TEDx Sydney 2013 was probably full of great ideas, speakers, and presentations, but it’s a two-and-a-half-minute video about babies and food that wound up stealing the show. “The First Taste,” created by Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney and Heckler, shows young children reacting to their first experiences with unusual foods like anchovies, gherkin, and Vegemite. Set to orchestral music and shot in slow-motion, the video somehow takes a subject that could’ve easily dipped into boring humor and turns it into a strange and compelling combination of food, art, and social science. Props to the first kid for not freaking out more when shoving an anchovy in his mouth.

Creative director Matt Gilmour, who also directed the clip, credited the visceral, pure culinary responses of his two-year-old daughter for inspiration. I couldn’t agree more about the honest ways kids respond to sensory overload. It not only cinched the greatness of the video but also reminded me of when I was six and spat out a terrible jellybean (possibly fart flavored) at the supermarket. A random woman chided me and told on me to my mom. I couldn’t help it, the bean tasted that bad. I imagine the incident was crude from the woman’s perspective, but with some slow-motion and beautiful music, it could’ve been poetic. Credits after the jump.

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Well, who knows where our relationship with Saatchi & Saatchi X fell apart as we went from being an industry mate to a Siberian exile in a matter of months. Whatever, rather than going all Blue Valentine on you, we’re just going first instinct on this one. According to multiple sources, Saatchi’s shopper marketing agency division is losing its Chicago SVP of business development/managing director Kevin Shelhamer, who we hear is leaving X for a gig at Ogilvy. When we inquired, we were met with the usual “he’s in a meeting” and the comms side, as mentioned, has been giving us the unusually cold shoulder thus far. Ogilvy has yet to respond to the matter as well.

Shelhamer has had two stints at Saatchi & Saatchi X, first joining 10 years ago to serve as SVP, client development and in his next turn, he assumed the role three years ago as SVP/MD of its Chicago branch.

We’ve been told by sources familiar with the matter that “changes are happening this week” at Saatchi & Saatchi NY, which in turn means the agency has had to let go of some staff. As noted, it’s not network-wide, but sources in the know let us know that it’s “less than one-percent” of the Saatchi network as a whole and this has specifically affected the agency’s New York crew (which accounts for approximately 400 of the staff count from what we’ve been told). As per usual, we’ve been told that this move is part of “business and the needs of…clients” thus begets for a need of “some changes.” We’re hearing from tipster that 15-20 staffers across departments were affected. We’ll keep you posted if and when we hear more.

They’ve already charmed us with symmetrical treadmill dancing and Google collaborations, so it’s no surprise that rock band OK Go is getting creative and innovative for their newest music video. Well actually, it’s you who will get creative, since the band partnered with Saatchi & Saatchi, Talenthouse, and BUG for a contest aimed at new directors searching for exposure.

The latest Saatchi & Saatchi Music Video Challenge, which has involved collaborations with the likes of Moby in the past, lasts until early-May, so auteurs have a few months to get adequately funky and artistic with OK Go’s new single “I’m Not Through.” The rockers won’t be making their own video this time, since they’re still in the studio finishing their next album. Outsourcing for cheap labor, Nike would be proud. We joke; OK Go gets the benefit of the doubt for their quirky videos that have been going viral for years, unlike now, where anything remotely creative/funny/newsworthy/embarrassing gets chewed up and spit out within a few days.

It’s a safe bet that whatever video they choose as a winner will be plenty imaginative. It just won’t recall Rube Goldberg, because they did that already.

Three guys walk into a bar with The Hangover‘s Ken Jeong. That’s all you need, because Jeong will take care of the rest with his ridiculous facial expressions. No punchlines necessary. Give him a pig and a cabana, and he’ll deliver the goods. Even though Miller Lite makes terrible beer, their new campaign from Saatchi & Saatchi, which also features Roots/Late Night with Jimmy Fallon drummer Questlove and UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, provides a blueprint for integrating celebrities into advertisements. It’s easy and boring to let John Krasinski do voice-over work for a Coke commercial, but with a little thought and some strong writing, you can get Ken Jeong into a cowboy costume.

Liddell may be irrelevant to the public at this point in his career, but Jeong and Questlove are recognizable and likable. Most guys would love to have either celebrity in their crew, even if it meant using the word “crew” and having to drink Miller Lite. And in some twisted way, that will probably sell more Miller Lite. But now that celebs want to hang out with regular guys, can we get James Harden to trade his friend D for Ken Jeong, setting up possibly the greatest commercial of all time? Now, that would be Miller Time.

