News From Zeno Group & Olson Engage
Olson Engage to Take Helm for Papa John’s PR:
On the heels of a disastrous 2017, Papa John’s has ended its four-year collaboration with PR firm Edelman. Olson Engage is set to take on the challenge of steering the chain pizzeria back toward profitability and a positive relationship with consumers. This change came after a review process during which Olson Engage emerged as a clear favorite.
Papa John’s new global chief marketing officer, Brandon Rhoten, has been shaking things up in more ways than just pushing for a new PR agency of record. A Wendy’s veteran who joined Papa John’s in 2017, Rhoten led the charge on ending a three-year relationship with creative agency Grey and replacing them with Laundry Service. Rhoten had his start in social media marketing, and his campaign to revamp Papa John’s image is aggressive and modern.
This wave of changes has been part of the pizza chain’s response to a massive drop in public credibility following former CEO John Schnatter’s unpopular criticism of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Schnatter was replaced shortly thereafter by Steve Richie, the chain’s former COO.
DUBLIN-FleishmanHillard: Mark Mortell Named to Global Client Leadership Role:
FleishmanHillard has created the position of chief global client leadership officer and appointed Mark Mortell to fill it. Mortell, leading a forty-person staff, will report to president of the Americas and COO J.J. Carter. He is overseeing some of the agency’s most complicated accounts on the global stage. AT&T, Bayer, Pepsi, FitBit, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and others will form Mortell’s stable. Mortell steps into his new role shortly following the departure of tech practice leader Ryan Bowling, who left FleishmanHillard to join The Wonderful Company as an SVP.
If the office performs, Fleishman has plans to nearly double its accounts by the end of 2018. It could be made responsible for a variety of what Mortell called “big brand areas,” including healthcare and technology. “This is a new position focused on global accounts and having them supported with the right talent mix and access to resources across the business, and hopefully make it work for them and us,” Mortell said.
Mortell has worked in Fleishman’s Dublin office since 2002, taking a key role in public affairs practices and corporate affairs strategy. He sits on the agency’s leadership cabinet and has served as global leader of OneVoice, a group of agencies under the umbrella of FleishmanHillard’s parent company, Omnicom, where he has been instrumental in running the Philips account and founding the firm’s Global Client Leadership Academy.
SAN FRANCISCO-Salesforce Leaves Nectar, Consolidates with Zeno Group:
Salesforce has reported the completion of its decision to move all product and solutions business from Nectar Communications to Zeno Group, its new agency of record. This move follows a January 2018 review of Nectar’s handling of Salesforce’s business. The review was implemented by CCO Corey DuBrowa, the second such review he’s undertaken in recent months. San Francisco-based agency Nectar declined to participate in the reviews, opting instead to move on. DuBrowa has worked with Zeno before, most notably during his time at Starbucks and at Edelman, which along with Zeno operates under the DJE Holdings umbrella. He has stated that Salesforce has no plans to change its international representation.
