Picks off

Rapp Tribal’s Wayne and Kim Pick, widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s best direct creative teams, are off to New York after Wayne, the executive creative director at Rapp (and, more recently, Rapp Tribal) took the role of senior vice president/global creative director at Omnicom headquarters.

Pick originally said no to the offer when he was told about a possible gig a few months back, but soon realised it was of the ‘too good to refuse’ variety, so the Picks are departing in a few weeks.

A formal announcement on the new management structure of the combined Rapp/Tribal entity (and some additional hires) is expected soon. But it appears as though Aaron Goldring is set to take over as Rapp/Tribal’s creative director (notice the missing ‘executive’).

As is often the case with mergers, some have taken the opportunity to move on, with one dastardly mole counting five departures,  including Greg Forsythe (who previously ran Rapp) and Megan Sanders (the ex general manager).

Beefing up

It was revealed last week that OMD’s managing partner Rosanne Robinson had cashed in her chips for a stint in the country, and OMD has hired a few big guns to fill the gap.

With the addition of Steve Tindall earlier this year, OMD’s chief executive Kath Watson says OMD has already beefed up the trade department, which has worked very well for its clients. And now it’s beefing up the research and insights department, with the addition of new strategy director Kate Thomas, who will be working for the other managing partner Andrew Reinhart, and Rosheena de Leon, previously associate director at Research International, who has joined as research insights manager.

Watson says there’s also one more search person that has been added to the OMD stable.

Mudie blues

After a stellar year at nzherald.co.nz, Ryan Mudie has been promoted from advertising sales manager at nzherald.co.nz, to commercial director at APN Online Australia. The only problem is that he has to go to Brisbane to take up the role and “use his extensive media experience to undertake a number of exciting new ventures for APN”.

Donna O’Keeffe, advertising director, says Mudie has made a huge contribution while at nzherald.co.nz..

“It’s a great opportunity to move within the APN business, and I know Ryan will be fantastic. We’re going to miss him when he departs these shores though, as will his many colleagues and friends in the industry, I’m sure,” she says.

Mudie’s last day at nzherald.co.nz is 22 October. From early November, he can be contacted on ryan.mudie@apn.com.au.

Playing the goat

Vaughn Davis recently left his role as creative director at Y&R after ten years with the agency. And he’s still playing secret squirrel/goat about his new venture, The Goat Farm, which could just as easily be a trendy name for an agency or an actual goat farm.

“Spring is a busy time on the goat farm. Hooves need trimming, the goats need drenching for parasite control and they may need a quick spray for lice. Pasture management is critical too, and the wise goat farmer will make sure heavily trafficked areas don’t become muddy, as this can lead to foot problems in goats,” says Davis, the head goat farmer.

Speaking of goats, try not to laugh at the goat that yells like a human.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vaughn Davis

Parnell’s creative stocks have taken a battering in the last couple of days: Saatchi & Saatchi announced yesterday that its executive creative director Dylan Harrison was offski after just seven months in the job. And Y&R Auckland’s creative director Vaughn Davis is also leaving after ten years with the agency. 

Y&R chief executive Jon Ramage said in release: “With a portfolio of loved and respected work on clients like Elections and BNZ, Vaughn’s integrated approach and passion for effectiveness has been highly valued. He has produced award-winning work across a range of clients with some outstanding work recognised globally. Vaughn has done a terrific job on numerous clients, across many categories, and it’s a real testament to his integrated communications skills. He leaves the agency in great health having its best creative awards year in 2009 and with three finalists in this year’s Effie awards.”

Davis, who was on the Cannes Direct Lions jury this year, says his lips are currently like those of David Hartnall’s: completely sealed. And he was unable to talk about the reasons for his departure or what he’s planning on doing to fill in his days.

He did, tongue and cheekily, post a comment on Twitter about applying for a junior role with #SY because he knows the boss, NZ Marketing mag’s social media columnist Simon Young. Or, as his Posterous profile says, maybe he will be spending more time raising “goats and sons” and daydreaming “about the brief and now distant period in my youth when I filled my days flying the C130 Hercules wherever in the world the Royal New Zealand Air Force needed it flown”.

Wellington creative group head, Duncan Munro will be leading Y&R’s creative output until Davis’ replacement is found. And Ramage says the search is already underway.

Davis can be contacted on vcd@ihug.co.nz, 027 412 7085 or on Twitter as @vaughndavis.

TITANIUM AND INTEGRATED: Nick Worthington, executive creative director, Colenso BBDO.

Worthington began his career working at BBH London (1986-1996) under the watchful eye of John Hegarty, creating numerous celebrated campaigns including Levis Creek, Levis Drugstore, Polaroid and Boddingtons. He defected to AMV BBDO (1996-2003) working under David Abbott, where he worked on Wrangler, Dulux and Road Safety, continuing the award winning work with three Gold Lions for the ‘Two Things at Once’ Road Safety campaign.

In 2003 Nick joined Dave Droga at Publicis, taking a seat on the worldwide creative board and heading up Publicis Mojo New Zealand. Mojo became Agency of the Year in New Zealand, floating a pub to London for Speights, creating a short film festival for Schweppes and winning 15 lions.

After Droga’s departure from Publicis, Worthington returned to BBDO to help run Colenso in Auckland, where he continues to create more highly regarded work including the Yellow Tree House for Yellow Pages New Zealand. The agency was recognised as Agency of the Year in 2009 and Agency of the Decade in 2010.

