Agency execs relay stories of pitching nightmares

Santa ponders cost of "naughty or nice" in W+K's PSA | Opinionated, Seventh Generation sing "Climate Carols" | YouTube unveils 2019's 10 most-watched ads Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( December 18, 2019 CONNECT WITH 4A's  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [4A's SmartBrief]( [4A's SmartBrief]( News for the advertising, media, and marcom industries [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( [] Top Story [] [Santa ponders cost of "naughty or nice" in W+K's PSA]( [Santa ponders cost of "naughty or nice" in W+K's PSA]( (NAMI/YouTube) Wieden+Kennedy New York's public service announcement for the National Alliance on Mental Illness features an introspective Santa ruminating about how his "naughty or nice" strategy contributed to damaging labels applied to children, asking, "Isn't it just as possible that they're nervous or nice? Uncomfortable in their own skin, or nice?" The short film was directed pro bono by O Positive's David Shane. [Adweek (tiered subscription model)]( (12/17), [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Hulu’s Digital Identity Exploration We wanted to know more about how people adopt and interact with technology in everyday life and how to advertise to people at different digital fluency levels. Here's what we found! [Learn More]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Creative [] [Opinionated, Seventh Generation sing "Climate Carols"]( Opinionated's holiday campaign for Seventh Generation features a "Climate Carols" album that's streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, which puts a climate change twist on traditional holiday songs, and is showcased in a retro-style video. "It's the perfect thing for awkward holidays spent with climate change-denying parents and in-laws," says Opinionated founder Mark Fitzloff. [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (12/16) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [YouTube unveils 2019's 10 most-watched ads]( [YouTube unveils 2019's 10 most-watched ads]( (Amazon/YouTube) YouTube has unveiled its top 10 most-watched ads of 2019, six of which were created for the Super Bowl. The top three, in order, are Amazon's "Not Everything Makes the Cut" from Lucky Generals and Rufus; Hyundai's "The Elevator" from Innocean and Canvas Worldwide; and Gillette's "We Believe: The Best Men Can Be" from Grey. [The Drum (free registration)]( (12/17), [Variety online]( (12/17), [Adweek (tiered subscription model)]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Agency Insider [] [Agency execs relay stories of pitching nightmares]( Agency executives share the worst pitching experiences they've had over the last 10 years, including: - Deutsch New York's Maggie Connors, who relays this client contract term: "The ask was for a full-year, holistic campaign, including production and fee -- for under $25,000." - EP+Co.'s Jeff Hoffman recounts the story of making it to the finals of a pitch only for the client to inform all agencies involved it was awarding the business to a friend of the CEO. - Fine's Josh Kelly discusses the problem of clients believing they own creative even when they haven't paid for it. [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Addressing ad production's gender diversity problem]( Chuck Studios' Elyse Sara discusses gender diversity in ad production, noting a pervasive "dismissive attitude towards our female clients" while also observing an improvement in diversity across crews. When discussing how to continue the improvement, Sara says, "If we hear someone make a belittling remark, it is our responsibility to address that injustice rather than remain silent." [Campaign US (tiered subscription model)]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( . Global news headlines for business leaders Sponsored content from Business Transformation SmartBrief - [Top 5 digital transformation hurdles and how to combat them]( - [How to lead a business transformation initiative in 2020]( - [The top employees you need for digital transformation]( - [What a chief digital officer is and why you need one now]( - [Delivering a More Customer-Centric Experience]( [] Agency News [] [Tremblay becomes CCO of One Publicis Team Samsung]( Louis-Philipe Tremblay has been appointed by Publicis Groupe as the first chief creative officer for the agency's dedicated Samsung unit -- One Publicis Team Samsung. "With [Tremblay's] creative leadership and vision, we will continue to deliver industry-leading work that drives valuable experiences for people and business outcomes for our Samsung client," says Publicis Groupe's Carla Serrano. [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (12/17), [MediaPost Communications]( (12/17), [Adweek (tiered subscription model)]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Media & Technology Trends [] [Facebook defends location tracking practices]( Facebook defends location tracking practices (Joel Saget/Getty Images) Facebook defended its use of consumer location data in response to senators' queries in a letter this week, with privacy executive Rob Sherman noting the company uses IP addresses and online behavior even if a user has turned off a phone's location services. "By necessity, virtually all ads on Facebook are targeted based on location," Sherman wrote, while Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., criticized the practice in a tweet, stating, "There is no opting out. No control over your personal information." [The Hill]( (12/17), [CNBC]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Association News [] [Workshop | 4A's Digital Academy, Jan. 17, New York]( [Workshop | 4A's Digital Academy, Jan. 17, New York]( The 4A's Digital Academy is a comprehensive workshop to help you ramp up the digital marketing skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the ever-changing agency environment, including history, programmatic, ad fraud and ad industry trends and challenges. [Sign up here](. [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Learn more about 4A's: [Homepage]( | [Training Programs]( | [All Upcoming Events]( [] [] What made something precious? Losing it and finding it. 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