Doner LA feasts on Del Monte
Doner LA is starting off its 2018 pretty much the same way it ended its 2017 – with a win.
The shop has now been named lead agency for California-based Del Monte Foods, one of the nation’s largest producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded food products, following a competitive review led by Select Resources, Inc.
Beginning in May 2018, the agency will lead strategy and creative across traditional, digital, social, web, CRM and shopper marketing for all Del Monte brands including Del Monte®, Contadina® and College Inn®. Effective immediately, DonerLA has been selected to lead the brand strategic process for the Del Monte® Vegetable and Contadina® brands.
Del Monte accounts for a significant portion of the country’s fruit, vegetable, tomato and broth categories, and generated about $1.7 billion in net sales in 2017, according to company reports. However, last month in its fiscal second quarter earnings report, parent company Del Monte Pacific said sales fell 1.8 percent to $624.7 million, primarily due to softness in the U.S.
“DonerLA represents the full package, demonstrating their ability to work across markets and channels supporting everything from traditional advertising to creating cohesive digital and social experiences for our consumers,” said Jennifer Reiner, Senior Director of Omni-Channel Marketing & eCommerce at Del Monte Foods. “The Doner team combined innovative creative thinking with strong, integrated campaign recommendations and full-service capabilities, which truly set them apart. We’re looking forward to partnering together.”
“Del Monte Foods is a business that has an incredible heritage and reach, built on quality products and brands that have been nourishing consumers for centuries,” added an enthusiastic Zihla Salinas, EVP, Managing Director at DonerLA. “As the category continues to change and new competitors are emerging, this is an incredible opportunity to help them engage consumers and build loyalty through a fully-integrated approach to marketing.”
The first work for the company, specifically for the Del Monte and Contadina brands, is expected to run in the fall.
In addition to Del Monte Foods, Doner LA has done some outstanding work for clients such as Netflix (the Narcos campaign and Netflix is a Joke), Mattel and more. Last summer, the agency was named one of seven agencies to be certified by McDonald’s to work with the co-ops after a review by the fast food giant.
Deutsch gets ticketed by Atom Tickets
Cutting-edge social movie ticketing platform Atom Tickets has selected Deutsch Los Angeles as its first AOR.
“Deutsch’s strategic, data-driven approach and expertise in launching powerhouse digital brands were key drivers in selecting their agency,” Atom Tickets CMO, Allison Checchi said in a statement. “It is apparent that Deutsch’s team shares the same passion to revolutionize the movie-going experience and we’re thrilled to partner with them.”
Disney-backed Atom Tickets is billed as a first-of-its-kind social movie ticketing app. Launched in 2016, it enables consumers to search for films, invite friends, buy tickets, pre-order concessions and more.
Deutsch LA president, Kim Getty, was understandably enthusiastic about the new client. “We’re excited to be coming in on the ground floor of a start-up that’s changing the game by creating seamless entertainment experiences for people… We’re an agency with a deep history of growing digitally born brands that have disrupted industries, and that sets a high bar for the work we create.”
The agency’s scope of work will include brand strategy, creative and production responsibilities. The agency’s first work for the brand is slated to launch in the second quarter.
Producers Guild announces nominations
Wonder Woman finally gets recognized! The 2017 Patty Jenkins-helmed filmed has been nominated for The Producers Guild of America’s top movie award along with The Big Sick, Call Me by Your Name, Dunkirk, Get Out, I, Tonya, Lady Bird, Molly’s Game, The Post, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Critically-applauded films that were ignored by the guild include The Beguiled, The Florida Project, Logan, Mudbound, Phantom Thread, and The Disaster Artist.
Due to a tie in voting among the 8,200 PGA members, there are 11 nominees for the Zanuck award for the first time.
Animated feature film nominations went to The Boss Baby, Coco, Despicable Me 3, Ferdinand, and The Lego Batman Movie.
Wait! No Emoji Movie? Kidding.
The Shape of Water (my personal favorite film of the year) has emerged as a front-runner during the current awards season with a leading seven nominations at Sunday’s Golden Globes, followed by The Post and Three Billboards with six each. Three Billboards led with four SAG Awards nominations last month.
Although the Producers Guild is a reliable predictor of an Oscar nomination, with more than 75 percent of PGA nominees subsequently landing Best Picture nominations from the Academy, there have been discrepancies every year since 2009, when the two organizations expanded the number of nominees.
Winners will be announced on Jan. 20 at the guild’s 29th annual awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Writers Guild announces nominations
Just in time for National Screenwriters Day, which is today, the WGA has announced its nominations. A diverse group of scripts were nominated for the 2018 WGA Awards.
This year’s nominees for original screenplay are The Big Sick, written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani; Get Out, written by Jordan Peele; I, Tonya, written by Steven Rogers; Lady Bird, written by Greta Gerwig; and The Shape of Water, written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor.
The nominees for adapted screenplay are Call Me by Your Name, screenplay by James Ivory; The Disaster Artist, screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber; Logan, screenplay by Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green; Molly’s Game, screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; and Mudbound, screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees.
The nominees in the documentary category are Betting on Zero, written by Theodore Braun; Jane, written by Brett Morgan; No Stone Unturned, written by Alex Gibney; and Oklahoma City, written by Barak Goodman.
Every year a number of prominent screenplays are not eligible for nomination because the writer isn’t a member of the group or the production isn’t a guild signatory.
This year, those films include Martin McDonagh’s excellent, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Anthony McCarten’s Darkest Hour and the animated Coco.
Winners will be announced on Feb. 11 with simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.
Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.
