What would Cannes Lions be without a little controversy every year? This year's controversy comes to us from Panasonic, whose media agency, UM Australia, says it did not place the ad that won the brand a Silver Press Lion. Of the snafu, UM Australia CEO Mat Baxter said: "We have reviewed the winning Cannes print work for Panasonic and can confirm that UM did not book any Australian media activity featuring the creative material in question. It is important to note that Panasonic or Saatchi & Saatchi themselves may have booked media space without our knowledge and we would encourage …

Remember that recent don't-text-and-drive ad from Ogilvy & Mather for Volkswagen that showed moviegoers in Hong Kong watching a person driving when suddenly, everyone in the movie theater received a call, took it, and then saw the person driving on screen crash? Maybe you are one of the 25 million people who have seen the ad. Well, Happiness Brussels is accusing Ogilvy & Mather of copying a don't-talk-and-drive ad they created in 2009. You can view the Ogilvy ad here and you can view the Happiness Brussels ad here. Of the ads' similarities, Happiness Brussels Founder Karen Corrigan said, "The …

The IAB has selected JWT North America Chief Creative Officer Jeff Benjamin as chair of the judging panel for the 10th anniversary IAB MIXX Awards. Of the selection, IAB EVP and CMO David Doty said: "We are honored that Jeff Benjamin, a highly accomplished creative pioneer, has agreed to lead the IAB MIXX Awards jury and raise the bar even higher in collaboration with a stellar gathering of cross-industry judges. His deep commitment to leveraging digital's distinct capabilities for engaging and delighting consumers in interactive promises to result in an impressive showing of the best-of-the-best in this 10th anniversary year …

While adam&eveDDB CEO James Murphy is high on London and believes it's truly the ad capital of the world, a couple of ads guys in Dallas want to be heard as well. Integer Group ECD Will Clarke and Marketing Arm Chief Strategy Officer Chris Smith were Promo and Activation judges at Cannes Lions last week and said they surprised more than a few with their presence. Smith said, "it's fun to see the industry's shock that there are actually some great agencies in the flyover states. The advent of digital, social and mobile has helped agencies like the Marketing Arm …

Hey, New Yorkers -- there's a dude across the pond who thinks London is the capital of the ad world. Hot off multiple wins at Cannes Lions last week, adam&eveDDB CEO James Murphy says London now has a "gravitational pull" that is attracting top ad talent and clients from around the world. He noted that the agency's multiple wins were a "testament to the vitality of London" and added that "London is a much more global place. Staff are more international. It is equidistant between China and Japan and the tech companies in California. It means we have a really …

Writing in "Forbes," Avi Dan points out the real dangers to increasingly common 120-day payment terms: interest rates. Currently, short-term credit rates are near zero, minimizing the effect that longer terms have on agencies. But when markets turn and interest rates shoot back up to 5% or 6%, 120-day payment terms could be a death knell for some agencies. Agencies will need to borrow at higher interest rates just to stay afloat while waiting to be paid. Of this impending doom, Dan writes: "If the ad industry is not able to thwart this move toward extended payment terms, this could …

Well, Cannes Lions happened. adam&eveDDB cleaned up -- taking home 4 Grand Prix for Harvey Nichols. Alas, the Festival is over, and it's time to get back to the mundane practice of creating working-class ads that sell stuff versus winning awards. With that in mind, Publicis CEO Maurice Levy is wasting no time refocusing his energy on less-than-massive acquisition deals, setting his sights on bolstering the digital side of the agency's business. Putting the Publicis-Omnicom debacle behind him, Levy said, "I am 100 percent focused on the future. I am not very much interested in the past; it is the …

Well. When it's Cannes Lions week and there were no Lions presented last night (the next and final Lions Awards will be presented Saturday night), it's not so easy to come up with witty (or not) little nuggets of agency news for you to chew on -- so forgive us if today is a bit light. But that doesn't mean nothing is happening in the non-Cannes Lions ad world. Brock Davis, formerly group creative director at OLSON, has joined Minneapolis-based space150 as a group creative director. Calling Davis a "multidisciplinary artist," space150 ECD Brian Ritchie said Davis' "unique approach to …

Well, it's about time someone stood up to this idiocy. The Association of Independent Commercial Producers and the Association of Independent Creative Editors have sent a strongly worded letter blasting Mars Inc.'s new 120-day payment policy. The AICP said the practice would "simply decimate the way the industry operates" and the AICE called the policy "patently unfair." Defending the 120-day policy, Mars spokesman Ryan Bowling said that it will be gradually put in place, and with gleefully noncommittal, mealy-mouthed blather, added: "We are looking at all categories but I can't confirm what industry or what suppliers, due to confidentiality." And …

As is the case every year around this time, everyone starts pointing fingers at Cannes Lions organizers accusing the organization of increasing the number of categories and subcategories just to up award entry fees. This year, there have been 47,500 entries bringing in 28 million Euros. Lions Festivals CEO Phillip Thomas defends the take, saying, "We're a business, not a charity." But then more softly, adds: "People sometimes criticize us for just wanting to make more money. But all we do is react to the changes in the industry." For the most part, he's right. Award categories simply mirror what's …