John Cusack wants to know: “Why just go from A to B when imagination can take you everywhere?” It’s a valid question, especially coming from the guy who played Lloyd Dobler. Would  the boombox move from Say Anything exist with conventional thinking?

The tagline is the adspeak centerpiece of Commonwealth’s new Chevrolet campaign titled “Find New Roads.” The 90-second spot premiered last night alongside irresponsible tweets about Katy Perry‘s cleavage and Justin Timberlake‘s bad haircut. Chevy’s ad acts as a trailer for what’s to come, showing off the Volt, Spark, Sonic, Impala, and Stingray. There’s also a robotic pet dog and a doe interacting, which may be awkward symbolism for combining technology and nature, but we can just pretend that part doesn’t exist. The response thus far has been positive, and the ad already racked up a six-figure view count on Youtube.

It makes sense for Commonwealth to jump outside the box. The agency, which unites folks from Goodby and McCann, was born thanks to unconventional thinking from ex-GM CMO Joel Ewanick, who didn’t want to waste money on Super Bowl ad space. One could easily see “Find New Roads” debuting during last week’s game, but it didn’t have to compete with farmers and sloppy kissing noises. GM fired Ewanick last summer, but his auto agency and some of his ideas are still in play, apparently.

I guess he didn’t try the boombox move with GM’s senior leadership. Credits after the jump.

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McCann NY and director Paul Hunter are behind this :60 spot that promotes Sony’s Xperia ion, which marks the electronics giant’s first attempt at launching a 4G LTE smartphone in the US. The lad above has quite the adventure, albeit a short one, in this ad called  “One Block,” which comes equipped with the obligatory Amazing Spider-Man tie-in as well as some chipper Matt & Kim music and, why not, a raging war scene. Our smartphone-loving protagonist, though, is totally impervious (sound familiar?), weathering it all and finding comfort in the safety of his home, couch and furry friend. Uh, dude, look behind you. Credits after the jump.

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According to a statement from McCann, “Karlsson will focus on the network’s global clients, including his creative leadership role in Commonwealth, the joint venture created to manage Chevrolet globally. Karlsson will maintain his title as Chairman of McCann New York and London.”

Of course, Karlsson’s expanded global responsibility has left a bit of a hole in McCann’s New York office. The agency is filling it by promoting Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy, previously co-ECDs for McCann’s Verizon business, to NY co-CCOs.

And, in case these weren’t enough promotions/position changes for you, we should also mention that Andreas Dahlqvist, a member of McCann’s global leadership collective, will work with Karlsson as deputy global CCO. Dahlqvist will also be maintaining his current role as vice chairman of McCann NY. Now, who wants to make a colorful infographic of all this?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

In agencies, the ol’ buddy system has its benefits. From agency head honchos to creative director teams to the traditional copywriter/art director duo, working in close quarters with someone ensures that strategies and ideas meld together in a cohesive who. Of course, sharing a creative brain with someone else can have different, unexpected consequences.

TBWA/Chiat/Day art director Lacey Waterman is documenting an interesting phenomenon occurring in agencies across the globe. Yes, agency partners are going so far as dressing in a similar fashion, and Waterman is compiling photos of these instances, done purposefully or coincidentally, on her Tumblr, “Partnerganger.” Above, you’ll see that McCann Erikson’s Linus Karlsson and Andreas Dahlqvist opt for a never-out-of-style black sweater/rolled-sleeved dress shirt combo, and my, do those gentleman look dashing!

See what happens when “TWINSIES!” goes wrong here. Really, did they call each other before work to coordinate their wardrobes or what?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Adam Ulvegärde

The pair’s new boss and countryman Andreas Dahlqvist, who joined McCann as vice chairman/ECD just six months ago, says  of the new hires in a statement, “They point the way to the kind of advertising that we’d like to see more of. They are a fantastic addition to McCann New York and further proof that we are putting creative excellence and innovation back at the very core of our offering.”

By the way, does anyone have the result of that push-pin-related, intern-baiting contest from McCann NY?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The Hong Kong native, though, is no stranger to NYC, having worked from 2003-2008 at R/GA, where she was a creative director on the global and U.S. Nike+, NikeiD and Nike running accounts. Karlsson, who as you know is the CCO of McCann NY/London, raves about his newest hire, saying, “Natalie is one of the most inspiring and accomplished creative leaders in the world. Her work is always beautiful, smart and innovative, and she has a unique global perspective and leads with grace.”

In her new post, Lam, who’s earned Grand Prix and Titanium Lions, a D&AD Black Pencil, a One Show Best of Show, etc. during her career (take a guess for what), will across McCann NY accounts and will try to help boost McCann’s digital capabilities.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Before Dahlqvist officially took on his ECD/partner post at DDB Stockholm, he served as creative director for four years at its predecessor agency, Paradiset. The new vice chairman, who started his ad career as an art director back in Sweden, waxes a bit dramatic about his move to McCann, saying, “We are on the cusp of a creative renaissance. Formulas are dying and a fundamental transformation is coming. As I thought about the next stage of my career, I realized that when McCann shifts, the entire industry shifts. The agency’s scale and DNA offer the opportunity to help set new creative benchmarks and standards, which is very exciting.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It fell through the cracks last week, but what the hell,  in case you haven’t heard and are interested, we have the list of who’s playing judge and jury in the 36th Annual One Show, which will take place on May 12 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in NYC. Those of you vying for Gold, Silver and Bronze Pencils, check out who’ll be poring over and critiquing your work come April 3-10, 2011 after the jump. By the way, One Show deadline entry is Jan. 31.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.