CANNES JURIES ANNOUNCED SOON

Cannes Lions chairman Terry Savage arrived back in Sydney from London on the weekend and is close to announcing the seven jurors allocated to Australia and the three for New Zealand. CB hears the Top three Aussie candidates for the Film Jury are Scott Whybin (Whybin TBWA), James McGrath (George Patts Y&R) and Ted Horton (Dewey Horton), while Jay Furby (The Furnace), Pete Buckley (Saatchi) and one other are vying for the Press Jury spot. Siimon Reynolds (Love) is one of three candidates for the Titanium Jury spot, whie Craig 'Moose' Moore (Clemenger BBDO Sydney) is a candidate for Radio and Andrew Tinning (Marketforce) is nominated for Outdoor.
This year will be more exciting than most as the Cannes Jury President is Australia's Dave Droga -- even though he is more from New York and Hollywood these days.

FURBY READY TO STOKE UP THE FURNACE

The Furnace is the hot new name for the recently combined Arnold and The Moult Agency operations.
According to one source at the agency, "in describing one office or another we will say "The Sydney Furnace" or "The Melbourne Furnace" or "The Port Hedland Furnace". But we're still working on that last office!" Former Arnold CD Jay Furby -- who always wanted to be a train driver like Casey Jones -- is the CD of combined agency, which is located in the former premises of The Moult Agency in The Rocks.

MOTHER SPOOFS SHOPPING CHANNELS FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Mother, London's first campaign for Amnesty International since it won the account in early 2005 is a darkly comedic pastiche of daytime TV shopping channels, only with arms for sale in the place of the more usual keep-fit devices. Shot by Dougal Wilson through Blink Productions, London, the cinema ad deliberately sets out to grab viewers' attention by offering AK-47 machine guns for sale via the spoof shopping channel Teleshop. The ad is backed with a DM campaign, which features models posing with weapons shot in the style of a spoof mail-order catalogue, and is completed with online and viral elements.
To view click here and watchareckon?

SEEN+NOTED IN JANUARY (updated)

Leo Burnett Sydney has put to air an effects number for Heineken that takes viewers back in time, only the discover that the beer hasn't changed one little bit. The spot was created by Grant McAloon and Michael Spirkovski, and directed by Josh Baker via Sydney Film Company.
To view click here

The Sydney Furnace has created a ballsy spot for Jockey, created by Jay Furby, someone who has two of the biggest in the biz, and directed by Daryl Ward @ Curious Film.
To view click here

DDB Auckland has created a humorous spot for Pascal Pineapple Lumps, stressing its unique Kiwi heritage. When the Creator gave out national treasures -- ie: South Africa were awarded gold and diamonds, New Zealand were (accidentally) handed Pineapple Lumps. Created by Martin Brown, Darran Wong Kam and Pete Thompson, directed by Steve Saussey @ Film Construction.
To view click here

Aussie football legend Sam Kekovich makes a return appearance in BMF's much anticipated follow-up to last year's internationally award-winning 'UnAustralian' campaign. In this year's MLA Australia Day campaign for Lamb, Sam argues that a lack of Lamb has led to serious errors in judgement, and urges the nation to remedy their "unAustralian" behaviour by serving Lamb on Australia Day.
To view click here

Clarks make durable school shoes, which is good for everyone... well, almost everyone, as demonstrated in this new spot written by James Procter and art directed by Dave Lunnie via Cummins & Partners, Melbourne, directed by Jess Bluck @ Revolver.
To view click here

CLEAVER SLAMS SMH REPORT

This from today's AdBrief....

Outgoing DDB Australia CEO Nick Cleaver (pictured) has slammed parts of a Sydney Morning Herald report about his resignation (Jan 26) as bearing "no relation to fact". Cleaver told Adbrief he was very happy with how DDB and clients had received the news. "But this [report] is very disappointing. When you have been at a place 17 years, done an awful lot there, worked with some great people and really enjoyed yourself … and now this." Cleaver said he wasn’t interviewed for the article. Adbrief contacted the SMH journalist but he declined to comment on Cleaver’s reaction. Cleaver said DDB’s press release on his departure was "fair and reasonable". "It talked about strong business performance and some of the things I have achieved over my time with DDB. That was an accurate story." Cleaver said he rang the SMH this morning (Jan 27) and challenged the article’s accuracy. He defended DDB’s record against an SMH assertion that "the news comes after a disappointing year for DDB" with a "lacklustre" new biz record. Cleaver said DDB was one of three short-listed for AdNews Agency of the Year. "And our new business record is fantastic at $70m with Dell, Speedo, Eveready, Audi Projects, Volkswagen Retail, Hutchison 3G Online, and projects from Schering-Plough, Eli Lily, AV Jennings and Arnott’s."

