Dell's Custom Ad Firm Enfatico Names Talent Chief, Gets Shellacked By Ad Blogs

(MoneyWatch)  Via AdWeek, WPP global ad shop Enfatico, created to serve the marketing needs of computer giant Dell, named Lisa Fabiano talent chief today. Fabiano will oversee the development of Enfatico's human resources department as it attempts to add 200 plus more employees, bringing total staff level of Enfatico up to 1,000.

Enfatico has had a tumultuous history. First dubbed Da Vinci, it briefly took on the moniker Synarchy, which was widely mocked throughout the blogosphere (including in this space), before settling on Enfatico. The firm, which was created to handle all of Dell's marketing needs, is supposed to represent a new paradigm in the client-agency relationship.

Several ad blogs are already gleefully drawing out the long knives, however, noting that while Enfatico has signed a 10-year lease on office space while holding only a three-year contract with Dell, its only customer. Tribble Ad Agency was the first notice the discrepancy, writing:

What about the other 7 years if Dell throws this into review? A 100,000 Sq/Ft office in Manhattan isn't a cheap option-- and the fact that they signed a 10 year lease (when everything we are reading shows a 3 year Dell contract) is something we hoped the landlord addressed.

Agency Spy picked up the story, asking:

Does Enfatico, the "single-client" agency, plan on acquiring more clients; are they that crazy; or maybe they measure in dog years?

To the question of whether Enfatico is hoping to land more clients, the answer appears to be yes. While currently listing Dell as its only client, Enfatico's website states: "If your needs are as untraditional as Dell's, you might need an agency as untraditional as ours. Somehow we could find a way to squeeze another logo onto this page."

You can see why Enfatico is eager to find new clients (and why Enfatico's landlord should be worried) -- it looks like Dell doesn't want to go steady with Enfatico. In response to Agency Spy's post on the ten-year lease agreement, commenter kikimonkey replies:

So nobody is talking about the fact that Dell recently resigned Mother NY agency to work on their US broadcast tv ads for another six months. You would think that by this time Enfatico would be up and running enough to at LEAST take this over considering they don't even do that much tv.

AdScam's George Parker, always delightfully happy to deliver a swift kick to the ribs, caps off his own post about Enfatico with this gem:

Maybe I should start an "Enfatico Clock." to see how long it is before they come up with a Dell ad!!!