It’s always refreshing to see a TV spot that breaks the mold of how a certain type of product can be marketed. Not that I’m saying Pereira O’Dell and prodco Biscuit Filmworks’ newest campaign for Scrabble is revolutionary, but I think if we ever hear the phrase “board game ad,” most of us have an pretty set idea of what it looks like, no matter what game is being advertised.

Well, it looks like two things happened here. First, Pereira & O’Dell creatives decided to think quite far outside of the box and presented this concept to Mattel. Then, probably quite surprisingly, Mattel decided to approve a hell of a budget. Now, we have a campaign that take us away from the smiling family sitting around their dining room table and into the world of Scrabble tiles. And, if you ask them, there’s nothing quite like being “Blank.”

Because I’m a bit of a sad bastard mess this Friday afternoon, this “Lonely Q” spot struck a nerve with me. Let’s just say, I’ve never before sympathized with the letter Q for any reason. But, things seem to work out for him, and maybe all it takes to get back on your feet is the ability to sit down, meditate over a friendly game of Scrabble, and remember how to be yourself. But, then again, I’m probably reading into this a little too much.

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We have received confirmation from sources familiar with the matter that San Francisco shop Pereira & O’Dell and Muscle Milk’s three-plus-year relationship has come to an end. P&O’D initially beat out five rival agencies for Muscle Milk, which is housed under the CytoSport umbrella and joined said agency’s roster that at the time included LEGO, University of Phoenix and Popchips. Here’s one of the more memorable moments to refresh your memory and, oh yeah, this too.

Not sure if the name Lindsay Siegel rings a bell, but just to refresh your memory, the young lady signed on with Pereira O’Dell last September as its first-ever creative technologist. Anyhow, we’ve now received official word that Siegel, a designer/programmer, Goodby alum and former 7×7 “Hot 20 Under 40″ finalist, has left her full-time gig at P&O’D and moved to Arizona. While she’s still freelancing for said agency, spies note that Siegel has started up her own branding/development firm called Stoke Interactive.

From what we’ve been told, San Francisco shop Pereira & O’Dell was behind this effort for Corona, which gives an ambitious “Thank You” for hitting the one-million Facebook fan mark. A little acid-jazz gets us in the mood as the agency and the Grupo Modelo brew condenses 12 painstaking hours of work into a nice, 75-second piece. Now, who’s ready for happy hour?

The University of Phoenix has confirmed that it’s  ready to review its creative account and expects to issue an RFP for national advertising work later this month. Since the end of 2008, the Apollo Group-owned higher learning institution has worked with San Francisco shop Pereira & O’Dell, which beat out the likes of Mullen, Arnold and EVB for UofP’s AOR duties at the time.

We’ve been told by an Apollo/University of Phoenix spokesperson that P&O’D has been invited to participate in the review, though some spies are whispering that the agency will not defend the account. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

We’ve received word that Lindsay Siegel has officially joined Pereira & O’Dell as the San Francisco shop’s first-ever creative technologist. Siegel, who tells us she is “super stoked” about her new gig, most recently worked at a rather familiar, fellow Bay Area operation named Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (until last month), where she spent just over three years as an interactive developer and worked on campaigns for the NBA, HP and Sprint.

While news like this would normally be considered Odds/Ends material, this designer/programmer and 7×7 “Hot 20 Under 40″ finalist has a pretty intriguing backstory that definitely got our attention. Siegel started her new job at P&O’D today and as creative technologist, she will be working across agency accounts.

Late last month, Toshiba, Intel and agency Pereira & O’Dell joined forces to create the purported first social media film, Inside. Users were tasked with banding together to help save Emmy Rossum‘s character, Christina Perasso, escape her captors using social media. Given that the online film was honed by Disturbia director D.J Caruso, it’s surprising to see that Inside‘s dark tone would produce such a emotional outpouring of gratitude from fans.

As one Periera & O’Dell employee told us, the agency was shocked to see fans independently take to YouTube to express their thanks. “I am floored as I have NEVER in my career seen anything like this,” the employee tells us. “I’ve asked the whole team ‘What is this? They did this themselves?’” It looks like, somehow, a spooky interactive mystery has been turned into a story about online teamwork and togetherness. The full pieced-together film will debut next week here.

In a world where sentient Facebook ads control the darkest corners of the Internet and your life could depend on a re-tweet from someone with a high Klout score comes Inside , the first online film where social media matters (which is also not to be confused with the chilling French horror film of the same name).

Starring young starlet Emmy Rossum (who you may remember from Mystic River, The Phantom of the Opera and her stunning turn as Bulma in Dragonball: Evolution), Intel and Periera & O’Dell are looking to build on the giant amount of buzz received for the “Museum of Me” Facebook app, partnering with Disturbia director D.J. Caruso and Toshiba. According to the announce, the film’s premise is this: “Actress Emmy Rossum plays the starring role of Christina, a woman trapped in a room with only an Intel processor-powered Toshiba laptop and an untraceable Internet connection. Unable to determine where she is being held or what her fate might be, Christina uses the laptop to mobilize her social network, reaching out to friends, family and anyone else who can help her figure out where she’s being held and how to escape.”

Debuting online on July 25, viewers will communicate to Rossum’s character, giving tips, hints and clues that will help lead her to safety. Also, the film’s website is has a open casting call where one lucky viewer will actually appear in a credited role in the film, which will be released in its entirety in August. Will this be an online hit, or will it go largely ignored (except by the ad press)? Credits and Caruso’s casting call after the jump.

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Meet Aricio Fortes, Pereira & O’Dell’s “newest Brazilian” as the agency puts it. Fortes is joining up with the San Francisco shop as an ACD and is the first international employee to move to the US from Grupo ABC de Comunicação, which owns a majority stake in P&O’D. The new hire arrives from DM9/DDB Brazil, where he spent the last six years and was part of the team that won Agency of the Year honors at Cannes in 2009 (the same year said agency caused plenty of controversy). Prior to that, Fortes had stints at Y&R and Publicis Brazil and worked on a project basis for agencies including W+K London.

Sources familiar with the matter confirm that Pereira & O’Dell executive creative director Paul Stechschulte is out at the SF-based shop after only a few months.

Stechschulte joined P&O’D just before Thanksgiving from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, where he was a GCD and worked on Emmy-nominated campaigns for Sprint/Nextel among others. The creative also had stints at CP+B, 180 Amsterdam and W+K Amsterdam during his career. From what our spies are telling us, Pereira & O’Dell wasn’t the right environment for Stechschulte (meaning: it’s a smaller agency) and his behavior was becoming an issue there, which probably explains his rather brief stay.