DDB Asia chief John Zeigler told Adbrief he spoke to the SMH for 20 minutes. "I’m not sure why [the journalist] took the ‘poor performance’ [angle]," Zeigler said. "My comment was, yes, we would love to have won more business … but we have been very successful." He said DDB across the board had performed very well last year and was poised for continued growth. He said DDB had been lucky to keep Cleaver for 17 years and wanted to talk to him about working with it in other markets. Cleaver quoted The Agency Register’s Peter McDonald, who summed up DDB Sydney’s 2005 performance as "a dazzling run of wins". Cleaver said DDB had had a "bumper of a year" and had lost no business in 2005. "Headcount’s up on 12 months, business is all really well set, everything’s ticking along nicely [so] I was knocked out y’day when I read that story." He said the article made no mention of DDB’s 50% ownership of OMD which won B&T Media Agency of the Year, nor DDB’s Tribal which won B&T Interactive Agency of the Year.

Cleaver said he’d been planning his exit from DDB for a little while: "It’s nothing that has happened overnight." Cleaver who, with Ken Meadows-Taylor, started Cleavers Organic Meats, said he had all but sold out of the venture so speculation as to his next move ruled out a farming future. Cleaver said he would work out his exit at DDB then take time off to plan the next decade of his career. "It’s the end of a chapter for me and I’m looking forward to the next."

PLEASE, LEAVE NZ GIRL ALONE

NAME GAME NEARS END

No doubt it was the toughest brief of the summer break for the newly combined Havas owned Arnold and The Moult Agency as well as the STW owned Fame/Brand/Badjar combo, but CB hears that both are now close to revealing all, with several names registered and now being researched (if only internally and with family and friends).
Meanwhile, all Arnold/Moult staff, around 70 in total, are now happily ensconced at The Moult Agency premises in The Rocks, with Anthony Gregorio as MD and Jay Furby as CD.

BROWNLOW QUITS SINGO FOR McCANN ASSOCIATE CD GIG

CB hears David Brownlow has resigned from Singleton Ogilvy & Mather, Sydney to join McCann-Erickson Sydney as associate creative director to once again work under former SO&M lads Mike Thomas, now ECD of McCann and CEO Chris Mort. Although titles don't seem to mean much at McCanns these days: with a creative department which has shrunk from 17 people to four in just a few years it looks like every role is hands-on.

GOD MAKES WAY FOR HELL'S PIZZA THE OUTDOOR ACTION

A global campaign depicting words from God on billboards (see www.godspeaks.com) is being run in New Zealand with local creative by Consortium, Auckland. These “messages from God” billboards have been appearing around Auckland over the last six months. (two are shown here).
Hell Pizza is a NZ fast food chain with over 50 outlets around the nation.
Publicismojo, Auckland worked with Hell Pizza to create a campaign to leverage the power of the God messages to create awareness and preference for the Hell Pizza brand.
Some of the Hell billboards (three are shown here) are appearing on the exact sites previously inhabited by God, others appear nearby in the same locales.
All of them are attracting response by Christians, although most concede that God does have a sense of humour.
So far no one involved in the campaign has been affected by lightning strike.

