Y&R SF and Dr Pepper Snapple Part Ways

Y&R and Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG) will be parting ways after 40 years of working together according to an Ad Age article. In ’08 DPSG moved three of their brands away from Y&R to Deutsch , the three beverages moved are Dr Pepper, Snapple and Diet Dr Pepper. A shake up of brands happened again in February of 2010 when DPSG moved Canada Dry, Sunkist, and A&W Root Beer to McGarryBowen without a review. This meant that Y&R only had 7UP after a 40-year relationship with DPSG.

So, why has changing ad agencies become so common in the industry today? Why is having an ad agency position so insecure?

Let me know what you guys think. Oh, and by the way, the ad showen above is the only brand Y&R has left from DPSG, 7UP.

Best,
-A.B.

Down But Not Out

I don’t know how many people recently visited the Enfatico Web-site, it’s actually pretty cool. It has a giant hammer right on the homepage with the agency name plastered right in the middle. I’m not exactly sure what the hammer is supposed to signify, maybe they hammer out ideas. But ironically enough they are being hammered into a division of Young & Rubicam. I could have guessed that from the very beginning of the agency’s life. I don’t think anybody can survive with just one client especially in the current economy.

For those of you who don’t know, Enfatico does advertising strictly for the Dell brand. By the way I read a story that claimed in the early days of the agency Dell’s CEO Michael Dell was visiting the agency one morning so the staff was panic trying to switch out all the office’s computers for Dell ones. Ad agencies are famous for only using Macs. Macs are better for creative programs such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver but remember, this is only my opinion.

So all that work was for nothing, the shop is being folded into a bigger more established shop. Why, because whenever there is an economic crisis advertising is the first thing to go for most companies.

Best,
A.B.

Viagra in the Mid-East

A couple of days ago I thought of an ad I once saw in Saudi Arabia many years ago (2002, I think). So, trying to be the best ad blogger I could be, I tried to find that particular TV commercial. The commercial I saw was a spot for Viagra but even that I am not sure of. All I know for sure is that it was a commercial promoting some erectile dysfunction medication.

Now before I tell you about the commercial you should know that television in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East in general is highly censored. You should also know that I can’t recall every exact detail of the commercial but I do remember the important points of the spot. The spot involved a vending machine and some Saudi dollars not being accepted by the machine until they get some Viagra.

The main point I am trying to make with this story is that in countries like Saudi Arabia and others in the Mid-East agencies must be very clever and creative to get around cultural taboos. It is not permitted to display affection between the sexes like what is shown in Western media. Therefore, to make people understand the message of the Viagra commercial, the message is often cloaked in metaphor.

Now I could never find the spot involving the dollars and the vending machine but I found another spot involving fast food soda cups and straws. Please remember I saw the vending machine spot many years ago. It’s a similar idea in that Viagra gets its point across without using men or women only inanimate objects.



I Believe the ad agency is Young & Rubicam, Jeddah, but I am not certain how accurate that information is.

Best,
A.B.