MEDIA LIONS: Barry Williamson, media director, Mediaedge:cia

A 40-odd year ‘young’ veteran in the communications industry, Williamson has specialised in strategic media planning throughout most of his career, but has had considerable experience as group account director on brands such as Air New Zealand, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Gillette, Energizer and Heineken. He was national media director for McCann Erickson and Saatchi & Saatchi before joining the Bates Group as media director.

He then moved to the ‘dark side’, running the Bates Group media buying company, Media Decisions, which later became The Media Palace. He has been with Mediaedge:cia on a contract basis for four years and has recently taken over the media director reins in the Auckland office. In addition to his responsibilities with the Y&R Group, Williamson has been active within the industry, conceptualising and running the CAANZ Media Training Course for six years and currently judging convener of the CAANZ Media Awards. He was recognised by the industry in 2002 and 2006 for his efforts on behalf of the communications industry.

DIRECT LIONS: Vaughn Davis, creative director, Y&R

Davis signed on at Y&R as a writer in 2000. For most of the time since, his focus has been on retail and response-driven advertising that builds brands. His main role at Y&R is keeping the creative department well fed and happy, in order that they might continue to crank out astounding work for a stellar portfolio of clients. A regular speaker and writer on advertising issues and social media, he is a sometimes outspoken champion of hard-working advertising that does the business for the people who pay for it.

Outside work, Davis is a qualified marksman on the Browning 9mm pistol and holds an Air Transport Pilot’s Licence, both qualifications obtained in his previous life as an RNZAF pilot. Like all New Zealanders, he owns three sheep.

CYBER LIONS: Lachlan McPherson, executive creative director, Publicis Mojo

In his executive creative director role, McPherson is responsible for leading the agency’s creativity across all disciplines. His long relationship with the group started in 1994 when he was hired as creative director of Mojo’s Melbourne office. That same year he served as president of the Melbourne Art Directors’ Club.

After a stint working with Publicis Mojo Auckland in the late 1990s, he was impressed with New Zealand’s burgeoning creative industry and accepted the invitation to become the office’s creative director. In 2002, he was ranked New Zealand’s number one creative by Campaign Brief magazine. Shortly after, he was appointed executive creative director of Publicis Mojo Sydney and helped lead the agency to win a Gold Lion and become the AdNews Agency of the Year. In 2004, he returned to Auckland as a partner of Publicis Mojo New Zealand.

McPherson’s creativity has helped some of the world’s leading brands, including Coca Cola, Nestle, Toyota and Greenpeace. Judges at Cannes Lions have awarded him multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions. His ‘Enjoy’ campaign for The Coca Cola Company has a chapter devoted to it in the book How Asia Advertises: The Most Successful Campaigns in Asia Pacific and the Marketing Strategies Behind Them. He is also founder of Publicis Loft, a project based agency designed to work in new ways by bringing marketers and creative people together.

RADIO LIONS: Chris Schofield, creative director, DraftFCB

Schofield is an advertising creative dedicated to the pursuit of original ideas, effective ads and happy clients. He has a diploma in advertising from AUT, and after completing the Axis Adschool gained experience at Colenso BBDO, Generator Bates and Saatchi & Saatchi before joining FCB in 2005. He has worked as a writer in advertising for six years and during that time he has worked on memorable, award winning and effective campaigns for a range of clients including Telecom T3G, CanWest TV3, Firestone Direct, DB Breweries, and Amnesty International.

Since joining DraftFCB in 2005 Schofield has travelled throughout the DraftFCB network assisting agencies in Japan and the US as well as landing a host of local and international awards for local clients.

PROMO LIONS: Guy Roberts, creative director, TBWA/Tequila

Roberts has worked in London, Australia and New Zealand in a career spanning 20 years and has won numerous international awards: Cannes, One Show, Clio, D&AD, Award, Adfest, Effie, Axis, and Media Spikes, with highlights being a double Grand Prix, D&AD and Grande Clio.

However, if asked he would have to say his greatest achievements to date are his three year old son Louie, his 11 month old daughter Isla and a 12.5 pound rainbow jack.

Sandra King, sales and marketing manager for Fairfax Media Group, the official media partner of the Cannes Lions, says the selected jurors represent the country’s leading talent.

“These New Zealand representatives will join an exclusive team of international industry heavyweights to determine the advertising campaigns that will be named the best in the world at Cannes in June. The selection process involves choosing the best in the business while weighing up a fair cross-section of representatives from agency groups and regions.”

And the selected jurors are:

MEDIA LIONS JURY: Barry Williamson, media director – Mediaedge:cia

DIRECT LIONS JURY: Vaughn Davis, creative director – Y&R

CYBER LIONS JURY: Lachlan McPherson, executive creative director – Publicis Mojo

RADIO LIONS JURY: Chris Schofield, creative director – Draft FCB

PROMO LIONS JURY: Guy Roberts, creative director – TBWA/Tequila

In addition, Nick Worthington, executive creative director at ColensoBBDO, was chosen as a member of the festival’s elite Titanium and Integrated Jury.

“It’s testament to the creative strength of the New Zealand advertising industry that we have representation on six of the twelve juries at the festival. We are one of the most awarded countries in the world for our size when it comes to advertising accolades and no doubt our performance at this year’s Cannes Lions festival will prove that once again,” says Ms King.

Entries are now open in all categories of the 57th Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Entry forms can be completed online at www.canneslions.com

Deadlines:

Film, Film Craft, Outdoor and Press Lions Entries: 5 March 2010
Design, Direct, Media, PR, Promo & Activation and Radio Lions Entries: 12 March 2010
Cyber, Titanium and Integrated Lions Entries: 19 March 2010