CLEAVER RESIGNS, O’HALLORAN TAKES UP THE REINS FOR DDB AUSTRALASIA

CEO of DDB New Zealand Group, Martin O’Halloran (pictured) has been appointed Chairman/CEO of DDB Australia and New Zealand, a role that will see him relocate to Sydney. Current DDB Australia chairman and CEO Nick Cleaver has decided to resign, effective from March 2006 after 16 years with the agency.
President of DDB Asia Pacific, Mr John Zeigler, says O’Halloran has done a superb job building the New Zealand DDB business to become one of DDB’s top 5 agencies worldwide. “Marty is one of the best managers we have in the DDB Worldwide network. He has built a leading edge agency that has achieved Asia Pacific regional top three creative status and has a people culture second to no other agency.”
Added Ziegler: "Nick has been with DDB for 16 years and in that time has helped transform DDB Australia from a leading advertising business to the country’s pre eminent integrated services provider in the communications industry. Nick will be missed but his contribution to the growth and sophistication of our operation in Australia will long be remembered.
"Under Nick’s leadership you have all continued to grow our creative reputation winning many Industry awards, growing new business and adding new businesses. It’s been gratifying under Nick’s leadership to see companies like Tribal DDB, Remedy, Mango and Rapp Collins come of age and performing strongly. Nick will be remembered for many positive things, most of all the talented management team that’s in place."
O’Halloran says it’s a great honour to be offered this challenging new role, which sees him assume responsibility for the Australian operation as well as maintaining overall responsibility for the New Zealand business.
“Part of my new challenge will be to continue the growth that’s been experienced in both the New Zealand and Australian businesses to date. We want to sustain our strong regional standing within both markets, while developing further opportunities to generate ongoing business initiatives.
“I believe there will be huge two-way trans-Tasman opportunities for DDB that I will be able to take advantage of in my new role.”
O’Halloran’s career with DDB spans 20 years, 17 of them in New Zealand – the other three in Australia. He has been CEO of the group for the past four years. In 2004 he was awarded CEO of the year, DDB was named B&T agency of the year and was the leading agency at the 2005 Axis Creative awards.
He is highly regarded within the local advertising community, having been president of CAANZ for four years and currently its vice president.
The new role will see O’Halloran based in Sydney but he will spend regular periods in New Zealand. It is expected that a new group managing director will be appointed to DDB New Zealand within the next three months.

STORM BREWING OVER AUSTRALIAN TOURISM HIRING POMMIE PHOTOGRAPHER

Australian commercial photographers are sure to be outraged when they hear about a decision to award the plum photography contract for Tourism Australia to UK photographer Pete Seaward, snubbing a whole raft of world class Australian contenders including Grenville Turner, Paul Torcello, Murray Fredericks and Greg Bartley - according to a concerned photographer who contacted CB this morning. apparently the $250k deal, brokered by new Tourism Australia agency M&C Saatchi, Sydney, continues a relationship with Seaward, who worked on the "100% Pure New Zealand" campaign for NZ Tourism, which M&C Saatchi controversially dumped in favour of Australian Tourism late last year. Rubbing more salt into the wound, it appears all print work will be produced by New Zealand's The Department of Doing. No doubt this will become a mini scandal when the mainstream media picks up on the issue, especially as Australia Day is tomorrow!

DDB STAFF ON ALERT FOR MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT

Stand by later today for a major announcement from DDB that has ramifications for both Australia and New Zealand. The latest development comes less than a week after the resignation of DDB national creative director, Garry Horner. CB hears an all staff meeting has been called for midday, at least in the Sydney office. Shortly after, all should be revealed as word gets out - so check into the CB blog around lunchtime today.

SILBURN AXED FROM FALLON

Fallon has parted company with Paul Silburn, the former creative director at TBWA\London who was handpicked by agency founder Pat Fallon, after less than a year in the job.
Silburn joined Fallon as executive creative director for North America in February 2005, but has nowlost his job along with another creative director Mark Taylor, who was one of Silburn's hirings from Crispin Porter & Bogusky in Miami.
Prior to joining Fallon at its Minneapolis headquarters, Silburn was former deputy creative director at TBWA\London under Trevor Beattie.
The exit of the creative pair follows trouble at Fallon that has seen the agency lose clients including BMW, Dyson and Lee jeans. The agency has also seen its New York office close, with the loss of further clients such as Virgin Mobile.
Prior to TBWA, Silburn was the creative director of Leith London and a Cannes Gold winner, having spent time at most of London's biggest agencies. He joined Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow Johnson in 1992, partnering Tiger Savage and working on Nike, before jumping ship to BBH in 1994 where he started the "Lynx effect" campaign, and also worked on Levi's and Polaroid.
Silburn joined what was Lowe Howard-Spink in 1996, where he worked on the "Withabix" campaign for Weetabix, Stella Artois and Scalextric before leaving for Leo Burnett in April 2000, which he followed with his move to Leith London.

