-Since the NHL is in flux and all, not sure how this will work out, but the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks partnered with Team One to create an awareness campaign for the Premium Seating Experience.

-Global ad mag The Internationalist awarded Profero with Grand Prix in Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions and Agency Innovator prizes for its work on Smirnoff.

-Holidays and a crowded house can be a bear, and now there are extended versions of the lunacy in Draftfcb Chicago’s work for KFC (one example above). Check out the rest here.

-Since we know you were clamoring for a “socially aware” infographic, we’ll appease with this ditty from Morrison & Foerster. link

-The folks at comScore are obviously Lakers homers. link

-Yahoo tells us that “better search ad features mean more bountiful returns.” link

-A couple of Leo Burnett NY guys do some good in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. link

No, it’s not quite the Dan Band from Old School, but Bonnie Tyler‘s ’80s cheese ballad, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” serves as the soundtrack from this Movember effort from San Diego-based agency, i.d.e.a. While we shake the nuisance of having to spell that out, let’s enjoy this Glamour Shots-inspired music video from an agency that has worked with the likes of Puma, Pony, Ringling Brothers and Unicef in the past. Besides the in-house clip above, i.d.e.a. has raised $1,600 for prostate cancer/men’s health awareness cause.

Cheers to all who busted out some impressive ‘staches this month. See you in the next episode.

The holiday season being upon us, why not take a break from your long and arduous week for a little old-fashioned internet watching? It’s stress-relieving and at works, will make you late for something. So no real loss there. Sit back and enjoy our weekly recap of the best videos to waste your time, that also have an advertising bent. Zombies, trolls, aliens and cheetahs people – we’ve got them all.

6. Mother-fucking zombies. They’re everywhere yo. TV, real life, the movies, elevators. They’re like air, floating around and into your lungs without so much as a how’s your father. Luckily, this execution doesn’t bother me. It makes me happy, in fact, to see. Why? You don’t care, the zombies will make you watch anyway.

5. Trolls are what made AgencySpy go from weblog to “holy shit have you read AgencySpy today?” So we’ve got carnal knowledge of the troll-set (though we don’t approve of their tactics – I’m just saying they have been here in the past). Microsoft takes a jab at their own product in this one, and if you haven’t seen it, I think you’ll agree it’s a breath of troll-fresh air.

4. http://youtu.be/bIy6w_iubSs They say imitation is a form of flattery, and flattery is all anyone could give “Dumb Ways to Die”, the video about train safety that made the rounds a few weeks back. Here is its parody, “Cool Things to Find”, set to the same art direction and tune, and just as awesome.

Read more

-Blind Item: An Email Fail Tells All

-Ari Merkin Returns to Co-Lead New South Florida Shop

-McCann NY Picks Up Joe’s Crab Shack Biz

-As We All Figured, Only Dikembe Mutombo Can Save the World

-Jonathan Isaac to Leave LBi

-Wait, Did Steve Nesle Just Land at Blast? (Update: Affirmative)

-Let’s See How Long You Can Watch Verizon’s 3-Minute ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ Cross-Country Lip-Dub

We wish you well, Lars, if your tweet is to be believed (can you really blame him?). From what you see above, one can easily deduce that Lars Bashtolm, who joined Cheil USA as chief creative officer just a year ago, is leaving for the West Coast. The tweet says it all but we’re following up with Cheil to see what’s what and what’s next for the agency in the wake of their top U.S. creative’s departure. Bastholm, of course, spent about the same amount of time as CCO at Ogilvy NY and has also ran the creative department at AKQA during his career. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

From Venables Bell & Partners, the same agency whose larger-than-life contraptions for Google Maps and Google Fiber injected a third-dimension into the online world, comes two very different-looking spots for the new Google Search App.

Unlike the Maps and Fiber work, which relied on large, custom-built machines to explain the functionality of the Google’s tools, VB+P is relying on a more traditional mode of storytelling for the Search App, focusing on how the voice-activated tool assists regular people in daily life. Yes, a young girl being forced to dress like Martin Van Buren for a school project is a bit improbable. But, still, mom goes into mom-mode with the help of the Search App, and creates something pretty amazing in just a matter of minutes.

A second spot, “Umpire,” is just as pleasant. What I like about these spots is their simplicity. Unlike Siri, Apple’s voice tool which, due to its terrible functionality most iPhone users avoid like the plague, the Google Search app functions as an easy on-the-go reference tool that seems to actually work. While neither of the real world situations depicted in the spots is all that likely, imagine the wonders the Search App could perform on bar bets. Why, you don’t even have to go to Wikipedia first anymore! Credits after the jump.

Read more

The wonders of Tumblr continue to reveal themselves as we were sent a note about a new site that calls out Pittsburgh ad agencies via a little logo manipulation. We’ve recognized about half of the agencies listed including MARC USA (as you see slightly altered above) and Engauge. Hopefully, those being poked fun at on the “Agencies of Pittsburgh” will have a little sense of humor, but knowing how seriously the ad world takes itself, perhaps not. It’s not quite as invigorating as, say, “Douchey Account Guy” or “This Advertising Life,” but this little splash of honesty, which appears to have launched just days ago, will do the trick as we lean into the weekend.

-Facebook and Zynga have basically squashed their longstanding alliance. Welcome, competing game developers. link

-The Barbarian Group has unveiled a new app called “Rager” to help Foursquare users capitalize on check-ins. Check it out here and get more TBG insight on the app here.

-Damian Lewis from Homeland stars in a new short film from RSA promoting the Jaguar F-Type. Teaser trailer above.

-PHD launched a new global operating system dubbed Source. link

-In-game advertising still gets no love. link

-TiVo’s top dog is very excited about his company’s new pitchman, Tim Tebow. link

To be honest, we’d never heard of AudienceScience before, but it is indeed a global digital marketing/tech firm that houses offices ranging from the U.S. to India. Speaking of, due to its efforts to “put transparency and market control first,” the agency has cut 33 positions in the U.S. and “several operations support positions in India” according to those in the know. Why? Well, AudienceScience is shutting down its ad network, effective tomorrow, though we’ve been assured that a number of ad network employees were moved into roles supporting AudienceSciences’ platform business.

A source who was affected by the move adds that on the U.S. end, the layoffs hit everyone on the network team with the exception of a couple of management positions that will focus on the technology selling. The cuts affected both East Coast, West Coast and in between as Audience Science turns its focus to the Technology side and the DMP product moving forward. AS president Mike Peralta chimes in here.

-According to the YouGov BrandIndex, Macy’s loyalty rating amongst female customers plummeted 45 percent in the wake of the retail chain standing behind Donald Trump. link; link

-They made Morning Stir today, so why not Odds/Ends. French prodco, Wanda, winds down Movember with some lasting images. link

-Omnicom-owned Diversified Agency Services acquired London-based innovation/co-creation consultancy, The Promise Corporation.

-CP+B has taken over for Richards Group on the Fruit of the Loom creative/media biz. link

-Deep Focus CEO Ian Schafer tells us why agencies “are not OK.” link

-Los Angeles-based post house Therapy added sound designer Eddie Kim to its roster.

-A jelly fight on the streets of Bushwick, you say? Let indulge NYC-based Woods Witt Dealy & Sons and its spot for Jam Bluetooth (above), shall we?

-Digitas and analytics company, Brandwatch, did some research on holiday shopping and consumer picks. Here’s the news with infographic. link

-LivingSocial confirms it has cut 400 staffers, which equates to 10 percent of its workforce. link

-Did we really need site tagging best practices? The IAB says yes. link