In recent forecasts as to trends for this new year, among the most mentioned in the industry is the call to environmental action, cited by some, most notably JWT Worldwide (SHOOT, 12/14/07) as a shift in the movement from green to blue. Climate change has become the driver of environmentalism 2.0, and people worldwide understand that climate is all about the seas and the sky–both blue. And blue, denoting water, is becoming as big an issue as green (forests). The availability of clean water supplies, for example, has become a pivotal ecological issue.
But no matter if your environmental color de jour is blue or green, clearly there are eco-rumblings in the advertising landscape–the latest coming from Publicis Groupe which has acquired Act Now Productions, a San Francisco-based sustainability consultancy led by Adam Werbach, the youngest ever president of the Sierra Club, who also currently serves on the international board of Greenpeace. Werbach founded Act Now in 1998 to engage corporations, employees, consumers and the media in sustainability by moving from “shock to inspiration.” The consultancy assists companies and their employees to practice sustainability while achieving their performance goals.
Act Now becomes part of the new Saatchi & Saatchi S network. Act Now, which will assume the Saatchi & Saatchi S moniker, will work alongside the global 650-person shopper and retail marketing firm Saatchi & Saatchi X and look to catalyze progressive eco change in the arena where most purchasing decisions are made–in the store. Werbach has been appointed CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S and will report to Andy Murray, global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi X.
Saatchi & Saatchi S combines Act Now’s personalized sustainability solutions with Saatchi & Saatchi’s global communications expertise in order to inspire consumers toward making better choices. The new consultancy will integrate with core Saatchi & Saatchi services including brand navigation, planning, creative, media and brand philosophy. Saatchi & Saatchi S will offer sustainability services including analysis and strategic advisory, employee engagement, product and brand innovation, and consumer retail communication. Saatchi & Saatchi S currently has offices in San Francisco and Boulder (Colorado) and plans to open in New York, Chicago, Fayetteville (Arkansas), London and Beijing in early 2008.
Maurice Levy, chairman/CEO of Publicis Groupe said, the motivation to buy Act Now is not just to help clients communicate about the important issue of sustainability. “Companies everywhere,” he related, “have a critical role to play in reducing CO2 emissions, in protecting the environment, and in taking corporate social responsibility seriously. The expertise of Saatchi & Saatchi S will allow them to understand these issues in a strategic way and help them find real solutions adapted to their needs, while communicating in an efficient and effective way.”
Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide Saatchi & Saatchi said: “With Act Now we’re going to bring sustainable enterprise to life. Every client sees sustainability as a priority issue and every employee and consumer wants to be part of a bigger idea….No brand will be truly loved by anyone it touches unless it shares an inspired, sustainable benefit.”
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More