Welcome to The Echo, the one-stop recap shop for Kansas City ad community newsworthy nuggets and industry happenings from the past week. If it's KC agency news and it's happened this past week, you can rehear it here.

This week on The Echo:

Meers Advertising Launches New Creative Work for Great Plains SPCA

Humorous, edgy new creative work by Meers Advertising continues to launch this week for Great Plains SPCA. The new campaign will build awareness of Great Plains SPCA’s programs and services, spotlighting Adoptions and Spay/Neuter services. The campaign aims to make the Kansas City community laugh yet learn the benefits of the comprehensive services that Great Plains SPCA provides to the community.

This is the first major campaign since the launch of Great Plains SPCA’s new name. The nonprofit, no kill animal shelter formerly known as Heartland SPCA is taking this opportunity to build awareness and educate consumers of its program and services.

The integrated campaign includes television commercials, print advertisements, online and guerilla marketing. The first TV commercial, called “Dirty Laundry,” takes a fairly common occurrence for pet owners, humping, and creates an educational opportunity about spay/neuter services and Great Plains SPCA.

A series of print ads featuring either a dog or cat with the label “Player,” “Floozy,” “Skank” and “Sleaze” in need of spay/neuter procedures are meant to capture readers’ attentions.  Meers Advertising and Great Plains SPCA volunteers will blanket the Kansas City Metro with guerilla marketing efforts involving flyers for Lost Pets, only these pets have “lost” testicles and ovaries, not their way home.

“The campaign provides a completely different way of thinking about spaying and neutering pets. It's a community-wide issue, that results in pet overpopulation and poor pet health for animals,” said David Thornhill, Meers Creative Director. “Purposely humorous, we aspired to find a little truth in the way animals act that aren't spayed or neutered."

The stars of the new campaign were cast through Great Plains SPCA’s Facebook page. Many pets came to Ron Berg Photography’s studio, photographer for both the print and video work, for a professional photo session. A select group of local dogs and cats will now be starring in the campaign over the next six months. The spay/neuter messages have launched first, and adoption messages will start airing/running before the end of the year.

“Spaying or neutering pets helps to ensure they live longer, healthier and happier lives,” said Courtney Thomas, Great Plains SPCA’s President & CEO. “It is the single most effective way to reduce pet overpopulation, decrease shelter intake and help eliminate euthanasia in our community. Great Plains is very grateful to both Meers Advertising and to Ron Berg for generously donating time and talent for this new cutting-edge campaign.”

Check the work:

SHS And INTRUST Bank Win Best Of Show At 2012 Clarus Awards

A cause marketing campaign developed by Sullivan Higdon & Sink (SHS) and INTRUST Bank titled “Fill the Plate” won Best of Show at the annual Clarus Awards. The ceremony was hosted by the Kansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) on Sept. 27.

“We feel privileged to work with INTRUST Bank on a community campaign that has helped feed thousands of people,” said Lathi deSilva, vice president-director brand reputation at SHS. “And receiving Best of Show from public relations professionals outside of our market is a remarkable honor.”

The Fill the Plate campaign was created to help people who weren’t getting enough food in Kansas and surrounding areas, especially during the holiday season. This was achieved by encouraging online users to “like” INTRUST’s Facebook page, and in return, the brand would donate 50 meals for each like. The campaign exceeded the goal of 135,000 donated meals with a total of 185,000 meals. Out of 18 total entries, SHS garnered five awards, including Best of Show as well as several Clarus awards – the highest award in a category.

Best of Show: - INTRUST Bank Fill the Plate Cause Marketing Campaign, integrated communications category

Clarus awards: - Red River Ranch Angus beef, supplied by Cargill beef, “Tailgate Like a Champ with Jason White,” community relations category - Blackwell Angus beef, supplied by Cargill beef, NASCAR Progressive Grocer Interview, media relations category - Kansas Health Foundation, Recognition Grant Report book, brochure category

Excellence awards: - Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting, Getting to the Center of W., press conference category

Reciprocal judging of entries takes place for each year’s Clarus Awards at a similarly sized PRSA chapter to ensure all entries are given equal opportunity to win. The Greater Salt Lake City PRSA Chapter judged the entries for PRSA Kansas this year.

Check the story out here.

SHS Expands Its Creative, Digital Expertise In Kansas City Office

Sullivan Higdon & Sink (SHS) announces the addition of new creative and digital personnel to its Kansas City office to accommodate its growing client virtual needs.

Brent Davidson joins SHS as Senior Copywriter. Davidson previously worked as a copywriter at Bernstein Rein, and has six years of experience in the field. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an emphasis in advertising.

Kurt Kloeblen joins SHS as new Social Media Manager. Kloeblen previously was the social media content specialist for Intouch Solutions and has 20 years of experience in the industry. Kloeblen earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Francisco State. Kloeblen manages social media for various SHS clients as well as the agency’s social media presence.

Pat Schwatken joins SHS as Electronic Artist. Schwatken formerly worked as a Digital Artist at MARS Advertising and a senior production artist at Callahan Creek. She brings over 25 years of experience in digital art and now works with teams to help their clients stand out in the digital world.

Lori Whetter joins SHS as Digital Producer. Previously, Whetter was a digital supervisor at Zillner and now provides strategic digital recommendations and manages digital tactics for a variety of SHS clients. Whetter earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and sociology from the University of Kansas in 2005.