“Questlove” and credits after the jump.

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Well, we wouldn’t say she followed him necessarily, but the timing is rather interesting. Less than two months after Saatchi & Saatchi X EVP Charlie Anderson parted ways with said agency and joined up with Project: Worldwide, Julie Quick has followed suit as joined the latter agency as VP, shopper marketing. Quick, who most recently served as head of North American planning & insights at Saatchi X, rejoined the agency’s Dallas hub in 2011 after a brief stint as SVP, client services at fellow TX operation, Symphony IRI.

During Quick’s first stint at Saatchi X, which lasted just over six years, she served as VP, account planning. We’re awaiting word from the X camp on whether there are immediate plans to replace.

According to Campaign, HSBC has finally made its decision on who will handle its approximately $650 million global ad account and it’s sizable enough so that it will be not one, but three of the five agencies that were shortlisted last year (McCann dropped out in November and BBDO was the other). The financial institution has chosen incumbent JWT, Grey London and Saatchi  Saatchi, with the first two taking on lead agency duties while the third will service HSBC’s  premier and wealth business globally.

Regarding the five-month process to get to this point, HSBC group GM/global head of marketing Chris Clark,  tells Campaign, among other things, “This has been an exhaustive and thorough review, with input from our four global businesses and five regions, and we’re extremely grateful for the contributions and professionalism of all the agencies involved.”

Check out the full story here.

Update: We’ve received a memo from sources that went out globally to staff today from JWT Europe/London CEO, Toby Hoare, who has been with the agency since 2005. Peep it after the jump.

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Well, if his name being scrapped from the management section of Saatchi & Saatchi X’s website isn’t enough of an indication, we have received official confirmation from the shopper marketing agency that, yes,  its CEO, North America, Charlie Anderson, is out. The Saatchi X camp tells us that Anderson made a decision to leave last Friday (though spies, no surprise, allege that he was “forced out”).

Anderson spent just over 13 years at Saatchi & Saatchi X, moving up the ranks from account lead to managing director to global client engagement officer to his most recent role as North American CEO (one which he’s actually assumed once before), which lasted two-and-a-half years. His former employer tells us that “Charlie has done great work for us over the last 13+ years and was an important part of establishing Saatchi X as the preeminent Shopper Marketing Agency and for that we are sincerely grateful – he leaves a lasting legacy.”

From what we’re hearing, Anderson is possibly heading to Project: Worldwide, though we’ve yet to hear anything of the sort from folks familiar with said shop. As for Anderson’s successor, no word yet on if Saatchi X has immediate plans to replace him.

Update: Well, that was fast. Not sure if ol’ Charlie was embellishing or just forgot to update certain things, but Saatchi X has informed that his last title was NOT CEO, North America, but rather EVP/client development officer. The more you know…

I have no idea what’s up with the recent trend of marketing brightly colored subcompacts exclusively to DJs, but the streak continues with this new spot from Brazil-based F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi.

Above, we DJ duo N.A.S.A. (AKA L.A. based Squeak E. Clean and Brazilian DJ Zegon) given the “Drivemixer,” a Honda Fit Twist (exclusive to Brazil) outfitted with a bunch of obnoxious sound effects that the DJs eventually mold into a cohesive obnoxious beat. This continues for a little over three minutes, at which point all other Brazilian DJs black out due to a filthy womp overload and awake to find themselves face down in the parking lot of their local Honda dealership. That’s what the whole “Twist” part means.

I don’t know how “street” the Honda Fit is in Sao Paulo, but in Chicago, I have heard tales of five different Honda Fits all getting their wheels stolen in the middle of the day. Perhaps if the Twist makes it to the U.S., the spot will look a little more like that. Credits after the jump.

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As the chilly pangs of winter draw nigh, it’s a great time to remember that, hey, if you were living in South America right now, it would now be summer. It’s because hemispheres and weather patterns and poles and the Earth’s rotation and other things I don’t quite understand, but the southern hemisphere experiences opposite weather patterns that we have up north. This is why there is an air conditioner ad in your AgencySpy this morning.

This spot for BGH comes from Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi Argentina. The concept evolves around a creepy voyeuristic shut-in being the personification of an air conditioner. As things end up taking a pretty bad turn around the 45-second mark, it’s hard not to reflect on two things: 1. This spot would never run in the U.S. and 2. Your own demented broadcast concepts will never be made unless you leave the country.

So, as you give thanks this holiday weekend, remember that your life would be so much better in you were in Argentina. Then laugh, because we all know that’s not true. I mean, football, AMIRITE? Credits after the jump.

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