NAME ABOVE DOOR FOR MORRIS AS HE AGREES TO STAY ON AT LOWE LONDON

Ed Morris is to remain at Lowe London in his role of executive creative director, after being tipped to quit for Sir Frank Lowe's start-up agency.
Morris, arguably the best CD in Britain right now, was believed to be on the verge of joining other Lowe colleagues, including former chairman Paul Weinberger and creatives Sam Cartmell and Jason Lawes, at Sir Frank's unnamed agency, which has poached the £45m Tesco account from Lowe.
However, Lowe confirmed yesterday that Morris would remain, hinting that his name could go above the door and that he could take an equity stake in the agency.
Lowe's parent company, the Interpublic Group, has taken steps against Sir Frank to stop him using what it claims is confidential information to lure staff and clients to his start-up.
This includes insisting that all Lowe staff who quit are held to their full notice period -- including a year's gardening leave for Weinberger.
Sir Frank has responded with his own legal threat, accusing Interpublic of defamation.
As well as luring a number of Lowe staff to his new venture, Sir Frank is to be joined by two senior executives from DDB London: Paul Hammersley, former chief executive; and David Hackworthy, who was chief strategic officer.

OUR LUSCIOUS LYNXJET GIRLS A BIG HIT WORLDWIDE

LynxJet, the controversial spot via Lowe Hunt Sydney that was on the cover of CB Dec 2005, has just been listed on the International website www.adcritic.com as the No. 2 spot in their top 10. Heineken "Past Experience", via Leo Burnett Sydney, comes in at number 5. To view the Lynxjet spot, click

Unilever 'Lynxjet' (click on Nicholas Reynolds)

1. Expedia.com: Anthem
Agency: Deutsch/L.A.

2. Lynx (Australia): LynxJet
Agency: Lowe Hunt

3. Gatorade: Story
Agency: Element 79

4. Honda (UK): Choir
Agency: Wieden+ Kennedy/London

5. Heineken : Past Experience
Agency: Leo Burnett/Sydney

6. MTV: Steak
Agency: InHouse

7. MTV: Tabble Tennis
Agency: InHouse

8. Oxygen: Hot Flashes
Agency: Toy

9. Diet Coke: Haircut
Agency: FCB/ New York

10. CDC: Sunshine
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi/New York

FALLON ASIA FOUNDER YEO QUITS

Fallon Asia managing partner and creative director Yang Yeo has resigned from the agency, four years after founding the two Fallon offices in Singapore and Hong Kong with his creative partner, Fallon Asia president and creative director Calvin Soh. Yeo is expected to leave Singapore and Soh will take sole charge of creative.

TIME TO VOTE FOR THE 2006 AWARD COMMITTEE

In preparation for AWARD’s AGM on Wednesday 15th February @ 5.30pm at The Dolphin Hotel, Surry Hills, ballot forms and nominee BIOs are being posted out today.
Calling on Gold members to vote, there are 19 nominees in the running for the 5 places available on the 2006 Committee. AWARD co-chairmen Darryn Devlin and Paul Prince (pictured) remain for another term.
Ballot forms need to be completed and returned to AWARD by Monday 13th February 2006. Meanwhile, members and non-members alike, any thoughts on what AWARD got right and what it got wrong last year?

TOP PRODUCER FOR FILM CONSTRUCTION'S SALLY SHAPCOTT

Aaron Langer has been lured to Film Construction as producer to director Sally Shapcott. Langer has produced television for the likes of Paramount, Disney and Dreamworks in LA. Since moving to Sydney he took up the role of GM at Supersonic where he oversaw music production for numerous tvc’s. Sally Shapcott has recently returned from Europe after shooting a new spot for Saatchi London. Langer can be reached on aaron@filmconstruction.com

AFTER 10 YEARS HORNER RESIGNS AS DDB NATIONAL CD

After serving 10 successful years at DDB Sydney as National Creative Director, Garry Horner has decided to take a well deserved break. Garry is one of the most awarded creatives in Australia, having won numerous gongs at all the world's major advertising festivals, including D&AD, Cannes, Clio, The One Show, Campaign Press & Poster, British Television Awards, ATV and AWARD.

