Good news on the new business front! HoMedics has hired us for advertising their namesake consumer electronics and House of Marley licensed products. We’ll work to help further build their already successful brands and will feel good doing it knowing that this Commerce Township, Mich., -based company is bringing growth to the State of Michigan.

Click here for more from the press release.

How do you bring a new automotive nameplate to a generation of digital natives that is connected, and lives and buys like no other? You do it in a smart, new, engaging way and enable consumers to author their own brand experience. 

Beginning July 28th Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) will launch the 2011 MAZDA2 in North America with a branded social game on Facebook.

Click here for more from the press release and for a direct link to the game.

Co-CEO, Chief Creative Officer: Rob Strasberg
Executive Creative Director Interactive: Justin Smith
Executive Creative Director: Steve Chavez
Associate Creative Director: Jason Jakubiak
Contributing Art Directors: Samuel Conant, David Wysocki, Cristina D’Aristotile
Contributing Writers: Lori Bender, Lukasz Sokolewicz
User Experience: Andrew Heaton
Production Company: FRIMA
Account Director: Kerrin Kramer
VP, Group Account Director: Dan Keefe
Account Director: Katrina Fraze 
SVP, Integrated Production: Kurt Kulas
Account Manager: Peter Corsello
Senior Business Manager: Jeanne Webber
VP, Director of Digital Project Management: John Hoinville 
Production Operations Manager: Amy Swain
Digital Strategist: Rachel Leith 
SVP, Director of Operations SVP, Director of Operations: Ann Wood

We were honored to present a retrospective of our work celebrating 70 years of “Changing the Destiny of Brands” at The One Club gallery in New York. The exhibit showcased beloved work of our past alongside the pioneering campaigns we’re creating today. Here’s a brief look at the opening night reception. 

• Timex – “Takes a licking. Keeps on ticking.”
• Tootsie Pop – “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”
• Klondike Bar – “What would you do for a Klondike Bar?”
• Vlasic – The Vlasic Stork • Colt 45 – “Works every time.”
• Scrubbing Bubbles – “We do the work so you don’t have to ooo oooo.”
• The Coca-Cola Company – Santa Packs
• Serta – Serta Counting Sheep
• Ballpark Franks – “They plump when you cook ‘em.”
• Mazda – “Zoom. Zoom”
• Cox – “Your friend in the Digital Age.”
• Amazon Kindle – Launch
• The UPS Store – Cardboard World
• The Coleman Company – “The original social networking site.”
• Mazda – 33 Keys alternate reality game
• The Detroit Zoo – “Vitamin Z. Part of a complete childhood.”
• Del Taco – Super Special Show
• Minute Maid – “Put good in. Get good out.”

Tennis king Roger Federer has an incredible feel for the game.

But who knew he had great comedic timing?

We did.

So we created a multimedia campaign to promote the new Wilson BLX racquets that puts Roger in the role of sports psychologist so anyone can have a better feel for the ball and better feel for the game.

The campaign goes live June 21 to coincide with Wimbledon. But the first spot is so funny that Wilson posted it on Roger’s Facebook fan page so his 3.5 million-plus fans could see it first.

It’s already drawn more than 11,500 thumbs-up likes and 1,350 overwhelmingly positive comments.

Check it out here www.facebook.com/Federer, become a fan and help cheer him on at Wimbledon next week.

Lastly, it’s no secret David and Rob are passionate and competitive tennis players, so the opportunity to work with Wilson and Roger has been an honor and a blast.

Creative Credits:
Creative Agency: Doner
Chief Creative Officer: Rob Strasberg
Executive Creative Director: Murray White
Creative Director: Murray White / Glen Hilzinger / Bob Veasey
Writer: Murray White / John Grammatico / Glen Hilzinger
Art Director: Murray White / Bob Veasey
Executive Producer: Brian Dooley

Brand Leadership: Kevin Weinman
Project Manager: Laura Neville / Jaclyn DiCicco

Production Company: Supply & Demand
Director: Greg Popp
Executive Producer, Managing Partner: Tim Case
Executive Producer, Managing Partner: Kira Carstensen
Head Of Production: Rika Osenberg
Line Producer: Henri Dragonas
Cinematographer: Wyatt Troll
Post Production Company: Pluto Post
Editor: Sarah Fisher
Sound Design: Tim Kelly
Mix: Tim Kelly
Online/Vfx Artist: Zack Jacobs
Vfx Artist: Eric Litwin
3d Graphics/Design: Dave Corbett
3d Graphics/Design: Dave Fotherby
Post Producer: Eric Tremonti
Telecine Facility: Ringside Creative
Colorist: Rick Unger – Ringside Creative
Performers (Court Couch): Roger Federer, Jeremy Glazer

Avery Dennison Office Products Group Selects Doner as Agency of Record

(Southfield, Mich.) – Avery Dennison Office Products selected Doner as its agency of record for its Office and Consumer Products group following a competitive review with four finalists.

