Commentary

The Horror! Law Firm Bests Agency In Battle Of The Ad Bands

JWT is not very happy this week after losing something near and dear to their heart. What did they lose? After holding the top spot in Advertising Week's Battle of the Ad Bands, JWT's Jam With Toast was bested Tuesday night by Davis & Gilbert's Generator Honey. And that has to seriously smite since Davis & Gilbert isn't even an ad agency; they're a law firm. But they do have an advertising practice so the Battle of the Ad Bands' rules must allow for this sort of thing. Good thing they do. The band was fantastic!

For many years, McCann's More F%$cking Cowbell (yup, that was the band's name) held the top slot but that changed recently when JWT commandeered the top slot. It was clear JWT fully expected to win again this year. They showed up with an army of sign-toting fans who made it know who their favorite band of the night was. But, the judges had the last say and, in an upset, awarded the top slot to Davis & Gilbert.

So you've all heard of CBS's The Crazy Ones, right? Wait, what? You haven't? Well it won't be Mad Men but it will be funny. The new sitcom which stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Robin Williams takes on Madison Avenue much in the way Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah did in Crazy People. OK, so Gellar and Williams aren't crazy in the clinical sense but they do have quite a bit of fun in the debut episode during which Kelly Clarkson basically has an orgasm while singing a new version of the McDonald's jingle, something she wanted to do to rebrand herself into a fresher, sexier pop star. Williams loves it. Gellar is horrified. We all get to laugh. The series premieres tonight.

Taking the open office concept to a new and different level, Boston-based Conover Tuttle Pace, this past summer, launched their Summer Sublet Program. The program, based on a lottery, was designed to instill increased creativity and productivity by switching desks for the summer. Each one of the 55 employees drew a number. Higher numbers had first pick of office space with lower numbers receiving whatever was left over. Agency Co-Founder and President Fred Conover says the plan, in place for four years, has had a positive effect on the agency's creative process. Collaboration is increased along with an empathy that comes with being closely integrated with a co-worker who may work in another department but now sits right next to you.

Razorfish Chairman Clark Kokich, much like former Razorfish CEO Bob Lord who recently left the company to become CEO of AOL Networks, has left the agency and will become Chief Strategy Officer at Marchex. According to reports, Kokich is leaving amicably but is heading to Marchex for a more hands-on role, something he hadn't had recently at Razorfish. For the past several years, he was not involved in the day to day operations of the agency. 

Kevin Lynch, formerly with Energy BBDO Shanghai, is moving to Hong Kong to become executive creative director, South China for the agency. Prior to joining DDBO China, Lynch worked with the agency in Chicago and, as well, at Proximity Worldwide.

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