He was responsible for a raft of successful campaigns for McDonald’s including the iconic ‘Jessica’ and ‘Anzac’ spots, ‘Dare’ for Dairy Farmers, the launch of Hutchinson 3, Napcan ‘Talking Baby’ and more recently the Konica Minolta ‘Mud’ campaign which picked up Best in Show at the inaugural Gongs last year.

Horner will stay at the agency to complete a number of high profile campaigns for Clean Up Australia and Wrigley’s Extra, which go into production over the next few weeks. The hunt for Horner's replacement is currently underway.

Says Horner: “It’s difficult to leave an agency that has been such a large part of both my professional and personal life. However, there is a wind of change blowing through our industry and I want to be part of it. DDB is a great agency, but after 10 years,I believe that I have achieved everything that I set out to do. Our creative product has never been better, our creative department has never been stronger and the agency itself has never been in better shape.....from my point of view it’s a good time to leave. First back to ‘Blighty’ to see my dear old Mum,then back home to meet whatever exciting challenges lie ahead with a renewed sense of passion, energy and commitment.”

THE WORK 05 ANNUAL OUT NOW - GET YOUR ORDER IN TODAY

The Work 05 Annual is out now and it looks bloody brilliant. At 400 pages (and with The Big Ad on the cover) The Work 05 is our largest edition yet and this year it comes with two DVD’s featuring the 153 TV and Radio ads and campaigns that were accepted.

In total over 440 brilliant ads from 123 agencies from Asia, Australia and New Zealand made The Work 05.

They are all contained within this high quality, case bound, hard-back annual that will not only look great on your bookshelf but will also provide you with a permanent record of all the great work from our region over the past 12 months.

This year's The Work Hall Of Fame recipients are Bob Isherwood, worldwide creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi and Dave Droga, the former worldwide creative director of Publicis, now running his own operation, Droga Five, with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

The cost of a single copy of The Work 05 (which includes the two DVD’s) is the same as last year - AUD$120 each. The price includes airmail delivery to your office.

SPECIAL DEAL ON COPIES OF THE WORK 04, THE WORK 03 AND THE WORK 02

The Work 04, The Work 03 and The Work 02 can also be ordered at the very heavily discounted rate of only AUD$90 each (AUD$60 each for The Work 02). Complete your set of this annual record of the very best ads from Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

For a pdf order form, email justy@campaignbrief.com

HONDA’S “CIVIC CHOIR” LAUNCHES: BUT IS IT A PATCH ON 'COG' OR 'GRRR'?

To view click here and enjoy.

Honda has launched its latest TV commercial “Choir” – a 120” live action spot to launch the new Honda Civic produced by Wieden + Kennedy London. Following hot on the heels of the Honda “Impossible Dream” brand campaign (rather like "Donkey" for Toyota via Saatchi Sydney, some say), this spot shows a specially formed choir vocalising the many experiences one has whilst driving the new Civic.

Says Kim Papworth, creative director at Wieden + Kennedy London: “Honda’s new Civic is all about driving feeling. Music is all about feeling. So we thought having a choir “singing” driving could be amazingly powerful and emotional. The aim of the commercial was to find a way of expressing the human experience of driving – not just the big, fast, powerful sounds but also the subtler sounds of driving eg. the sound of an electric window closing or a biro rolling across the dashboard. The sort of moments that never get spoken about but that everyone feels.”

The 120” commercial will be supported by both a 60” and 40” cutdown. A website and interactive TV application will support this activity and a national press ad will run in motoring press. The TV ad is also believed to be the first by a UK advertiser to be available as a Videocast. The ad, along with a “making of”, will be made available as a downloadable Videocast from the accompanying Civic microsite as well as Podcast and Videocast sites. The commercial was shot in both Spain and England. It was written and art directed by Matt Gooden, Michael Russoff and Ben Walker. It was directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet at Parizan.

To view click here and enjoy.

DDB SYDNEY SNARES SIMON JOHNSON

Art director Simon Johnson has joined DDB Sydney to partner Charlie Cook. Prior to that Johnson spent a year at Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne in 2004/5. Before coming to Australia, he had stints at Saatchi & Saatchi in Singapore, Hong Kong and London.

