9823: BBDO Not In A Good Mood.

Advertising Age reported on another example of Corporate Cultural Collusion involving Omnicom—except this time, it didn’t go the holding company’s way. The creative duties for the Arby’s account shifted from BBDO to CP+B without a review, likely fueled by a fresh CMO with previous ties to Burger King and the new AOR. Which leaves BBDO employees not in a good mood at all. But everyone else can rejoice in knowing they won’t have to continue hearing the annoying White dude sing, “It’s Good Mood Food!”

Arby’s Creative Shifts to CP&B Without a Review

New CMO Russ Klein Ditches BBDO for Shop He Worked With While at Burger King

By Maureen Morrison

Arby’s is handing its creative account to CP&B from BBDO without a review, Ad Age has learned.

The move comes just a month after the chain named former Burger King Global CMO Russ Klein CMO. During his tenure at Burger King, Mr. Klein shifted the creative account to MDC Partners-owned CP&B in 2004 and worked with the agency until his departure from the burger chain in 2009.

Omnicom Group’s BBDO won the Arby’s account in December 2010. Omnicom sibling Merkley & Partners had the Arby’s account before that. Arby’s media agency of record, Interpublic’s Initiative, will continue to handle media duties.

“BBDO’s work for Arby’s was exactly what the brand needed at that time,” said Mr. Klein, in a statement. “This transition is about where we are taking the brand and how we are going to get there. Our opportunity is to turn a great brand into a great business. We are building a brand that will be authentic, emotional and enduring, and I know that CP&B can get us there.”

Rob Reilly, partner and worldwide chief creative officer at CP&B, said in the statement: “What has always struck me about Russ is his huge passion and strategic acumen. We are thrilled to have the chance to partner with him and the team to restore the fervent love for the Arby’s brand.”

The sudden move is a gut punch for the Omnicom shop. Coincident with BBDO’s work on the Arby’s business, the fast feeder posted positive sales after a slump. After the chain appointed Mr. Klein, Arby’s Restaurant Group President Hala Moddelmog said in a statement that Arby’s had just completed its fifth consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth.

In a separate statement, John Osborn, president-CEO of BBDO, New York, said: “There’s not much to say. The numbers speak for themselves. We’re proud of our contributions to the Arby’s business. We wish the brand continued growth.”

Arby’s is expected to launch a new campaign and logo, as well as a new menu, in the third quarter of the year around the Olympics, but given the account change, it’s believed that CP&B will now be responsible for the work. BBDO created the current tagline “It’s good-mood food.”

Arby’s, now a private company, was part of Wendy’s/Arby’s Group until private-equity firm Roark Capital took a majority stake in the chain in July. Arby’s spent $111.7 million on U.S. measured media in 2011, according to Kantar.

9802: Propelling Shit On TV.

Last May, MultiCultClassics noted a clear case of Corporate Cultural Collusion involving Omnicom and PepsiCo, whereby the Propel Zero account shifted from one sister agency to another under the guise of formal reviews. The incumbent agency—Goodby, Silverstein & Partners—was ultimately replaced by the virtually unknown Fathom. This Propel Zero commercial from the new AOR is awful, and hardly on the caliber of what one might expect from GS&P. In fact, it appears to be a poor adman’s version of a campaign created years ago for the brand by another Omnicom agency.

9751: Corporate Cultural Collusion Kool-Aid.

Advertising Age reported that Kraft is shifting its Kool-Aid account from Ogilvy to Saatchi & Saatchi, citing the need for a “fresh perspective” on the brand. Right. First of all, everyone knows that minorities comprise a key audience for Kool-Aid (MultiCultClassics addressed this topic last year). So moving the work from one outdated White agency to another outdated White agency will hardly lead to freshness. Once again, Kraft is showing its commitment to supplier diversity is total bullshit. And the food company’s business sense—in terms of partnering with experts capable of sparking sales—is pathetic too. It seems like “fresh perspective” is code for Corporate Cultural Collusion.

Saatchi Snags Kraft’s Kool-Aid, Capri Sun

Marketer Cites Need for ‘Fresh Perspective’ on Beverage Brands

By Rupal Parekh

Kraft is once again rejiggering its roster, handing Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi creative duties for Kool-Aid and Capri Sun. Those beverage brands were previously handled by WPP’s Ogilvy.

Agency representatives either declined to comment or referred calls to Kraft Foods. Bridget A. MacConnell, Kraft ‘s senior manager-corporate affairs for beverages, told Ad Age that Saatchi’s New York office will be responsible for handling the two accounts and said the impetus was a desire for new creative thinking.

“While we appreciate our long partnership with Ogilvy, we needed a fresh perspective as we drive our refreshment beverage brands forward,” she said via email.

The pace with which Kraft continues to make changes to its agency roster is astounding. A Wall Street analyst recently found that between 2009 and 2010 Kraft had switched ad agency assignments on brands accounting for a whopping 48% of its total U.S. measured media spending.

The changes in the company’s agency relationships are part and parcel of a much larger wave of organizational changes at Kraft, which is in the midst of splitting into two companies—one focused on the North American grocery business, and another that concentrates on snacks. As a result of the split, Kraft has announced that it will slash up to 1,600 jobs. Meanwhile, the company is in the thick of ushering in a barrage of new products.

For Saatchi, the win expands its place on Kraft’s roster of agencies after winning creative duties last October for the world’s largest gum brand, Trident.

It also provides a continuation of some good momentum to kick off 2012, helpful on the heels of its late December loss of the JC Penney account after a five-year relationship. In the past month alone, Saatchi has picked up these additional Kraft assignments, a new creative assignment for the Sapphire credit card by Chase, and has been called in to help out on Miller Lite with a new brand campaign.

Between January and November of 2011, Kraft, which is the 32nd biggest national advertiser per the Ad Age DataCenter, devoted between $35 million and $40 million in domestic measured media to Capri Sun, and about $20 million on Kool-Aid, Kantar data shows.

For Ogilvy it means a further reduction of its Kraft business. The agency once handled a broad array of brands for the packaged-goods giant, but over the past few years it has gradually seen many of its Kraft accounts flee to other agencies. It continues to have two big global pieces of Kraft business, Tang and Cadbury chocolate, and also does work for Honeymaid graham crackers.

Contributing: E.J. Schultz