Well-known Montreal-based ad agency Sid Lee has agreed to be acquired by Tokyo-based holding company Hakuhodo DY Holdings. Terms, as always, were not disclosed. Hakuhodo is the second-largest marketing-focused holding company behind Dentsu.  Sid Lee is known for its work on Absolut, Axe and the Toronto Raptors. Hakuhodo was interested in Sid Lee so that it could expand its presence in North America and to extend service to its clients Toshiba and Nissan.   Sid Lee will continue to operate under its own name but be housed under the New York-based Hakuhodo subsidiary Kyu, which is also home to Digital …

Despite a firestorm of critique, including a tweet from Cindy Gallop the agency defended the spectacle.

Ah, yes. A new browser. One that aims to rise up against the ad machine and fight for the individual's right to surf the Web untarnished by annoying ads and privacy-challenging tracking technology. Well, sort of.  Brendan Eich, co-founder of Mozilla, has announced Brave, a new browser that will block "outside" ads and ad tracking. The browser will run on Windows, OSX, iOS and Android.  Of the current state of ad-supported Web content, which he calls "a primal threat, Eich said: "I contend that the threat we face is ancient and, at bottom, human. Some call it advertising, others …

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Darlene Love has named Google and 72andSunny in a lawsuit which claims a holiday ad for Google's Nexus 5X and 6P used Love's song, "It's a Marshmallow World" without permission.

Publicis Worldwide New York has promoted Carla Serrano to CEO. Previously, Serrano was chief strategy officer of Publicis Worldwide North America. She joined the agency in 2014. She will report to Publicis Worldwide North America CEO Andrew Bruce, who had temporarily filled the New York CEO slot. Of the promotion, Bruce said: "The passion for what we make, the determination to work in lock-step with clients, and the collaborative spirit and willingness to jump in anywhere, at any time, are the hallmarks of today's most magnetic and effective leaders. All are attributes of abundance when describing Carla. Elevating Carla's role …

Way back in 2007, Cramer-Krasselt famously resigned the CareerBuilder account after the brand said it would place the account in review when the Super Bowl ad Cramer-Krasselt made failed to place in the top ten.

TBWA\Chiat\Day New York has announced several creative hires at the agency, the first appointments under the leadership of new Chief Creative Officer Chris Garbutt. Garbutt has brought in Michelle Spivak as creative director and Josh Yeston as Associate Creative Director, along with senior creatives Cecile Pimont, Pieyre-Alexandre Treuil, Liz Agans and Mike Schneberg. Of the hires, Garbutt said: "2015 was an incredible year for our business, and now, we're focused on making 2016 all about the creative product. I'm thrilled to welcome these diverse and incredibly talented teams to ramp up our department and to push us -- and our …

This, of course, flies in the face of practically every other prognosticator, many of whom have placed all eggs in the online basket.

Of the dis-invitation, IAB spokesperson Laura Goldberg said: "The IAB Annual Leadership Meeting is for serious conversation among important digital industry stakeholders."

Advancing through the creative ranks of an ad agency is heavily based on the number of awards an individual has won.