Doner will provide a full spectrum of integrated marketing communications, including strategic planning, creative development, media planning and buying for the Avery brand and key products. Spending wasn’t disclosed. The account will be served out of the agency’s Newport Beach office.

Avery conducted the review through Select Resources International to help find an agency partner that could help make its brand more distinctive and differentiated and support specific product stories.

“Doner showed us that they could embrace our brand and consumer insights to create a compelling brand platform with breakthrough creative to support the Avery brand holistically, build awareness and drive demand for key products,” said Todd Thompson, VP Marketing and R&D Worldwide, Avery Dennison Office and Consumer Products.

“Avery Dennison truly understands its brand, its consumers and their needs and offers outstanding products for the modern home and office,” said David DeMuth, Doner co-CEO, president. “We’re very excited to help this company take its brand to the next level.”

About Avery Dennison Office Products

Avery Dennison Office Products group markets products under the well-known Avery brand name and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of self-adhesive labels for laser and ink jet printers, labeling software, binders, sheet protectors, index and tab dividers and other office-, home- and school-related supplies. Avery Dennison Office Products, a business unit of Avery Dennison Corporation, is based in Brea, California.

For more information about Avery-brand products, consumers can visit the Avery Dennison Worldwide Office Products Web site at www.avery.com or call the Avery Dennison Consumer Service Center at 1-800-GO-AVERY (1-800-462-8379). Avery and all other Avery brands and product names are trademarks of Avery Dennison Corporation. 

About Doner

Doner, based in Southfield, Mich., is one of the largest independently owned advertising agencies in the world, with approximately $1.5 billion in combined billings. The agency has offices throughout North America, as well as in London, and does business in more than 30 countries for clients including Mazda, Amazon.com, The Coca-Cola Company, ADT, DuPont, The Coleman Company, Shell Oil and Sherwin-Williams. A full-service, performance-driven agency, Doner focuses on creating ideas that change the destiny of brands through creativity.

Contact:
Andrea O’Donnell
248/827-8446
aodonnell@doner.com

We’re pleased to announce several promotions within our brand leadership and project management ranks. These employees have embraced our new agency vision, continue to perform at an elevated level, and demonstrate a commitment to making important contributions to our clients’ businesses. 

The first of these promotions includes Jennifer Deutsch who has been elevated to executive VP-general manager from senior VP-general manager.  This is a well-deserved promotion as Jennifer has demonstrated great leadership in expanding client business and bringing in new clients like the recent addition of OhioHealth.

Jennifer has a track record of building business.  Throughout her time with the agency she has helped to secure several new accounts, including Eaton, Things Remembered, University Hospitals, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and Agri-Fab.

As executive VP-general manager, Jennifer will continue to be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency’s Cleveland office and will remain dedicated to the agency’s new business efforts.

Over the past 20 years, Jennifer has remained a true supporter of Doner, serving as an agency client for four different brands prior to coming on board as senior VP-general manager. She puts 110% into everything she does and loves the career path she’s taken. As an involved mother Jennifer is proof that you can have it all. 

Secondly, Larry Deangelis advances to senior VP-brand leader from VP-brand leader. He also has been a strong contributor to expanding services with existing clients and has played a role in winning new accounts on behalf of the agency.  Since joining Doner in 1998, Larry has worked on a wide range of accounts in categories including home products, travel, motor oil and medical.  His promotional expertise has helped reinforce the Cleveland office’s position as the center of excellence in retail activation.

Finally, Beth Lazarro becomes brand leader from senior project manager. Beth currently leads the Things Remembered account and has been at Doner since 1997.

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer, Larry and Beth.

David, Rob & Tim

You know the work, now get to know the agency. As part of The One Club’s Second Annual Creative Week that kicks off in New York City this week, we are honored to present a retrospective celebrating 70 years of iconic work at The One Club Gallery at 21 E. 26th Street in New York City. This exhibit coincides with the unveiling of our new leadership’s vision for the next era in advertising, complete with a fresh agency mission, visual identity and website.

The exhibit features some of the iconic work from Doner’s past and present. For more fun and interesting facts see: A Timeline of Changing the Destiny of Brands.

