The bad news for the mailing industry keeps on coming, dimming the prospects that the two-year-old postal rate hike that went into effect days ago will end. On Thursday, the Senate committee on homeland security and government affairs voted 9-1 to advance to the Senate floor the Postal Reform Act, a bill sponsored by chairman and ranking member Sens.
Eric Kallman, the award-winning creative director who helped make Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like," Ragù's "Long Day of Childhood" and some of the classic Skittles commercials, is joining Goodby, Silverstein & Partners as a creative director and associate partner. He starts March 3. To welcome him, the San Francisco agency whipped up the pretty hilarious Dove "Real Beauty Sketches" parody below, starring Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein and Margaret Johnson.
Levi Strauss & Co. is back with FCB. The jeans marketer, which previously created some of its most memorable work with Foote, Cone & Belding in San Francisco, has shifted its business to Interpublic’s Draftfcb and independent The House Worldwide. The shift comes after the company split with Wieden + Kennedy five months ago.
Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp today is leaving the 34th floor of the Time and Life building, the cavernous executive offices that have long been home to the company’s top echelons of leadership—but have also become synonymous with remote management and plodding decision-making.
As reported, AMC and Sony Pictures TV have officially tapped Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to develop Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's controversial 1990's comic book series Preacher for AMC. The show will follow troubled preacher Jesse Custer (note initials) through Texas and beyond as he tries to come to grips with his newfound superpower—the ability to make absolutely anyone do what he tells them to do.
TripAdvisor is looking for another creative agency less than a year after hiring The Fantastical, a start-up agency founded by former Mullen group creative directors Michael Ancevic and Steve Mietelski. While the company confirmed it was having “conversations” with agencies, it did not identify which shops were in contention for the business.
Rodale has hired Beth Buehler as svp of digital operations and strategy, a newly created position and the latest sign of change at the family-owned company since Scott Schulman was named president in October. Buehler will oversee online activities related to Rodale's health and fitness brands including Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention and Runner’s World, as well as its books and e-commerce site Rodale’s.
While two of the biggest advertisers have rotated out of ABC’s Academy Awards broadcast, many more blue chip sponsors are returning to the Red Carpet. As first reported by Adweek, General Motors is in the mix, having replaced Hyundai as the official automotive sponsor, as is Pepsi, which ousted rival Coca-Cola after an eight-year absence.
Intel's "Look Inside" film series about inspiring people scales new heights in this 90-second spot about Erik Weihenmayer, who's beaten long odds to climb the world's seven tallest peaks. There's a potent reveal—which we won't spoil—around the minute mark, where we learn about Weihenmayer's physical condition and what he's had to overcome to reach those summits. It's an emotional jolt that powers his narration. "One of the shortfalls I think many people have is that they allow all these distractions and fears and doubts to get into their head and sabotage them," Weihenmayer says.
A Mazda Super Bowl ad showcasing the connected capabilities of its new cars became the poster child for distracted driving during a day-long summit held by the Senate commerce committee. The ad showed a a fleeting glimpse of a driver updating his Facebook page from the center console as he was driving down the road.