CLIO AWARDS LAUNCHES THIRD ANNUAL FUTURE GOLD: YOUNG CREATIVES PROGRAM

A 24-hour challenge competition for creatives under 33 years old

NEW YORK, January 16, 2006 — The international Clio Awards is now accepting applications for the third annual Future Gold: Young Creatives Program, one of its key initiatives in support of the next generation of advertising creatives.

The global competition affords a dozen young creatives the opportunity to have their work critiqued by award-winning 2006 Clio jury members at the Clio Festival. The 24-hour creative challenge takes place during the 47th international Clio Awards Festival will be held May 13-16, 2006, in Miami Beach, Florida.

“For Clio to exclusively concentrate on today’s advertising and design would be shortsighted. Our commitment is to encourage the development of the next generation of creatives,” said Ami Brophy, executive director, Clio Awards. “Future Gold: Young Creatives Program was established three years ago to offer young creatives a rare opportunity to go from creative brief to presentation in a competitive environment within 24 hours – in other words, to provide a compressed advertising experience.”

Starting today, qualified applicants 33 years of age or under can visit www.ihaveanidea.org/futuregold for complete program details and guidelines, to download the recommendation form to be completed by their Creative Director, and to digitally upload up to six different examples of their print work. Application fee is $50. A team of experienced creatives will review all materials and select 12 applicants that represent the best-of-the-best from across the globe (two participants from each of six world regions).

On April 3, these 12 applicants will be notified by Clio, and arrangements made for them to receive complimentary Clio Passports, granting admission to all Clio Festival events, as well as free lodging for three nights at one of Clio’s host hotels in South Beach, Miami.

On the morning of Sunday, May 14 , they will be paired into six teams and receive a creative brief. They will then have 24 hours to respond and make a preliminary presentation of their work to a panel of official 2006 Clio judges. The judges will provide feedback and select three finalist teams, who will then move on to make their final presentations to the client before Clio Festival delegates on Monday, May 15, at 12:30 pm. The winner will be selected by the client, with an award presented at the Clio Festival on Monday evening.

Getty Images is a sponsor of the Clio Future Gold: Young Creatives program, and will supply all images used in the brief and presentations. Adobe Systems will supply all software used by the participants in developing their presentations.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

About Clio

The 47th international Clio Awards Festival will be held May 13-16, 2006, in Miami Beach, FL. Many exciting events are planned, including the opening night Hall of Fame reception, recognition of the Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, creative workshops and seminars, two awards galas and screenings of the Clio TV Shortlist.

Deadline for Clio Award entry submissions is as follows:
• January 16, 2006 – Entries first appearing between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2005, all mediums except Content &Contact, Design, Internet, TV: Technique and Student entries.
• February 1, 2006 – Final deadline, entries first appearing between January 1, 2005, and February 1, 2006 for Content & Contact, Design, Internet and TV: Technique.
• March 1, 2006 – Final deadline, entries appearing during the First Quarter of 2006 (January 1, 2006-March 31, 2006), all remaining mediums, deadline for all Student Entries (TV and Print).

For additional information, please visit www.clioawards.com.

Names, we've got lots and lots of names....

We just checked Lynchy's blog and noticed the RFP for names for the new Arnold whatever.
The deadline was Friday 13th, which was bad luck for us on this occasion, but then this is advertising so it's probably just a completely artificial deadline the suits plucked out of the air to frighten and age their creatives. They probably won't be putting the signage up til July.

Look the point is, we've been doing a lot of thinking about names lately for our own new gig and we've got lots of nifty little ones that didn't make the cut.

If you are serious about getting input, send a discreet email to bigears@nyc.com and we can take it from there.

Seriously,

"Arthur"

©2006 Arthur & Martha Ltd.
Somewhere in New Zealand

Fucking Genius Viral

You've probably seen this. If you haven't you should. It's worth a couple of minutes out of your weekend.

http://www.backingblair.co.uk/london_underground/

Cheers,

nzcreative circle.blogspot.com

GRUMPY SAYS THANKS

Everyone who knows Simon Collins, the former JWT Sydney creative director who is soon to head to London, turned up for farewell drinks last night at the Palisade Hotel in The Rocks. Simon wishes to thank everyone who made the evening so memorable:

I'd like to say thank you to everybody who turned up at the Palisades last
night. If a non-advertising person had observed the evening, and thought that
this group was a fairly good cross-section of the industry, they would now have
a mental picture of the typical Australian creative being a bald, fat, 62
year-old man with a limp and a speech impediment. Cheers.