Read more on a few creatives from Doner who will appear at The One Club Retrospective Exhibit on May 11th:
Murray White Bio
Dan Margulis Bio
Joe Minnella Bio

We always knew that our Serta Counting Sheep were pretty special. And Animal Planet agrees. Yep, the Serta Counting Sheep are getting the star treatment on an upcoming Animal Planet’s “Amazing Animal Ads”.  The show airs this Saturday, May 8th, at 11:00 a.m. EST. Comedian Michael Ian Black will host the show that promises two hours of the world’s best and most entertaining commercials featuring animals!  See highlights of award-winning ads and get an inside look at how the commercials are made.  Join us in supporting our Serta client by tuning into the show!

The new leadership at Southfield-based advertising agency Doner has unveiled a rebranding campaign and image makeover for itself. Read More from Crain’s Detroit Business.

It's an exciting day for us as we unveil the New Doner. But the news gets even better as we welcome OhioHealth as a client. They're the largest healthcare system in central Ohio and one of the largest in the Buckeye State. We couldn't be more thrilled to partner with them. More

One in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Without a cure in the next 25 years, an estimated 25 million women worldwide will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 10 million could die from it. Because of great improvements in the treatment of breast cancer over the past 20 years, the number of breast cancer survivors continues to rise. There are about 2.5 million survivors alive in the U.S. today. Chances are you know someone who has been affected by it. So we’re very proud to join the cause as agency of record for The Northeast Ohio Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. We’ll be responsible for developing materials to increase awareness and drive more participation for the organization’s largest event, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to be held on Sept. 11, 2010. As the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, Susan G. Komen is working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. We couldn’t be more excited to work with this great cause and look forward to helping expand the awareness of and participation in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® to the greater Cleveland area. Read more here: SUSAN G. Komen For The Cure Northeast Ohio Affiliate Names Doner As Agency of Record

The food has already started rolling in so it's looking like the competition is on as we start our 2nd annual Doner Drive (our weeklong food drive). During a time when local food banks are struggling to keep ample amounts of food stocked as they see the largest hunger crisis in their history, everyone here at Doner is coming together to try and help the cause. To make it interesting we’ve thrown in a friendly competition between our Cleveland, Detroit and Newport Beach offices to see which office can bring in the most food. Hats off to Newport Beach who kicked butt last year!

According to a study conducted in November 2009 by the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 49 million people, including 16.7 million children, live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in seven households in the United States. The food brought in for the Doner Drive will help support a selected food bank located near each office. The organizations include, Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, Gleaners Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County

Can we beat last year's total of 6,525 lbs of food collected? That's what we're hoping for! Stay tuned to find out where our totals end up and to see which office has what it takes to collect the most food.

Our iPhone apps for Coleman win again! Last night our lantern app for The Coleman Company "Social Networking Site" campaign won a bronze trophy in the mobile category at the 32nd annual John Caples International Awards. The Caples are the top award in direct response marketing, which means you can't win on creative awesomeness alone. You have to have results, which means you and your client get what advertising is all about. And that you have some idea how to calculate a return rate. See more here: http://www.dmnews.com/mobile/article/166332/

Congratulations to our awesome team.

Chief Creative Officer: Rob Strasberg

Executive Creative Director, Interactive: Justin Smith

Creative Director, Interactive: Ken Spera

Associate Creative Directors: Derek Clark, Jason Henderson

Art Director: Andrew Wright

Copywriters: Andrew Bouwkamp, Jason Jakubiak, Ellen Sawyer

Project Managers: Laura Squillace, Heather Read

Executive Vice President, Brand Leadership: Kevin Weinman

Brand Leader: Linde Levin

After a weekend marathon of NCAA basketball buzzer-beaters we might have an upset in our own March Adness competition!  Last year's reigning champion, Mike Rykalsky, has dropped to 47th place with Keith Gardner and Beth Ellis tied for first with the sweet sixteen locked in place.  Do Keith and Beth have what it takes to claim the No. 1 spot or can Mike advance from behind for one of the biggest comebacks in March Adness history?  After this weekend, it's clear anything is possible.

Despite the potential pitfalls, celebrity endorsements are as in demand as a Lady Gaga red carpet appearance. Adweek's feature story this week examines how the balance of power has shifted to brands and how marketers are evermore selective in who represents them. Instead of stars' wallets getting fatter, it's the girth of endorsement contracts that's growing, and "moral clauses are the centerpiece of talent contract discussions and are becoming more thorough and specific," our Sheryll Kollin, senior vp, director of business affairs tells Adweek. This part of the contact has become as important to the brand as the compensation figure is to the celebrity.  
 

Click here to read the full article.

