17583: On Progressively Saving And Losing.

 

Is Progressive admitting saving on auto insurance involves a gambling game?

This advertisement should be pulled like a slot machine lever.

17527: Putting The Con In Content.

Contentful helps marketers personalize, optimize, and create standout digital experiences at scale—advertising their services on trade publications like Adweek.

 

Such media placement probably intrigues shitty clients seeking fast and cheap content. Meanwhile, drones at White advertising agencies are undoubtedly annoyed to see Contentful actively stealing their jobs.

 

BTW, the Contentful promotional campaign sucks, seemingly produced by AI—or amateurish hacks. 

17244: For In That Sleep Of Death…

Those who live the longest mostly sleep in this position—then have their skull cracked open…?

17162: Take A Walk.

 

How much you should walk to lose 30 lbs. Um, to your nearest pharmacy to pick up a prescription of Ozempic^®…?

17151: Just Don’t Do It…?

 

Liven asks people to take an online test to develop an anti-procrastination plan. Okay, except won’t true procrastinators put it off—or not do it at all?

17074: NCMEC Nixing Nudes…?

 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children directly targets youth without parental consent and involvement? “Take It Down” could apply to the lame advertising campaign.

17058: TG(AI)F.

Disappear for 1 month and become a master of AI Tools…?

 

Then use your masterful skills to find new employment to replace the job that was eliminated by AI.

 

Or create stereotypical images like the one in this banner.

16984: At The Intersection Of Advertising Executives & Used Car Salespeople.

 

Epsilon Individual Automotive offered a Presidents’ Day sale—yet no Black History Month promotion.

 

Not surprising when two of the least trusted professions collide.

16970: ICYMI IPG R/GA TTFN TBD.

 

Advertising Age reported IPG is closer to finally pruning R/GA. Don’t expect a farewell bash once the digital shop is stripped from the soon-to-be-acquired network.

 

IPG Nears Sale Of R/GA To A Management-Led Group Backed By Private Equity

 

Truelink Capital is backing the deal for the IPG agency

 

By Brian Bonilla

 

Interpublic Group of Cos. is in late-stage discussions to sell R/GA to a management-led buyout group backed by Los Angeles-based private equity firm Truelink Capital, Ad Age has learned.

 

The deal is expected to close in a few weeks, according to several people close to the situation.

 

IPG and R/GA declined to comment. Truelink wasn’t immediately available for comment. Multiple people close to the situation declined to share who is part of the management-led group poised to acquire R/GA. 

 

IPG has been shopping the digital agency around for some time, as first reported in June 2024.

 

R/GA was founded in 1977 by Bob Greenberg and his brother Richard. It was one of the earliest digital agencies to break out in the advertising industry. Over the years the agency has made its mark for work with clients such as Nike, Reddit and Verizon. Some of R/GA’s current clients include Google, Nike, Diageo, Eli Lilly, Samsung and TurboTax, for which it created a Super Bowl spot this year.

 

The plan to sell R/GA comes as IPG prepares to be acquired by Omnicom Group and is planning its own $250 million restructuring.

 

Independent network Serviceplan is the runner-up in the potential deal to acquire R/GA, according to multiple people close to the situation. Serviceplan has been looking to grow its positioning in the U.S. It acquired a stake in Pereira O’Dell in 2019 and in 2023 took a stake in New York agency L&C. The company shortly after formed Serviceplan Americas, which houses those agencies.

 

Serviceplan declined to comment.

 

Truelink currently has some marketing-related assets in its portfolio, such as a shopper marketing tech company called Flipp, marketing tech company Ansira and an exhibition and experiential marketing company called GES.

 

IPG’s digital agencies, including R/GA, have been struggling financially, as confirmed by the holding company’s CEO Philippe Krakowsky in recent earnings discussions. R/GA and Huge, which IPG recently sold to a different private equity firm, AEA Investors, have each undergone significant restructuring to adapt to the changing digital market. IPG also sold Deutsch New York and Hill Holliday in 2024.

 

It’s unclear how much the deal is worth. In October, Ad Age reported that IPG classified R/GA and Huge as “held-for-sale” and recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment expense of $232.1 million related to their potential sale, which essentially meant that the agencies were likely to be sold for less than the amounts at which IPG originally valued them.

 

R/GA has been in IPG’s portfolio for more than two decades. True North Communications, the holding company for FCB, bought R/GA in 1995, a year after True North and R/GA formed a strategic joint venture in digital and interactive technologies. IPG acquired True North in 2001.

 

Bob Greenberg, an early innovator in digital design, production, computer-imaging technologies and special effects, stepped down as R/GA’s CEO in 2019.

16818: TGIFried Hair Day.

 

Clickbait from ambulance chasers positioning themselves as defenders of justice—ready to take legal action against hair relaxer manufacturers?! Straight up.

16794: Workout For The Out-Of-Work.

UPS is offering an opportunity to work out and get paid…? Does the interview process include strength tests and endurance exercises?

16771: Overload Of Bullshit.

 

Grammarly can help you deliver peak marketing performance by cutting communication overload—via lame promotional posts that overload your feed. Brilliant.

16743: Burnout, Burning, Burnt.

 

AgencyAgile offers webinar guidance on topics like “How Poor Scoping & Handoffs Fuel Agency Burnout.” Does this really need to be explained to anyone?

 

And don’t forget the impact of bad clients who can’t approve objectives, adhere to scopes, or deliver clear feedback. Not to mention the systemically racist clients whose multicultural marketing initiatives involve underutilization, underfunding, and underrepresentation.

 

Yes, poor scoping and handoffs fuel agency burnout. But bad clients burn agencies too—and even worse.

16728: Ethical Marketing Academy = Super Deceptive And Delusional.

 

Ethical Marketing Academy claims copywriting is a superpower that anyone can master. Forget that the copy in their advertisement sucks—and its awfulness is compounded by contrived conceptual art direction. Sign up now, er, no.

16696: Floored By Bad Writing.

 

Diverzify should diversify its creative team—by hiring a proofreader who’s competent, and whose skills meet industry standards.

16633: Strategic Storytelling Certifiably Stupid.

Cornell University offers a Strategic Storytelling Certificate through its online programs. Hey, it sure would be helpful if strategists at White advertising agencies could draw storyboards, as most of them aren’t providing strategic value.

16629: Trade Shit For Shat.

 

The Trade Desk invites people to help us transform the advertising industry for good. Based on the corporate website, the enterprise demonstrates that good is the enemy of great.

16623: Make America Great Audiology.

 

WTF was the thinking behind the image for this advertisement? The perfect gift for your hearing-impaired sugar daddy…?

16609: Women At Work.

 

JobLeads declares to White women, “Headhunters Are Looking For You.” Must be recruiting for exclusive opportunities in Adland.

16608: AI = Aging Inversion.

The Best Skin Care Product for Aging Skin? Um, AI…?