Here is the first print effort from WaMu post-financial meltdown. We questioned whether this was legit, but we have assurances that it most certainly it. It remains unclear who created it though TBWA is the agency of record. The fine print is a testament to honesty, which is the best policy. It reads:

"WaMu has a bright new future, thanks to the stability of JPMorgan Chase (and their nearly trillion dollars in customer deposits). But Chase brings more than money to the party: together we have 14,300 ATMs and 5,400 branches nationwide, a quarter of a million employees, and the confidence of banking with over 100 million other customers."

TBWA is building a separate shop for one client. The new agency, called Riot, will work specifically on Adidas' global digital business. The shop will be led by superstar Colleen DeCourcy who will relocate to Amsterdam for the position. The team will consist of various talents from across the Omnicom and TBWA spectrum.

Adidas is yet another company that was looking to consolidate their business. Adidas TBWA over Avenue A, Droga and Isobar. Despite TBWA taking home this big interactive fish, 180 (part of the TBWA network) lost the running business to iris worldwide.

So, what does that leave little ol' 180LA with? Well, they've still got cleaning products brand, Seventh Generation, having just launched a new campaign called "Show What's Inside." They've also got a little bit of the Sony Electronics business. It seems to us that 180Amsterdam is sailing along just fine and dandy, but LA? Perhaps, they are getting the short end of the stick.

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More: TBWA Loses Their Lion

It may seemed as if the world we all knew ended this week. Not totally, but just a bit. Holy smokes! Lehman Brothers? Holy shit! Hewlett-Packard lays of almost 13,000 people in the United States alone? WTF! AIG?

Some things, however, have remained the same. Visa put their account up for review in an attempt to consolidate their business. TBWA/Chiat/Day held their creative duties. Well, TBWA won it all over again. Against, BBDO and Grey (both in New York) and Leo Burnett in Chicago, the incumbent not only re-won, but picked up even more of the account. OMD and Mediaedge:cia battled it out recently for the media slot with the former taking U.S., Asian duties and added Latin America. The latter retained its European business.

[source]

Today is all about scandal. There was the Carat email screw-up and Obama Vs. Wal-Mart and now, TBWA has been stripped of their Lion for their work on Amnesty International. Why? Not because it only ran once in some small outlet, but because the entry did not appear in media between the required deadline of 1 March 2007 and 30 April 2008 and so is ineligible. No shit.

Naturally, the Cannes Festival took action after the fact. Terry Savage, chairman of the festival, said

"To be clear, some ads were withdrawn during the judging process whilst other entries are going through a similar checking process. It is important for the advertising and the awards industry that entries made comply fully with the rules and spirit of the Festival."

Ha. Ha. Ahahahahahaha. Please Savage. Save the drivel. Everyone knows you guys check that stuff after someone else makes a big stink about it. You guys are working after the fact all the time. No pre-festival vetting of ads, means "post mortem" action is their only option and gosh darn it, they are sticking to that policy.

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More: See all news for TBWA here.

Those of you who haven't read this article about Apple's attempts at environmentalism can save yourselves a bit of time. Why? Simply because as of January 2007, Apple was at the bottom of a list ranking the most environmentally friendly technology companies. And since then all that has changed is Apple's inclusion of this Web page on their site. For now, Apple continues to rely on form and function over the greening taking place across the country.

Strangely enough, Dell was at the top of that list, showing that while groups like Greenpeace may be in favor of the company (relatively speaking), consumers are not, favoring Apple's design and perceived performance capabilities.

Jake from B|Net points out that although perceptions of Apple indicate that it would be an environmentally friendly company, the reality is otherwise.

"...I'm very much skeptical of the power of greening a brand to truly drive sales numbers. While eco-boosters may point to the success of companies like Whole Foods or Toyota as signs that people are using their wallets to save the icecaps, I think consumers will continue to be motivated by what they've always been motivated by: price and percieved value."

Well put. In terms of advertising their enviro-friendliness, Apple hasn't made a point to highlight efforts they're making. Tribble Ad Agency's The Founder, weighs in:

"It appears Steve Jobs got a 'have your cake and eat it too free pass' and what we find even more outrageous is that is that TBWA \ Chiat \ Day got the mega free pass on this as well..."

Back in February of this year when Embassy Suites went up for review (read about it), it seemed unlikely that AOR TBWA/C/D NY would manage to keep its grip on the $15 million client. AdWeek reports that the work was given to BBDO Atlanta. Others making mad grabs for the biz include Saatchi & Saatchi NY, GSDM's Idea City (Austin, Texas), DraftFCB SF and Independent Amalgamated.

It's been a big week for BBDO Atlanta, which also won Erickson's Retirement — a $12 million deal that few will complain about.

A friend at TBWA/Chiat/Day tells me this has nothing to do with the upcoming Gatorade work that the LA shop has been working on. But I figure, with guys like this using the product, Gatorade will always have an expanding market.

I guess submerging one's self in murky turtle-water promotes imbibing from the electrolyte enriched beverage. After all, Gator Ade (aid?) was birthed in Florida. And both snappers and alligators are prehistoric creatures.

Maybe they'll launch a micro-brew — I'm thinking TurtleTaup.

Btw, is this considered cruelty? I guess it's hunting, but damn I wouldn't want to be one of those snappers; both for fear of the Turtleman's creepy teeth and his crazy-ass post-catch holler.

Holla!

sConsider this a retraction. All the strikes you see below come after a nice chat with Mr. Miller concerning a rumor that he'd been demoted for having loose lips. He assures me that the position he's held for the last seven years is still his, and there's been no such change. Furthermore, "loose lips" are subjective pieces of flesh, so let's not worry too much about defining them. Below is what I wrote pre-convo.

You've all seen HBO's Entourage, yes? Then you'll not be surprised then when I compare TBWA/Chiat/Day (LA) PR hack Jeremy Miller to Entourage's Jeremy Piven.

Well I should be fair, I suppose. I've never met the guy, but a few close colleagues have imparted their impressions and in this world, that's all it takes. Anyway, here's the scoop (which Jeremy assures me is not true).

"Jeremy Miller, everyone's favorite PR guy (TBWA) has been taken down a few pegs for having loose lips. Give JM a few few cocktails and there are no secrets."

Hey Jer, don't forget to refill the tp. That wouldn't look so good on the resume.

This is the biz, I guess. Onward and lateral.

Corey Mitchell, president of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York is heading over to MRM Worldwide where he will be the Managing Director, according to Adweek.

He'll be replacing, Anders Ekman who last held the MRM post in 2006. Since then, MRM worldwide Chief Operating Officer, Bill Kolb, was temporarily leading the office as General Manager.

Remember back in May when Parker and Tribble posted about Michelin being a hop-skip from bailing on Campbell Ewald?

In case you forgot and didn't want to click away, here's George's words on the matter.

Word from one of my "Mo-Town" deep throats is that Campbell Ewald is about to kiss the Michelin account goodbye. Don't have the hard facts just yet... But they will hopefully be coming down the motorway soon. Having said that, I am sure I will momentarily have a couple of emails from Bill Ludwig asking why I am being mean and ganging up on Campbell Ewald again...

So there that is. Over this weekend we learned that TBWA NY was "handed" the Michelin account, and by handed...well I think we all know what that means.

So for Campbell Ewald, what does this mean? At least three people will be lost and we'll definitely have to announce that layoff. After all, that's all we cover anymore, eh RT?

Update: Wolk raises an interesting question, maybe you can answer. Does Chiat NY have the creative staff?