When the Christmas holidays draw near, hundreds of related messages explode in the media seeking to give some type of positive message of hope and peace. At a year’s end that is overshadowed by a world crisis, Coca-Cola, perhaps one of the brands whose Christmas messages are most appreciated, has based its premise on the world needing to believe again. This gave rise to a concept that invites everyone to do one’s bit: “Give the world your best.” All this is included in its new campaign, expressed in the concept “Give the world your best.” The article includes the link to see some of the pieces.

The second Survey on Brazilian Agencies, developed by the Spanish consultant Grupo Consultores in this country, includes interviews with directors and marketing managers of 350 advertising companies. The opinions gathered evaluated the current situation of the Brazilian advertising market – as far as the remuneration system and account allocation are concerned, for example – and identified the most creative, most well-known and most admired agencies.

McCann Erickson Brazil is in transition mode and undergoing a great upheaval. As from last Friday, when Adriana Cury announced she was leaving the agency, with only Fernando Mazzarolo remaining at the helm, a succession of dissociations and resignations occurred, to such an extent that they are talking about 35 terminations in the Río de Janeiro and San Pablo offices. Today, three years after having said that “McCann Erickson Brazil is another agency,” Cury says she left because there was a difference in values.

After the resignation of Lourdes Lamasney from Young & Rubicam Mexico, Eddie González, CEO of Y&R Latin America, announced the arrival of Eric Descombes to replace her, formerly at Experian where he was general director. “The main objective is for our clients’ brands to be more successful and grow in such a difficult market,” he said.

After 25 years at the agency, Fernando Herrero announced he is resigning his post for personal reasons. “I want to rest for a period and see what course my future takes,” he commented.

Vegaolmosponce is one of the agencies that took most awards over the last few years at international contests, including a Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival last year, and a gold at the last edition, precisely for Axe – Unilever – the client who has just won the 2008 Grand Effie. However, the agency’s CGD asserted that despite not being as glamourous as other festivals, “the Effie is the real award” and is the ideal award conceptually. “This is what they pay us for,” he summed up.

With the message “A long face does not suit even the prettiest girl,” Rep Grey Colombia developed the No more long faces campaign for Boheringer Ingelhem’s Buscapina Fem. The main piece shows three pretty young women whose beauty contrasts with the ugly expressions that are caught on camera. The article includes a link to see the piece and comments by María Victoria Prieto, brand planning at Rep Grey Colombia.

After twelve years as accounts director at Young & Rubicam and a brief experience at the production scene of Huinca Cine, Campochiaro joined McCann Erickson to take over the Strategic Planning and Audiovisual Production areas.

After being awarded the Diet Coke campaign last month, Mother was chosen by Coca Cola to develop their 2009 summer campaign, with a budget of an estimated 30 million pounds. The markets where the campaign will be broadcast are Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

As part of its repositioning with a view to doubling its results over a five year period, Ogilvy Brazil announced the launching of their Projects and Content area within their Media department, headed by Gustavo Gaion. Luis Monteleone was promoted to lead the new area. In conversation with adlatina.com, Gaion highlighted a lead role for Internet andmobiles in the future of the country’s media innovation.

(By Edgardo Ritacco, senior editor of adlatina.com) – It is beginning to look like a pressing reality: commercials belonging to multinational companies are being banned due to the pressure of groups of people who live in countries other than where the spots are broadcast. This means that a target society no longer exists for products, because the message must adapt to societies the world over.

“Ideas that work” is the slogan for the new Effie awards Argentina. Chairing the jury is Paula Santilli, PepsiCo Snack Foods President, who said: “All my life I have been involved in awards and contests. Presiding over this jury means being on the other side of the counter and it is quite a change”. The deadline for submitting material is July 25th next.

Leo Burnett Venezuela, the agency that Fabián Bonelli heads creatively, has just obtained the account for B52, the energizing beverage. In conversation with adlatina. com, Bonelli tells what the first work for the client will be like: “It will have digital content, activation with a lot of impact and word of mouth in Caracas,” he says.

Argentina celebrated Advertiser’s Day, as it does every 7th July since it was established four years ago by the Argentine Advertisers Chamber (CAA). This body also commemorates their 49th anniversary. In an interview by adlatina.com, its president, Luis Mario Castro, evaluated the industry’s current situation and the relationship with agencies. He calls them “co-equipers.”

