• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, December 2, 2013

Why can't the ad business play by the rules? In yet another example of rule bending, it seems a designer's work has been used without his permission. Juan Luis Garcia has posted an open letter to Spike Lee taking him to task for using artwork Garcia designed without his permission. Garcia designed posters for the Spike Lee movie, Oldboy but cut ties with the agency he was working with after the shop made "an insultingly low offer" for his work. Garcia wants to be properly compensated for the work since it's now appearing in the movie's ad campaign. Garcia isn't naming the agency but he says Lee knows exactly which agency he's talking about. For his part, Lee is claiming he has no idea what's going on. He tweeted, "I never heard of this guy Juan Luis Garcia, if he has a beef it's not with me. I did not hire him, do not know him. Cheap trick writing to me. Yo." In reaction to Lee's brush off, hundreds of people are responding on Twitter claiming Lee should at least make a call or two to find out what's going on since it's his movie in question and, as a creative, should understand another creative's need to be properly compensated for one's work.

It's actually hard to believe. After all, digital marketing has been a thing for 20 years. It's become a multi-billion dollar industry and yet just 8% of Fortune 500 and ad agency executives characterize their digital marketing talent as strong according to a recent Online Marketing Institute survey. Many report their talent is mediocre to weak. The summary of the study read, "Overall, executives are unhappy with the skills of digital and social media team talent, and there is a large talent gap hurting sales, employee retention and marketing ROI." Ouch, people, ouch! On a more positive note, 80% of respondents agreed with the need for training resources to be implemented.

So how was your Black Friday? Did you head to the mall with the rest of the masses and fight over discounted TV sets like a bunch of two-year-olds screaming, "Mine! Mine! Mine!" Vancouver-based agency Brandspank (oh there's just something terribly naughty and wrong about that name) decided to steer clear of the Walmart stampedes and offer up a more civilized Black Friday experience. The agency created a very Black Friday-like price and item ad which offered 40% off all of its marketing services. If you're in Vancouver and you missed this, no worries. According to the flyer, the sale extends through December 13. 

Connelly Partners President and CCO Steve Connelly doesn't watch Mad Men. Can you believe it? An ad man atop a growing Boston ad agency not falling in line with the rest of the industry to follow the shenanigans of Don Draper on a weekly basis? Nope. Connelly, who isn't into drinking, smoking or women chasing, says, "From my way of thinking, I don't need that. Yuck. I watch Bewitched." Bewitched? Oh, Steve, you're such a Renaissance man. Have your 20-something creatives even heard of Bewitched? And not the awful 2005 movie starring Nicole Kidman .