CANNES LIONS 2006 OPEN FOR DELEGATE REGISTRATIONS

Delegates and Journalists wishing to attend the 53rd International Advertising Festival can register online at www.canneslions.com from today (Thursday 12 January 2006).
This year a Boutique Hotel category featuring new accommodation properties has been added to the regular choice of hotels on offer to delegates. There are also additional hotels, residences, serviced apartments and villas available in 2006.
The deadline for inclusion in the Delegate Handbook is Friday 12th May 2006.
Entries open online from Thursday 2nd of February.

BBDO ON TOP OF THE WORLD

This morning, Advertising Age named BBDO as its U.S. Agency of the Year, and Adweek named BBDO its Global Agency of the Year. Three weeks ago, Campaign in London picked BBDO as its Advertising Network of the Year. It was a huge 2005 for BBDO, winning 21 individual Agency of the Year awards around the world, and two Global Agency of the Year Awards. An extraordinary achievement, and an industry first.
The Mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg, has put an extra cherry on the cake by officially proclaiming that today, January 10th, is "BBDO Day". This is the first time an ad agency has received such an honor from a New York mayor, according to the agency.
"For more than a century, BBDO has worked diligently to keep our city economically and culturally dynamic," wrote Mayor Bloomberg in the proclamation. "New York City joins the advertising industry in honoring BBDO as agency of the year."

THE NAME GAME

Any thoughts on what to call the soon to be merged Arnold/The Moult Agency? CB hears it's causing a real headache coming up with a name that doesn't come across too trendy or silly. The merger will create a 70 person strong shop, so it's got to be a name that major clients will feel good about and that passes the receptionist's "Good Morning, ????" test. The new agency name must have no reference to either Arnold or Moult.

And if you think that's a hard one, any ideas we can pass on to the STW Group on what to call the merged entity of Fame, Badjar and The Brand Agency?

The deadline for ideas is this Friday 13th so get cracking....

WATCH OUT FOR GREEN MARTIN

Rodd Martin (pictured), who is cashed up after selling his shares to Havas, is leaving Arnold at the end of this week (before the agency merges with The Moult Agency), and is considering setting up a branded advertising vehicle with another party specifically for "Green" eco friendly products. That is, after a nice long break away from advertising, the first he has had in nearly a decade.
Martin was in New York for eight years until 1995 (the formation of Mojo, then Chiat\Day\Mojo, then Omon), before coming back to Australia to join The Campaign Palace Melbourne as CD for two years. He then joined Leonardi Advertising in 1997 as a partner when they were five people in Port Melbourne. The agency then went though a number of name changes, becaming Leonardi Brandhouse, then Brandhouse Hale Leonardi (after the Hale merger), then Brandhouse, then Brandhouse Arnold (after the sale to Havas and Arnold), then finally Arnold.
Martin told CB: "I was there eight years in total, longest I've been anywhere. My five year contract was up and have sold my shares and am cashed up. I am now looking forward to a little time off before the next adventure."

MOULT TO HEAD UP HAVAS IN AUSTRALIA, ARNOLD/MOULT TO MERGE

The Moult Agency chairman Tom Moult (below left) has been appointed chairman of Havas in Australia, with responsibility for Euro RSCG Worldwide and a soon to be merged Arnold Australia and The Moult Agency. Under the new arrangement at Euro RSCG, Brendan Tansey, who has returned to the Sydney shop after nearly a decade overseas, has been appointed MD, replacing Glen Fraser, who left the agency at Christmas (and who is currently on gardening leave).
It is believed Anthony Gregorio will run a merged Arnold/Moult agency in both Sydney and Melbourne (with staff around the 70 mark), which will be rebranded in the next few weeks, and current Arnold Sydney CD Jay Furby (above left) will be creative director.
Arnold creative partner Rodd Martin and managing partner Russell Howcroft will leave the agency shortly to pursue other business opportunities. Both Martin and Howcroft recently sold their shares in Arnold to Havas, which now means all companies in the Australian group are 100 percent Havas owned.