After reporting on the departure of Duilio Malfatti as general director of Euro RSCG Brazil, as well as that of the creative officer Jader Rossetto a few months before, the network’s regional CEO - Ricardo Monteiro –analyzed the current situation of the Brazilian branch and the local market, in conversation with adlatina.com. He also dares to point out the remarkable differences between the business and creativity in Brazil and Argentina, including the creative officers’ salaries.

Four golds, nine bronzes and almost ninety finalists were reaped by Latin America in the Outdoor category at the 55th edition of Cannes Festival. “The judges were strict and very professional,” said, Fernando Bellotti, the Argentine representative who evaluated the material in this category. As regards the region, he said the level is “very good,” although he recognized that as far as Argentina is concerned at least, “they still prefer to make commercials and not outdoor”.

The American laboratory assigned its Ensure and PediaSure products to the Grup Totalcom advertising agency. Furthermore, Smash BTL, which also belongs to the Totalcom Group, will run the below the line business.

(Cannes, Wednesday June 18 2008, 5.40 pm – local time. Special correspondent) – From a personal point of view it was a positive outcome, but his participation as a Radio judge at his edition of the Cannes Festival was disappointingly short in some aspects for Daniel Reynoso. In conversation with adlatina.com he described how the pieces were chosen and highlighted Latin America’s performance.

The president of CP Proximity Chile, Felipe Ríos, will travel to France next week to join the CannesLions Direct judges panel. He is excited at the challenge and at being given the opportunity to see what is being done in the international online world, although Ríos said that “outstanding campaigns” could come from anywhere. From his conversation with adlatina.com, it is clear that Ríos who comes from a “remote and small” country, has not lost sight of the fact that Chile has become “highly competitive.”

As part of a comprehensive campaign that includes graphics, Craverolanis, the agency headed by Juan Cravero and Darío Lanis, designed a series of roadside actions for the Orbital lens brand inviting people to kiss “with unbridled passion.” The article contains a link to see the campaign.

Daniel Reynoso thinks that the country has registered too few examples at Cannes – only 25 for the category - considering the amount of good advertising that can be heard on Argentine radio. In this interview, we offer the opinion of the partner and CGD of Dialogo Publicidad, the only Argentine judge at the Festival serving on the Radio panel.

Ricardo Martino, general manager of Savaglio/TBWA, reflected on the agency’s performance in 2007 and highlighted the use of the main network tools, the continuity of Sangre and the work put in by Ernesto Savaglio.

The agency headed by the creative Rodrigo Gomez announced that a new client had been added to their portfolio: Nexustel. This addition is relevant because it will allow them to work for the North American market.

In May Unilever Latin America will carry off the prize for Advertiser of the Year in El Sol, to become the first Latin American company ever to be awarded this honor in the Festival.

“The success of an agency is inversely proportionate to the time spent thinking about the strategies,” joked Kevin Roberts, worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, at the beginning of his address at the 2008 Expo Management edition that closed yesterday at La Rural in Buenos Aires City. Laughter aside, he clarified that his real concerns are not far from his jokes. What is his strategy for facing the crisis? Optimism.

She has joined Africa to fill the role of general accounts director for Philips. The executive has just left TBWA/BR, where she was accounts vice-president. The opinion from Africa was that Lang is “very well prepared for the position thanks to her broad experience with international accounts”.

Michael Wall was named chief executive of BBDO Portugal. The executive, who moved to Portugal in 2006 without any plans for working, cut his ties with Fallon in May last year to go on a sabbatical. Ten years ago, Wall launched Fallon London together with Robert Senior, Laurence Green, Andy McLeod and Richard Flintham.

On Wednesday 26th the first edition of the Latin American Mobile Marketing Forum took place at the Sao Paulo Sofitel Hotel. The event was sponsored by the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association), the global concern devoted to marketing mobile telephones. One of 26 presenters, André Zimmerman, general director of Media Contacts Brazil, gave his point of view on the potential of this discipline. The details of his address are in this interview.

Publicis Groupe prevailed in the pitch for Bank of America’s media account, valued at 234 million dollars. Those competing were Universal McCann, of Interpublic, the digital company AvenueA/Razorfich and Prometheous, of Omnicom, the media center that had held the account up to then, and Starcom who was the winner.

The agency headed by Miguel Nóbrega must begin to search for a replacement this month of chief creative officer, held up to now by Jorge Teixeira, who announced that he is leaving the agency March 31.