Top Story

• YouTube Ad Blitz winners show the triumph of quieter spots
  Ram's stirring tribute to farmers won YouTube's Ad Blitz Super Bowl contest, with the Budweiser baby Clydesdale spot and Samsung's "Next Big Thing" two-minute spot collecting silver and bronze, respectively. The Richards Group created the Ram spot, Anomaly crafted the second-place spot about the Clydesdale reunited with the rancher who raised it, and 72andSunny made the Samsung comedy with Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Bob Odenkirk. "Three of the five, including the top two, are heartwarming productions, rather than the broad comedy for which Super Bowl ads have generally become known," writes Tim Nudd. Adweek (2/16)     

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Agency News

• Benjamin Moore taps The Martin Agency after review
  Benjamin Moore has settled on Interpublic's The Martin Agency for creative as well as media buying and planning duties after a review. The move switches the account from Interpublic's Mullen, whose contract expired in December. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (2/15)     

• Ad agencies pile on to the "Harlem Shake" meme
  The "Harlem Shake" dance meme has "has gone international" in the ad world, writes Shareen Pathak, and despite one ad-industry columnist inveighing against the inevitable trend, it has also been adopted by Chili's, A&W and Pepsi, among other brands. Videos by TBWA Paris, Grey Moscow, DDB Barcelona and M&C Saatchi Johannesburg add to a roster of Harlem-shaking agencies that now exceeds 60. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)/Adages blog (2/15)     

• Other News

• Publicis ends 9-year alliance with Dentsu
  Reuters (2/15)     

Creative

• Reebok promotes real people with a "Fire" for fitness in campaign
  Reebok is using more realistic looking exercisers in its "Live With Fire" campaign, which includes yoga and dance to appeal to women as well as walking to promote CrossFit shoes for everyday athletes. "We're not featuring the aspirational actions of today's superstar millionaires in this campaign; we're celebrating individuals who find purpose by pursuing their passions," says Yan Martin, vice president of brand marketing. The campaign began last week with a spot on ESPN and will continue with print, digital, out-of-home and experiential efforts. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (2/15)     

Media

• Focus on cruise-ship rescue pays off for CNN
  CNN's strategy of focusing its coverage Thursday around the rescue of a stranded cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico lifted its ratings over MSNBC and closed the gap with Fox News. CNN in prime time was up 62% to 1.03 million viewers on average from 8 to 11 p.m., compared with MSNBC, with 867,000 viewers on average, and Fox, with 2.14 million on average. CNN for the whole day scored 632,000 viewers on average, a 50% jump over a typical Thursday, compared with 535,000 for MSNBC and 1.38 million for Fox. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog (2/15), Adweek (2/15)     

Trends & Research

• Nielsen: Wine world would gladly toast the next big innovation
  Craft beers and new beer flavors and brands are cutting into wine sales, according to Nielsen. The wine industry's growth slowed to 1.5% last year, down from 4% in 2011, while beer and liquor were up 2% each, despite encouraging trends such as wine sold at Starbucks and a 23.5% jump in New Zealand's wine business. "I keep saying, 'What is the next big thing?' And I don't know what the magical answer is. ... Beer and spirits are doing a lot [of innovation] right now and I think that's helping them," says Danny Brager, Nielsen's vice president and group client director of the beverage-alcohol team. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (2/18)     

Marketer News

• BBVA Compass to offer NBA-branded debit cards
  The official bank of the National Basketball Association, BBVA, is going after NBA fans in a new campaign for branded debit cards with team logos. The Spanish bank wants the effort to enlarge its presence in the U.S., where it is known as BBVA Compass. Houston Rockets star James Harden and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder will pitch the bank in ads. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog (2/15)     

Technology

• Social is the weak point for Google's ad-tech stack, execs say
  Google's DoubleClick Digital Marketing platform is a powerful ad-tech stack that can significantly streamline ad-buyers' workflow, agency executives say. Still, there are some weak points: DDM lacks serious social-ad capabilities and isn't likely to get access to Facebook's API anytime soon. "We need social integration," says DoubleClick sales chief Sean Downey. Adweek (2/16)     

Association News

• Webinar Alert -- Demystify the Creative Brief
  Members and nonmembers can sign themselves up for delivering effective and efficient creative briefs in 2013. On Feb. 28, Open Mind Strategy CEO Robin Hafitz will host this 4A's webinar that will show you how to write a creative brief that is inspiring. She will also present real-world examples that will leave you with practical takeaways and tell you five essential questions to ask before starting your creative brief. This is the perfect event for account planners, creatives, and marketers.
  
  Register today.     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by 4A's SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Draftfcb's search for a new chief is seen as increasingly difficult (Adweek)

• Analysis: Agency-client communications are getting lost in the shuffle (Advertising Age (tiered subscription model))

• Film about ad campaign that toppled a dictator is up for an Oscar (FastCoCreate)

• Brands are putting celebs to work with lofty title handouts (Advertising Age (tiered subscription model))

• Trident account in the U.S. goes to Wieden+Kennedy (Advertising Age (tiered subscription model))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

SmartQuote

You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." --James Allen, British author