In the Pitch Room
Dentsu X won a media agency of record assignment from fast-food chain Zaxby’s following a competitive review.
Outdoor retailer Christy Sports selected TDA Boulder as its creative agency of record.
GT’s Living Foods, producer of the Synergy Kombucha drink, chose Canvas Worldwide as its media agency of record.
America’s Test Kitchen named Boathouse its performance agency.
On the Move
Ogilvy hired Wes Phelan as executive creative director, based in the agency’s New York office. He joined in April from the same role at Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
Doner promoted Ben Grossman to president to help launch its first inclusive marketing practice, AdAge reports. He steps up from chief strategy and integration officer.
Helen Andrews took over as CEO of Johannes Leonardo. She was formerly London managing director at Wieden+Kennedy.
Pizza Hut hired PepsiCo’s Kalen Thornton as global chief brand officer and Melissa Friebe as U.S. CMO. Friebe moved over from sister restaurant chain Taco Bell.
OTT solutions provider Zeam Media hired Sandie Trombert as CMO. She previously worked at the company’s ad agency, Known, where she helped with the rebranding of Zeam, formerly known as Syncbak.
Creative agency Imre named Christian Bauman chief creative officer to spearhead its agency-of-record assignments in the healthcare space. He joined from the same role at The Bloc.
Sibling Rivalry, a brand studio and production company, appointed Bo Bishop as executive director of creative strategy.
Ad tech firm OpenX promoted Gil Sommer into a global role heading up product.
For Good
Cat litter brand Fresh Step has created a limited-edition Garfield-themed box that will benefit animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society. Available only at Walmart, every box purchased between May 1 and June 9 triggers a litter donation to Best Friends of up to 1 million pounds.Actress and animal advocate Kat Dennings is fronting the campaign, which rolls out ahead of the upcoming The Garfield Movie.
Brand Buzz
Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman feature in a new campaign for Heineken Silver as part of the beer brand’s latest Marvel Studios integration. The campaign will include a TV spot, in-store promotion, digital and social media. Reynolds and Jackman said of the campaign, in a joint statement that they definitely wrote: “Nothing gets you through the long and frequently confusing days in the multiverse like the crisp and refreshing taste of Heineken Silver.”
Campaignliveus
