• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, May 11, 2014

What do we think of the failed Publicis Omnicom "merger of equals?" From the moment it was dubbed "merger of equals" it was doomed to fail. Why? Have you noticed the personality profile of most ad agency heads? Type A/" don't F&*k with me"/control freaks who would drive over their grandmother if it meant scoring a new client or making a few extra bucks. Okay -- perhaps that's a bit too harsh but did anyone really think Maurice Levy or John Wren (or any of their top dogs) would accept second fiddle position in this deal? It'd be one thing if one holding company were buying the other outright but since they just wanted to hook up like a Tinder date, all two type A personalities could hope to expect from that would be a good roll in the hay and a kiss on the cheek in the morning. Levy and Wren are two alpha dogs from two different cultures and neither one was ever going to rein in their testosterone long enough to tackle the intricate details necessary to make any kind of "merger of equals" come to fruition.

Well it's final. The FTC, after a period of public comment, has put their final stamp on the settlement involving Nissan North America and TBWA Worldwide. As you may recall, the agency created an ad which deceptively showed a Nissan Frontier effortlessly pushing a dune buggy up a hill when, in fact, the vehicle was being pulled up the incline by an unseen cable. The settlement basically amounts to a "don't do it again" slap on the wrist.

At this year's Interactive Day San Diego, digital and creative agency Piston will show how narcissism can make the world a better place with the "Selfie Jar" -- a jar in which this year's 1,400 IDSD attendees can put their selfies to good use. Attendees simply have to add the hashtag #selfiejar to their posts and for every selfie posted, Piston will make a $1 donation to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. At IDSD, Piston employees will wear special t-shirts that they also will hand out to attendees. The shirts will feature the #selfiejar hashtag along with the tagline "Turning narcissism into optimism." Cards explaining the Selfie Jar concept also will be placed in attendee conference bags.

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