It was a mixed bag for DDB New Zealand last week. The team were forced to drown their sorrows late last week after the agency realignment everyone was talking about saw it say goodbye to the big ANZ account. But, on the plus side, it dominated the Fairfax Admedia agency of the year awards and it’s continued its run of hot form with another good awards haul, this time at Adfest in Thailand.
Being ranked 18th best agency in the world last week in the Big Won directory obviously wasn’t enough for DDB New Zealand, because since then it’s gone on to claim the prestigious Young Guns Agency of the Year title, it’s taken out the top spot on the Young Guns creative rankings and it’s also placed as the 28th most awarded agency in the world according to the recently released Gunn Report.
DDB’s latest campaign for The National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) has taken a rather unique approach to blokey calendars—and raising funds—by giving Kiwi men what can only be described as a glimpse of muff.
… And just look at how their fancy new titles glisten.
DDB has nabbed a host of new (and some old) talent for its retail department, with ex DDBer Mark Lorrigan returning to the mothership and teaming up with Jordan Sky in the newly-created role of joint head of retail positions, and three more newbies adding some firepower to the arsenal.
DDB NZ has added three new team members to its creative department, but it’s still on the hunt for a creative director to replace Adam Kanzer, who left in mid May. And Clemenger BBDO is in a similar position, with former creative director Paul Nagy yet to be replaced and a new managing director still to be found to replace Lesley Brown, who departed about 18 months ago to have a baby and chose not to come back.
DDB has been a bit of an arrivals and departures hall recently: Justin Mowday and Aimee McCammonn are soon to join and creative director Adam Kanzer and retail creative director Kim Ellison are soon to leave, with both of their resignations coming in the same week. And, if the old axiom is correct and bad news does indeed come in threes, DDB’s executive creative director Toby Talbot says he’s bracing himself just in case.
DDB New Zealand has announced the promotions of two of its senior creatives, with Dave Brady replacing previous head of art and “crafty bastard” Mike Davison and Paul Hankinson taking on the role of head of copy.
After six years as head of art at DDB New Zealand, Mike Davison has announced he will be leaving to spend more time working on his career as an artist.
The creative excellence of Colenso BBDO and DDB New Zealand has been acknowledged once again by BestadsonTV.com, with the advertising website’s 2009 rankings putting the two Kiwi agencies at the top of the international pile.
DDB Group New Zealand has appointed Steve Kane to a newly created position of creative director, experiential, an appointment the agency claims is a first for a Kiwi ad agency.
As my mother always said, whether you’re engaging in shemale love, being attacked by a shark, suffering from horrible sunburn or lying under a car close to death, there’s always someone worse off than you.