Great marketing ideas begin with well articulated insights and come to life through commitment and passion.
With that in mind, we are pleased to announce that we have promoted Alison Taubman to the new position of executive VP-chief strategy officer. She will continue oversight of Doner's strategic planning and research teams and remain a core member of our business development team.

We believe this promotion not only reflects our commitment to strategic planning and insights, but also in providing the opportunity for employees to reach their potential and share in the success they help to create. Alison has been with us since 1986 when she started as a research project manager. From that day, she's demonstrated incredible levels of intelligence, dedication and intensity (not necessarily in that order).

Over her 23-year tenure, Alison's contributions to the agency have been influential not only in the way we serve clients but also how we fundamentally operate. We are thrilled to have her as a member of our executive management team.

Among her career highlights, Alison developed the research protocols to support our proprietary Path 2 Purchase strategic process and she was one of the key developers of our integrated communications development. Alison also has been the lead strategist for our thought-leadership content, including our "The Art of the Possible" series and "What Has Worth and What's Worthwhile."

Please join us in congratulating Alison on her new role. We look forward to sharing more good news with you in the coming months as we continue to shape the New Doner.

David, Rob and Tim

MediaPost News Marketing Daily By: Karlene Lukovitz, 1-14-10...

Del Taco, the #2 Mexican QSR chain, has created a branded humor series with content that will be featured in Webisodes on Facebook and the brand's site and also in traditional advertising.

"The Del Taco Super Special Show," created by Doner and Mekanism, is the brand's version of a late-night variety show.

The series is set at a Del Taco "just up the street" and hosted by an actor playing a Del Taco employee named Wes. Sketches and vignettes feature both animated and live characters, including Wes's roommate Barry (a voracious Del Taco fan) and the "Hot Sauce Girls" (Dallas cheerleader types).

Images and value messages about the chain's taco lines are interspersed throughout.

The full Webisodes, available on deltaco.com and facebook.com/deltaco, include edgier, more risque content with appeal to Del Taco's core audience of men ages 18 to 34.

Del Taco is also tweeting to drive traffic to the Webisodes. People who view the first Webisode can get a coupon redeemable during their next visit to Del Taco.

So as not to alienate customers in the 35-49 age range, tamer excerpts from the show are being incorporated into the TV and radio ads being used to build brand exposure, as well as drive online traffic, notes Del Taco VP, marketing John Cappasola. The advertising uses the tagline: "Eat it here; watch it online."

TV spots will air in Los Angeles and Del Taco's other largest markets during the NFL playoffs, Lakers basketball, "Saturday Night Live," "Family Guy" episodes on CW, Fox Sports and ESPN programming and other shows. Radio spots will also air in key markets. Smaller markets will rely on print and in-store promotions, in addition to the online/social media element.

"We wanted a fully integrated campaign in which the creative could be used to carry our message across media," says Cappasola. "The show offers the irreverent spirit our customers expect from Del Taco."

Del Taco, which has up to now focused on traditional media advertising, views social media as a cost-effective means of building exposure and interaction with customers, particularly beyond its original West Coast markets. "We're using social media to extend the Del Taco experience," Cappasola says.

The chain now has 500-plus restaurants in 18 states, including the Southwest and Midwest and a few new locations in Florida and South Carolina.

In the next two weeks we'll ring in a new year, a new decade and a new era for Doner as we assume ownership, and more importantly, leadership of the Agency.

We couldn't be more optimistic about the promise of what 2010 and beyond holds for the Agency. For us, it is the beginning of Doner's next chapter and we are eager to share with you our vision for the future.

As your new Executive Committee, David will be co-CEO/president, Rob will be co-CEO/chief creative officer and Tim will continue as senior partner/president of our Newport Beach, Calif., office.

While Doner has been in business for more than 70 years, we will lead the Agency inspired by the mission that our founder Brod Doner created and that Alan and others brought to life so passionately every day. Together, we'll keep it fresh, we'll keep it exciting, and we'll keep it moving forward. And, we'll have some fun doing it. 

Soon, we'll be sharing more about our plans for Doner and the re-imaging of the Agency: a new Web site; an even more aggressive business development initiative; enhanced strategic tools; new opportunities and learning experiences for our employees; and a deep commitment to making Doner a great place to work. Of course, this all will be in the service of bringing our clients ideas that have a demonstrable impact on their business and their brand.

Finally, we want to extend our sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude to Alan for all that he has done for Doner. We would also like to personally thank him for his insight, creativity, support and mentorship. Without it, none of this would be possible.

This is, indeed, a very exciting time for all of us. Let's make the most of this incredible opportunity.

We look forward to telling you more in the New Year. Have a wonderful holiday.

Welcome to the new Doner.

David, Rob and Tim