Vibrator: Gossip on IPA, David Hasselhoff, Publicis Entertainment, ISBA, StrikeAd MD Gavin Stirrat, Haymarket & Centaur
In the first edition of The Drum’s Vibrator column, resident gossip Claire Snare relays what she's been hearing from around the media and marketing industry, including a story involving a major celebrity, an agency MD and... well, have a read and find out.
Second Hand Joys
How very fitting to launch Vibrator with a story about another dildo scandal, after all it’s not every week you see a boss’ used, designer dildo auctioned off. But that’s what went down at Publicis Entertainment wake party a few weeks ago. This second-hand ‘gift’ of designer Tom Dixon’s limited edition ‘Bone’ – found stuffed down the back of a sofa in a certain creative director’s office two years ago – got its moment in the sun at the party in London where it was auctioned off to staff. The value of said ‘Bone’ (retail price £199) – described on its website as being able to carry the “burden” of being a flagship for modern sex toy design – has dropped a smidge over the years, mustering a paltry £25 at the auction. Not bad for a used dildo.
Mass Debate
The IPA was also spotted parading an image of a vibrator on its website last week – at least that’s what numerous agency folk thought it was. The image of the meerkat sitting atop a pile of coins (pictured) was mistaken by half a dozen senior agency execs.The Drum’s own Stephen Lepitak tweeted The IPA to query the use of imagery, to which it replied that the image – to promote its Adaptathon – simply aims to “stimulate” mass debate on performance/payment models. Priceless.
Get your Kitt Hoff
Watch this space for a Google driverless car sporting the design of 80s US TV hit Knight Rider starring David Hasselhoff. The Baywatch star recently confided to yours truly in Cannes that he has been in dialogue with Google over precisely that. His request to the tech giant has been for the creation of a bespoke self-driving car in the form of Kitt from the show, which he will use to promote world peace. The idea apparently struck The Hoff while at the wheel of one of the company’s driverless cars during a recent visit to Google HQ in San Francisco.
Caught Short
ISBA held its annual lunch earlier this month, as advertisers flocked to the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane to wolf down the delicious spread, washed down with the usual bucketload of fine wine. All very well behaved at the lunch, unlike just a few nights earlier when a board member of a major affiliate network, who shall remain nameless, was thrown out of the ‘Performance In’ party for emptying their bladder into a Stein glass. I mean reeaalllyyy.
Snug as a BA bug
Snug as a bug in a rug. At least StrikeAd chief operating officer Gavin Stirrat would have been during his first class BA flight from London Heathrow to New York a few weeks ago. The silver-bearded gent was one of the lucky few who got to trial BA’s new ‘happiness blanket’, created by Ogilvy, a cover which uses neuro sensors to measure a traveller’s brainwaves and ‘meditative state’. Stirrat can be spotted in the promo video being looking the picture of contentment as he is tucked in by a BA steward.
Rivals Unite
On a final note, it was great to see Haymarket and Centaur taking part in putting together an edition of The Drum. A mix of Haymarket and Centaur staff bought tickets to The Drum Live event on 9 July – where we put together an entire issue in a day with the help of a live audience. Perhaps they might have gleaned a few insights on why The Drum scooped the AOP’s 2014 Editorial Team of the Year Award.
Above is a video of when Brazil defender David Luiz realised he'd missed the event to play in the World Cup instead - oops! (Thanks Edelman!)
Heard any juicy stories you want me to know about? Email me at claire.snare@thedrum.com or vibrator@thedrum.com. All tip offs will be handled in confidence. I promise.