Here’s what we learned this week…
Mattel sees girls putting down their dolls at an earlier age
Whether this is true for all dolls or just Barbie, it’s a business problem that made its way onto an agency brief. TrojanOne was asked to come up with something that skewed to the older portion of Barbie’s target demo. It hit on the idea of creating a social media-like experience that mimics Pinterest. Designed as a closed and “safe” experience because, as TrojanOne’s Imran Choudhry says, “social platforms are not an area that kids can be in, but we wanted to provide a safe environment where they can do similar things that mom is doing.” Read More
The earth just shook around the agency world
The news that Todd Mackie and Denise Rossetto are moving from super-big DDB Canada to Toronto indy DS+P caught everyone’s attention on Thursday. Many are now wondering what drew the creative heavy hitters to a comparatively small shop. The partner titles? Change of pace? Does DS+P have something up its sleeve? Read More
More companies are flying the rainbow flag
Companies are coming out of the woodwork to state their support for gay rights and LGBT communities during the Sochi Games. That support has ranged from statements on blogs to putting gay families in ads running during Games coverage. But official sponsors seem to have a more muted response to calls for condemnation of Russia’s “anti-gay” laws. Granted, official sponsors are in a much more political arrangement than, say, individual team sponsors or ambush marketers. But wouldn’t it be nice to see the Olympic logo superimposed over the Pride Flag in a national media buy? Read more
For SickKids’ Ted Garrard, effective communication is about honesty and timeliness
In an interview with Marketing about the role communication plays in the CEO’s office, the SickKids Foundation CEO said communication can be a powerful tool… If it’s used correctly. “For me, it is about honesty, it’s about transparency and it’s about timeliness. I don’t spend a lot of time trying to spin a story, for example. I’ve always believed that you should get the facts out; be able to defend them, whether they’re popular or not; don’t try to obfuscate; and get ahead of an issue. Make sure you’re responding in real time.” Read more
