Eric Zuncic will join the DDB North America leadership team as chief strategy officer effective October 2. Zuncic, a Harvard Business School graduate, joins DDB from Crispin Porter+Bogusky where he spent almost two and half years as chief strategy officer for all of its North American offices.
Reporting to DDB North America CEO Wendy Clark, Zuncic will oversee strategy for all DDB North America offices as well as We Are Unlimited, the bespoke agency launched for McDonald’s U.S. business earlier this year.
“Ask the best creatives in the world and they will tell you their dirty little secret is to find the best strategists in the world and to hold on for dear life. Eric is one of those strategists, and lucky for me there’s lots to hold onto,” commented Ari Weiss, chief creative officer of DDB North America.
Prior to joining CP+B, Zuncic spent over three years at Mekanism, where he oversaw strategy on accounts including Method, Pepsi, and Ben & Jerry’s. Earlier, he was director of strategy and innovation at the Brand Union. Before going agency side, he worked for Unilever and Geico.
“I’ve always admired the creative legacy of DDB and am thrilled to partner with Wendy, Ari and the extended North America leadership team to continue the resurgence of this iconic agency,” said Zuncic.
The hiring of Zuncic completes DDB North America’s leadership team with Clark, Weiss and chief people officer Britt Hayes at the helm of the agency.
Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens
"Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.
The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.
And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).
This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.
"'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."
As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More