Phew, all is well in the world again now that we know that DDB San Francisco’s paper-mache owl which we mentioned a couple of days ago has safely returned to the agency. We’re not sure what the whole purpose of this was, but it sure as hell merits a “This is So Stupid” category ala Deadspin. Anyhow, there was another agency-wide email sent out yesterday. Read below.

“From: Front Desk <redacted>
Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:12 PM
To: “SF.DDB All” , “SF.TRIBAL All”
Subject: FW: Darius Found

After several days of heart wrenching anguish, it is my pleasure to report that Darius the Senior Papier-mâché Owl has been safely returned.

Thank you for your concern and support.”

That’s not all though, folks. Perhaps in an effort to crank up the absurdity factor to 11, DDB even put out a release announcing Darius the owl’s return and resumption of duties. If you really must, read in full after the jump and let’s move on.

Read more

And so, we move from the undead to dead presidents in DDB’s latest bizarre spot for the NY Lottery, one that suggests winning the “Cash Blast” scratch-off game means an instant beach party with your pals Washington, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant and Franklin. In fact, should you win millions playing the odds at your local convenience store, it probably would be a pretty good idea to hire impersonators of these presidents/forefathers to join you in celebration as you flaunt your cash to the legions of friends you just bought. They say “money can’t buy happiness,” but “they” are a bunch of jealous poor people who haven’t had Abraham Lincoln throw up on a techno DJ at one of their soirees.

Any guesses as to what Ulysses S. Grant is smoking when he walks by camera? If you invite an Alexander Hamilton impersonator to your shindig, are you duty-bound to also invite an Aaron Burr impersonator to see if things heat up? More importantly, will giggling at a lottery spot about a pretty generic scratch-off game make you want to play it? Credits after the jump.

Read more

All of a sudden it’s a busy month on the DDB West front. Nearly three weeks after parting ways with both its Los Angeles CEO and CCO, the agency network (which consists of DDB SF, LA and Tribal DDB ops) is making more leadership changes on the left coast, hiring Mike Harris as president. Harris joins from San Francisco-based IPG shop, twofifteenmccann (formerly Agencytwofifteen and T.A.G. before that), where he spent nearly a decade and most recently served as president/chief strategy officer.

Harris last spent time within the Omnicom network as director of strategy at TBWA\Chiat\Day San Francisco, which he initially joined as a group account director on Mars and Adidas. In a statement, the new DDB West prez says, “I’m very pleased to be getting back into the Omnicom fold with this move and am excited to join this amazing agency.” Harris’s president position is a new one according to the DDB West camp, which says, “DDB has evolved its West Coast offering so that the San Francisco and LA offices function as one unit, which is why Mike Harris has been hired to the new role of DDB West President to work alongside DDB West CEO Mary Moudry.”

As we mentioned in the DDB LA post from a few weeks ago, DDB West’s current clients include ConAgra, Clorox, Johnson & Johnson and Wells Fargo.

As part of a merger with Quebec creative shop, Bleublancrouge, DDB Canada has now unveiled its new Montreal location called, if you can believe it, DDB Canada Montreal. Current client roster at the new entity includes the likes of  AutoTrader, McDonald’s Canada Digital and Manulife Financial. From what we’ve been told, Existing Bleublancrouge clients will continue to be served independently, under its current company banner, but will now also benefit from added expertise from DDB resources.”

Regarding the merger, David Leonard, who was bumped up to president/COO two years ago, says in a statement, “This strategic alliance gives both of our agencies a competitive advantage as we will be able to deliver outstanding culture-driven creative and offer market-focused solutions for our clients. Through DDB Canada Montreal, we can now better serve the unique needs of national clients who require dedicated Quebec-specific programming.”

We’ve been told at present time that there are seven staff members in the aforementioned office and at present, DDB Canada Montreal will handle marketing communications in Quebec for the aforementioned clients.

During any given day working at an advertising agency, it’s only natural to ask oneself a variety of questions while staring blankly at your computer screen. “Why is today dragging along so slowly? What about the art on this ad seems off? Why am I crying so much?”

Of course, you’ll find that the responses you give yourself are usually steeped in equal parts denial and self-loathing. Not the most helpful advice, is it? But, what if you could ask advertising legends like Leo “Slow-Burn” Burnett, Bill “Don’t Call Me William” Bernbach, and David “Oh SNAP!” Ogilvy these existential questions and receive help suggestions from beyond the grave? Well, sorrowful Sally, now you can with “Looking for Advice.”

Created by Tribal DDB Colombia, “Looking for Advice” find Burnett, Bernbach, and Ogilvy sitting next to one another at an extra-large desk–perfect for playing a quick round of Yahtzee or taking part in a ferocious game of footsie. You can approach the desk with questions like, “Why does my client still think QR codes are totally going to happen?” click on Ogilvy’s eyeball and have him respond with something like “Leaders grasp nettles,” which you don’t quite understand as you were born after 1980 but you’ll take it because why the hell not and it helps keep the voices at bay for a little while longer.

If you click on the “Random” button, you’ll get bonus non-sequiturs from the likes of Raymond “Ray-Ray” Rubicam, Bruce “The Caboose” Barton, J. Walter “J. Walter Thompson” Thompson, and Rosser “I ‘ardly know ‘er” Reeves. Start asking questions here, and view credits after the jump.

Read more

We’re not sure if we should chalk this up to sheer coincidence or clever timing. Whatever the case, just days after Fallon found Darren Spiller’s successor in Jeff Kling, Campaign Brief  is reporting that the former has landed a new gig in Australia as ECD at DDB Group Melbourne. If you recall, Spiller headed back to Australia in March after spending three years at Fallon, which he originally joined as an ECD. Prior to his appointment at the Minneapolis-based agency, Spiller had stints Down Under at Publicis Mojo Melbourne and New Zealand. You can read CB’s full report including comments from DDB and Spiller here.

