consumers to Miracle Whip’s Facebook page, where they can sign up for free samples. The campaign’s media budget was not disclosed, but Miracle Whip typically spends more than $30 million on media each year, according to Nielsen. Kraft bought time on Sunday’s Academy Awards telecast on ABC to unveil one ad, “Witchhunt.” It depicts the mob carrying torches and marching through some woods before pounding on a door to a house. A girl opens the door to be confronted by a bearded man who speaks for the group. “We have come for the foul, unholy beast. The one with the red markings that sits on the table where you sup,” he declares. “Aye. The Miracle Whip,” the man says with emphasis, adding, “Stand aside that we may burn it.” Calmly, she asks, “How is it foul? Have you ever tried it?” She goes on to say that the spread is “actually quite sweet and tangy,” quelling the uprising. Another ad, “Village,” takes a page from The Scarlet Letter, with a woman in a bonnet getting singled out for having the brand’s red “MW” logo on her blue apron. She stands her ground, however, insisting that Miracle Whip is “not odd. And it’s great on mutton.” In the end, a reverend supports her opinion by revealing the red letters on his shirt as well. Village will first air during the Feb. 29 episode of Fox’s American Idol. Village and Witchhunt were shot in Romania and directed by Joachim Back of Park Pictures. The principal actors came from New York and London, but many in the mob were Romanian, according to Dave Reger, a group creative director at mcgarrybowen. The agency opted for the period setting and storytelling approach in part to break from category conventions, added Michael Straznickas, another group cd at the agency. Mcgarrybowen developed the ads before the Oscar buy opportunity arose, so they weren’t made for the Oscars per se. But the storytelling approach fits the environment. What’s more, said Sara Braun, marketing director on the brand, “it’s a great way for us to kick off the campaign in a bid way." Kraft also plans to run Village and Witchhunt in cinemas this summer. Mcgarrybowen’s last Miracle Whip campaign, “We’re not for everyone,” took a testimonial approach, with people telling the camera why they love or hate the brand.
• DAA To Require Members To Honor Do-Not-Track Headers
  The ad industry's self-regulatory group Digital Advertising Alliance now supports the idea that consumers should be able to opt out of all online behavioral advertising through a browser-based do-not-track header, the group's lawyer, Stuart Ingis, said on Wednesday.
• 'People' Magazine Rolls Out the Red Carpet
  This Sunday night, millions of viewers will tune into the Academy Awards to find out who takes home film’s top honors—and see who makes the “Best Dressed” lists. To capitalize on the red carpet obsession, the franchise is rolling out e-commerce and social media initiatives to put readers in the middle of the sartorial whirlwind that is the Oscars.. To capitalize on that buzz, the magazine is sending subscribers an Awards Show Special issue spotlighting the season’s best red carpet fashions. To boost newsstand sales, struck a partnership with Redbox to give single-copy buyers a free one-night movie rental. also is jumping on the e-commerce bandwagon this year. Spinoff  editors will curate items inspired by the evening for a “Get the Look: Red Carpet” sale on Gilt Group. If the content-only partnership is successful (the magazine isn’t getting any cut of sales), it could lead to further e-commerce collaborations, Kovacs said. That red carpet frenzy is also evidenced on People.com, which gets its biggest traffic boost of the year on the day after the Oscars, according to People.com managing editor Janice Morris. In addition to covering the event's fashion moments, People.com is encouraging readers to interact with the site through a live blog on the site and social media. Last year’s live trivia competition will return to People.com, but it will feature a new Facebook tie-in that lets participants play with their friends. Pinterest boards focusing on Oscars and red carpet fashion will be updated with photos from the evening. And ’s Twitter account will promote People.com content and encourage people to make their own best-dressed lists.