• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, June 19, 2014

Well. When it's Cannes Lions week and there were no Lions presented last night (the next and final Lions Awards will be presented Saturday night), it's not so easy to come up with witty (or not) little nuggets of agency news for you to chew on so forgive us if today is a bit light. But that doesn't mean nothing is happening in the non-Cannes Lions ad world. Brock Davis, formerly group creative director at OLSON, has joined Minneapolis-based space150 as a group creative director. Calling Davis a "multidisciplinary artist," space150 ECD Brian Ritchie said Davis' "unique approach to creative helps expand our content creation expertise while also elevating our design offering.” Davis will lead space150’s design practice with a focus on helping clients evolve their storytelling strategies through multichannel digital content campaigns, and the use of social media and emerging technologies to build relationships directly with consumers on behalf of brands. He will be based in space150’s Minneapolis office and report to Ritchie. Before Davis joined OLSON a year ago, he was group creative director and art director at Carmichael Lynch for 9 years.

Well, this is interesting. Wall Street Journal Paris correspondent Ruth Bender managed to craft an entire story out of the fact that Havas CEO Yannick Bollore found it a bit awkward to run into clients on the beach in Cannes this week. And the fact that he doesn't frequent the Gutter Bar. He told Bender: “It was rather funny to greet some of the big names in marketing in my running gear this morning." And of Cannes in general, he said, “It’s definitely a more chilled out way to do business." Of his avoiding the Gutter Bar, he simply said, "I try to stay healthy.” See how I crafted an entire paragraph out of a story about how a holding company exec likes to take runs on the beach in Cannes but avoids the Gutter Bar? My editor would be proud! Wouldn't he? Hello? Hello?

McGarryBowen is headed to Brazil. Well, sort of. Dentsu Aegis is renaming Sao Paulo agency Age Isobar McGarryBowenBR. The renamed shop will be headed by Age Isobar Founder, President and CCO Carlos Domingos and current staff will be unaffected. Of the move, Dentsu Aegis Network Americas & EMEA CEO Nigel Morris said: "Brazil is a high priority market for us, driven by exceptional talent. With our continuing growth, the coming together with Dentsu and recent acquisitions we have the opportunity to realign our agencies so we continue to deliver the best solutions for our clients." And for its part, McGarryBowen Chairman and CCO Gordon Bowen added, "Opening in Sao Paulo is a critical and terrific next chapter for us. Brazil is an incredible market. It's a worldwide hotspot for creativity, talent, and innovation, and I'm thrilled to welcome this talented offering to our family and extend new reach to our clients around the world."

Veteran planning expert Diann Hamilton is moving to Digitas Health LifeBrands as SVP executive planning director and will be charged with overseeing planning strategy for all brands out of the agency's Philadelphia office. Of joining the agency, Hamilton said, “I’m addicted to healthcare, and believe it’s one of the most dynamic areas in the industry. We’re just beginning to tap into what’s possible within this world. Even within the consumer advertising world, they look at healthcare as the best place to be. On top of that, Digitas Health LifeBrands is this kick-ass shop that puts digital at the center and knows where innovation and media are going -- I knew I needed to be part of that environment.”

Go Martin Go!! Yes, Sir Martin Sorrell has acquired another agency. Perhaps wallowing with glee that the failed Publicis Omnicom merger maintained WPP's position as the world's largest agency holding company, Sorrell is out to conquer the world. This time it's Vietnam. WPP's XM Asia, Thursday, scooped up Ho Chi Minh City-based agency SoFresh, a digital. social and mobile agency. Of the acquisition, a WPP statement reads: "This acquisition marks a further step towards WPP's declared goal of developing its networks in fast-growth markets and sectors and continues WPP's strategy of strengthening the Group's capabilities in digital media.&rdquo ;