Once again, tipsters were on to something as we’ve finally received official word that DDB has made some changes in its LA office this week. No, it wasn’t the “gutting” of the office that was being alleged on the Spy line. Instead, the agency has parted ways with Nick Bishop and Erik Moe, who have served as president/CEO and co-chief creative officer, respectively, of DDB LA.

Bishop (pictured) joined the agency in 2007 from G2. During his career, the exec spent 15 years at various global McCann offices and had a stint on the client side at VP of consumer connections for Coca-Cola. Moe, meanwhile, had been at the creative helm at DDB L.A. for three years and previously served as a CD at agencies including TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and Goodby. Here’s a statement from a DDB U.S. spokesperson confirming the pair’s departure:

“Based on the strategic direction we have set for DDB West, we have mutually agreed with Nick Bishop, LA office President, and Erik Moe, LA office Co-Chief Creative Officer, to part ways. We are greatly appreciative of their contributions to DDB over the past few years, and wish them the best in their next endeavors. The LA and San Francisco offices operate jointly as DDB West, and as such, will report into DDB West President Mary Moudry and Chief Creative Officer Lisa Bennett. No further personnel changes are planned.”

Currently, DDB West counts clients including ConAgra, Johnson & Johnson, Wells Fargo and The Clorox Company (Clorox, Brita, Pine-Sol, Tilex, Hidden Valley dressings and KC Masterpiece among other brands). Sources familiar with the matter add that current staff count at DDB LA is approximately 30-40.

A car that’s known for its mom-friendliness and the affectionate nickname “Subie” has to do something big to ramp up its sex appeal. So, with the arrival of the “designed to ignite” 2013 Subaru BRZ, DDB Canada showcases the car’s hotness by having it scorch everything in its immediate vicinity. As plastic cups and yellow paint bubble and curl, dubstep (“Execute” by Excision) wails in the Radke’s Common Good-directed launch spot.

The mystery of a sizzling car park is captivating, though when the source is revealed to be a Subaru and not a steaming, million-toothed monster, this spot feels like a bit of a letdown. Maybe lovers of “car porn” will feel differently.

“The Subaru BRZ is a hot car, with a great deal of excitement already surrounding its release,” says Todd Mackie, creative director of DDB Canada, in a statement. “We wanted to create a visual story to mirror that anticipation while captivating both existing fans and reaching new ones.”

DDB Canada expanded on their burning hot motif with a scorched street-art installation at the 2012 Montreal Grand Prix featuring interactive, informational QR codes. Continual online advertising burns up computer screens and tablets to reveal the Subaru BRZ, while a hologram lenticular in Toronto city magazine The Grid also shows the BRZ incinerating the pages. It’s a sexy idea, but does anyone want a physically hot car in the middle of summer? Perhaps the next Subie spot should also highlight its superior AC—then we’d really have something to lust after.

We’ve received confirmation that Isabel Schuler is leaving Deutsch New York after seven years of service to join up with DDB Chicago. From what we’ve been told, Schuler, who has spent the last two-and-a-half years as VP, associate director, business development at Deutsch, has been wanting to the head to the Windy City since it’s her home turf and she’ll be closer to family. The Deutsch NY camp says, “We are sad to see her go, DDB is lucky to have her.” We’re checking with DDB Chi to find out Schuler’s official title and start date. Update Sources familiar with the matter confirm that Schuler will be joining DDB’s Chicago office as VP, director of business development.

Update 2: Well, that didn’t take long. The DDB Chicago camp has rolled out the official announce for Schuler’s arrival, saying she will officially assume her post on July 18. In a statement, DDB Chi president/CEO Peter McGuinness says, “Isabel is a breath of fresh air.  She loves this crazy business, has great experience and great results to boot. She’s a good fit for the evolving DDB Chicago office.”

Two recent Miami Ad School Europe grads, Babatunde Adebola and Niclas Hellberg, are daring DDB Stockholm to live up to its company manifesto by getting them paid internships at the world’s most famous ad agencies.

See, on DDB Stockholm’s website, the agency boasts (in Swedish), “We always include the option of a payment by results clause.” Adebola and Hellberg is taking this to mean, “If our creative for your company doesn’t work, you don’t have to pay us.” So, the two enterprising young creatives have created a Nigerian-German startup called BabaNic&Co, and is trying to hire DDB Stockholm to get them jobs at big name agencies. It’s a bold move, attempting to pressure an agency into a job, though not quite as bold as sending out a fake press release (remember that?). Now, let’s break this down a bit.

Why it won’t work:

• Adebola and Hellberg are offering the agency half of their salaries or the equivalent in German beer as payment for the work. Internship salaries, even combined, are generally nothing near what an agency’s minimum fee is. So, there’s not monetary incentive.
• The cited brand manifesto on DDB Stockholm’s page is, unless I’m mistaken, not there anymore, if it ever was. Did DDB remove it in response to this, or are we just seeing some clever art direction in the YouTube video?
• As we mentioned before, pressuring agencies into giving you jobs doesn’t generally work out too well. Put a ticking timer on your startup’s website isn’t going to help anything.
• I don’t know the man personally, but I would think that DDB worldwide CCO Amir Kassaei isn’t too fond of being the board chairman of a company he’s never heard of.

Why it will work:

• DDB has a sense of humor, and will help the two creatives out (or offer them jobs) as an act of charity and favorable PR.
• Adebola and Hellberg actually have portfolios with some real and award-winning work. That always helps.

So, what say you readers? Will DDB Stockholm help these guys out, ignore them, or send them a cease and desist letter? Place your bets in the comments section.