john st. has opened shop in Montreal. Of the move, Co-Founder and President Arthur Fleishmann said: “We’ve been talking about it for close to 10 years. But in the past two years, it’s become more and more of a priority for us as we look to the future and how we help our clients solve more complex strategic, creative and production problems. So we’re doing it.” The office will be run by Montreal native Mylene Savoie, who spent her career managing large accounts such as Intrawest, Tim Hortons and Telus in Quebec prior to opening john st. …

Of course this will not come as a surprise to any of you, but you've got to admit that the whole Dove Beauty thing (from way back in 2006, if you can believe) has placed a magnifying glass on the work the advertising industry does for marketers for whom perfection is far more important than reality. In a collection of animated GIFs, Russian photographer Ashot Gevorkyan illustrates the dramatic changes that occur between original photography and final published product. He has collected ads that were shot for banks, video game ads and his own personal photography.

A recent report from Standard Media Index paints a grim picture of TV ad spend.

The Chicago Advertising Federation is honoring Schafer Condon Carter President David Selby with the Silver Medal award for his career and community accomplishments.  The Silver Medal is the highest individual honor awarded by the organization. Previous winners include: Rishad Tobaccowala (2013, DigitasLBi and Razorfish); John H. Johnson (2006, Johnson Publishing); Jack Klues (2005, Starcom MediaVest Group); Bob Scarpelli (2004, DDB Chicago); Rick Fizdale (2000, Leo Burnett); Tom Burrell (1997, Burrell Communications Group); and Keith Reinhard (1983, Needham Harper & Steers/USA). Of the win, Selby said, "I am humbled and honored by this recognition for …

When an agency gleefully tells you they've been toiling diligently on client work for 15 years and then in the same sentence informs you they are rebranding, the natural response -- well, at least mine -- is, "okay, so it took you 15 years to rebrand yourself? Okay -- so we all know it's not that simple. Agencies are busy. Agencies are terrible at doing work for themselves. So 15 years? Eh. Not so bad. But guess how they are rebranding? Yeah, they're changing their name from Esparza Advertising to Esparza. Yeah, that's right. Like every other …

Well, it's a sad day for those working in the Pittsburgh office of Mullen.

Okay -- now that we have your attention, in all honesty. you missed nothing Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Adland, like the rest of the world, took off. It is a national holiday, as you'll recall..

In perhaps the strangest manner ever, Connect Marketing Owner Clint Powell is asking brands to smell themselves in an effort to determine what makes them tick, how customers perceive them and how customers feel when they are exposed to the brand. Likening the whole thing to that new car smell -- which, let’s be honest, is just cancer-causing upholstery glue -- Powell writes: "Your emotional connection -- your story -- the way your customers feel about you -- the need you meet -- the way you make their life better. That is vital to knowing who you …

Just a few months ago, McKinney was selected by Carmax to handle the brand's creative. Less than a year before that, former Scotts Miracle-Gro CMO Jim Lyski joined Carmax as CMO. Are you seeing the usual pattern of events here? Yup, the only way a CMO can make their mark these days is by kicking out the old and bringing in the new. Of Lyski's joining the used car retailer, Carmax President and CEO said at the time: "Jim's extensive marketing experience and strategic understanding of today's consumer will be a tremendous asset to CarMax. CarMax is …

Weber Shandwick is continuing its foray into in areas previously handled only by advertising agencies.