Well we'd gone over this ad nauseum over the on-going & numerous issues that WPP is having with getting "The DaVinci Project" off the ground -- not even getting to the point of discussing the "up & running" stage of the new agency.

As mentioned previously, they are only about 1/2 staffed up at the moment with about 500 of the 1000 positions filled.

They require plenty of "foot soldiers" still to fill out the ranks -- but are also missing their "General Petraeus" figurehead (Global CEO of the new agency) as well and several other required Majors & Captains (way too many parallels to Iraq there.)

Issues with the main (only) client plague the ability to hire -- including having to deal with Casey "Grateful Dead song title" Jones on a daily basis -- apparently a real winner of a dude.

Download the ad -- (PDF)

Well they have taken it to a whole new level with this newspaper ad recently in the hometown local newspaper -- The Austin Statesman (sent to us by one of the loyal readers.) Rocket scientists? really?!?!? Why not ask for basket weavers and knuckle draggers to apply too?

He also mentioned rumors of leaflets being left on the windshields of cars around downtown Austin. The scent of desperation is never well-received -- apparently WPP missed that memo...

WPP is considering moving their operations from London to Ireland -- all in the name of tax breaks.

Joining other companies like Compaq, Dell, IBM, Oracle, Intel, Microsoft and a large number of banking and commercial organizations -- all who have their European headquarters in Dublin or around Ireland -- Martin Sorrell (the "poisoned dwarf" to the readers of GP) is looking to slash tax costs.

WPP currently pays more than $400 million USD (£200m) a year to the government in tax. Apparently, businesses registered in Ireland only pay 12.5 per cent corporation tax, compared to 28 per cent in the UK.