Just the En(FACTs)icos

The facts are what I’m interested in…just the enFACTsicos. I know that it is Enfatico and not Enfactico or Enfactsico, but it makes a better title this way. I’m looking for more info, so please comment to let me know if I’m way off base here.

Possible Enfatico Facts:

1. They are staffed at <20% of their promised level.
2. They are not currently able to handle all the Dell business, so Dell business is still going to other shops.
3. They sit around, play board games and dick-around on the internet all day.
4. Dell could use the staffers that were cut internally to do the work if…they hadn’t been cut.
5. They have Adomatica on a blog-black-list.
(OK, that last one is 100% made-up)

Project Da Vinci Announces Name

Just got this email:

“Good morning Robert,

WPP’s Project Da Vinci has been named Enfatico, a musical notation that means play each note “with emphasis” or “emphatically.”  A copy of the release may be found here:

http://www.wpp.com/WPP/Press/Press/Default.htm?guid=%7b2D670B77-2533-4A21-BA2E-381CEC717053%7d

http://www.Enfatico.com“

Harvard MBA Torrence Boone Named Lead of Project Da Vinci

WPP names Torrence Boone to lead Project Da Vinci, the global agency start-up

Torrence Boone‘s LinkedIn Profile

No confirmation yet as to whether or not Torrence wears a coonskin cap to the office or if he saves it for expeditions.

Project Da Vinci’s Temporary Logo

Project Da Vinci Renaming Contest

It’s been pointed out to me that the folks at WPP/Dell’s Project Da Vinci have not yet made the final decision to rename themselves Synachy Worldwide just yet. I see this as a great opportunity for us to give them some better ideas. Come on, is Synachy really the best they could come up with?

Simply comment your idea(s) and we’ll crown a winner sometimes next week.

Here are mine:

SynVinci
Dellarchy
Technicolor Love Den

Oh, and Happy Friday!

** Update Thursday 5/22/08 – There is now a poll so you can cast your vote for Project Da Vinci’s new name – you should see the poll to the right – Voting closes Thursday 5/29 at 12 noon **

Da Vinci Now Synarchy Worldwide

From AdAge: “The new WPP Group agency designed to handle Dell’s marketing-services business is expected to be named Synarchy Worldwide, a reference to a utopian political system coined in the 18th century.”

WPP Settles on Name for Dell Shop: Synarchy Worldwidehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

From Wikipedia: “Synarchism (from Greek words meaning “to rule together” or “harmonious rule”) is a word that has been used to describe several different political processes in various contexts.”

If the new name doesn’t pass legal review, “Sector 64” and “Refute” are other names that WPP Properties Young & Rubicam also filed earlier this year with the trademark office.

Possible New Names for DaVinci

Dell Vinci
Inside the Box
Project Consolidation
Dell Central
Client One
Omnidell

Got any other suggestions?

WPP Project DaVinci Newspaper Ad

The “fine” print (a brief summary with a bit of color):
Marketing is rocket science.
WPP needs people with “unbelievable smarts” to make Project DaVinci work.
They want to build “a marketing group driven by the brightest minds, not history.”
“In fact”, like you don’t know this already their “first” (and only) “client is Dell”, so you’ll get to work only on Dell stuff all day long.
They are looking for folks to sit in cubes and work as “project managers, copywriters, art directors, and strategists.”
If you are smart and in advertising and you aren’t a good fit at Project DaVinci, check out the job postings at NASA.
“PROJECT DAVINCI: FOUNDERS WANTED projectdavinci@wpp.com”

Dell-WPP’s Da Vinci Hires GM

Dell-WPP’s Project Da Vinci agency has hired Valerie Hausladen as its general manager of operations of its Austin office (Her Linkedin profile is already updated). The currently being staffed-out agency will also have shops in San Francisco and New York. Hausladen was the consultant who helped Dell in its search for a new agency, a search that obviously resulted in the selection of WPP and the creation of Project Da Vinci. Before her time as a consultant, Hausladen’s last agency experience was as President of Tocquigny, as Austin-based interactive marketing agency. Prior to that, Hausladen was Director of Marketing for Dell Higher Education and Dell Public.

I’ve sent Hauslden a few questions via email…we’ll see if she replies.

Feedback and Da Vinci Questions

This note just came in via email:

“hey there, i like checking in with your blog. i think there needs to be more agency gossip. keep up the good work.

say, do you know when this davinci behemoth is opening it’s doors? also, do you know if there is central site for hiring? i’m looking for a position in media and i can’t find anything on the wpp site and listings i’ve seen on job sites are for project managers and such. i’d imagine they’ll be hiring for all positions, right?

anyway, dig the blog and thanks! V”

V- Thanks for the nice feedback. Happy to hear that not everyone thinks my blog is in poor taste. I’ve heard that media positions will not be available in Austin as WPP plans to keep those spots in NY. Something about keeping all those current/deep ties alive and not try to rebuild relationships.

Readers- Anybody know anything about where to see/apply for Da Vinci job openings? Please post via a comment.

Thanks and happy Thursday to all.