SIMON COLLINS FAREWELL DRINKS THIS THURSDAY

This may be your last chance to have a cold beer with the legendary Simon Collins, most recently CD of JWT Sydney, who is returning to London after nearly 20 years in OZ.

Collins made his creative rep at Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney in the late 80s (Volvo "Survive The Crash", Samsung) before trading up to CD gigs, first at JWT Sydney, then The Campaign Palace both in Sydney and later, Melbourne, then a freelance stint before opening his own shop Collins & Crew (later Collins Thomas Crew) which he sold to JWT a few years back.

If you know Simon, get yourself down to The Palisades Hotel, Bettington Street, in The Rocks (It's a hundred yards beyond The Lord Nelson).

6pm this Thursday the 12th of Jan.

JOHN WEBSTER, CREATOR OF SMASH MARTIANS TO HONEY MONSTERS, DIES AGE 71

Further to yesterday's news, this from Campaign London....

John Webster, the creative brains behind some of the most memorable TV commercials of the past 30 years -- from the Smash Martians to the Sugar Puffs Honey Monster -- has died aged 71.
He collapsed after a heart attack while jogging near his home in Barnet, Hertfordshire, on Friday morning and was dead before help could arrive.
As head of the creative department at the then Boase Massimi Pollitt (now DDB London), Webster honed his reputation as one of the most talented creatives of his generation. The film director Alan Parker once described him as "quite simply the best TV commercial thinker the British advertising industry has yet produced".
The performing dog in the John Smith Bitter commercials, the cockney Hofmeister bear and the cool polar bear who promoted Cresta fizzy drinks were all Webster inventions.
He spent almost his entire working life at BMP, having been one of the senior managers from Pritchard Wood who established the agency in 1969. He was still working at DDB at the time of his death.
Yet despite his success, which included two Grand Prix awards at Cannes and the D&AD President's Award, Webster will be remembered as a modest and shy man who was nervous when talking of his achievements.

THE DEATH OF JOHN WEBSTER

Very sad news from Mike Doyle that creative legend John Webster died on the weekend. He is pictured here helping out the YoungGuns in 2001 by posing with street punks to prove he is still young at heart...

I had an email from my first wife yesterday informing me that John Webster of BMP fame had died over this past weekend whilst jogging in his neighbourhood in Hertfordshire.

I believe John was the best writer and creator of commercials in the world. He even won a bronze at Cannes for a commercial that he directed and could have had a career as a director but declined as he felt he wasn’t good enough.

Just before we emigrated in 1990 he showed me a storyboard for a TV series based on a character he created called Hamilton Mattress, an aardvark who makes a ‘hit’ as a jazz drummer. It took ten persistent years but he eventually got it made, a testimonial to his northern dogged nature.

He was also a gifted artist as the walls in his house testified.

Despite being reputed as being stingy with his money he gave my wife and I two weeks stay in his beautiful villa in Provence as a gift when our first child was born.

He leaves a wife,, who was sick in hospital at the time of his death as well as two adult daughters.

The business has sadly seen the last of a legendary talent.

What do Paul Middleditch and Peter Jackson have in common?

What do Peter Jackson and Paul Middleditch have in common?

1. Both placed highly in the Spot-On video competition while at school.

2. Both come from the Wellington region.

3. Both are vertically challenged.

3. Both were inspired to make movies by seeing King Kong - Jackson as a 9 year old and Centretrench as a 10 year old.

4. Both own extremely rare Kong memorabilia - Pete has the original ape's steel skeleton from the 1933 movie, Paul has the only known copy of a King Kong lobby card signed by Fay Wray.

5. Both have made epic motion pictures which have earned them many glittering prizes and the respect of their peers - Pete with the Rings trilogy and Paul with Big Ad for Carlton.

Spooky.

BRISBANE BASED TEAM ROLFE AND NOBAY DEPARTS EURO FOR CLEMS

Creative director Mike Rolfe and writer partner Phil Nobay (brother of Saatchi Sydney ECD, David Nobay), who had headed up the creative department at Euro RSCG Worldwide Brisbane, have jumped ship to larger rival Clemenger BBDO Brisbane. The pair had been looking for new opportunities in Brisbane since the agency's loss of the massive Suncorp business to Y&R at the end of 2004.