Hasta La Creative!

David&Goliath, perhaps most well-known for their Blake Griffin and now Jack McBrayer-co-starring spots for Kia, have decided to celebrate the new year a little differently. Instead of focusing on empty resolutions and self-improvement, they’ve created a “post-holiday card” thanking friends, family, clients and colleagues, which they’ve dubbed “The Gratitude Wall.”

David&Goliath invited employees to “appreciate and thank those who have helped us get to where we are today” via posts to Instagram, then assembled the Instagram images on The Gratitude Wall webpage. It’s a nice, positive message that D&G designed to “look back on our combined challenges and successes and to look ahead with a sincere thank you to all involved.” We appreciate the shift from the normal New Year’s naval gazing, new diets and resolutions that will be broken before February rolls around towards gratitude and appreciation. Plus, D&G can refresh the page with new photos next November for an easy Thanksgiving card.

If you need some affirmation that not all is wrong with the world this gloomy, snow-covered Friday, head on over to The Gratitude Wall for something unabashedly and straightforwardly nice. How often do you get to see that?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

I remember the Easy Button last being at all interesting about five years ago. People could actually buy a product that embodied Staples’ marketing strategy in Staples, some mixture of cool/scary meta-advertising that got old once you pressed the button more than 10 times. Staples has actually been running with “That Was Easy” for a decade, but McGarryBowen just retired it in favor of the less punchy “Make More Happen.”

Would you prefer your supply store to make things easy or to make more things happen? Rhetorical, but the rebrand is meant to change the perception of Staples as just an office supply store. The logo changed slightly, too, with the now-rotating “L” you can see in the new promo above that includes dog food, rain boots, paint brushes, etc. They sell dog food? Is this Staples or Walmart? It’s hard to tell. I’m not sure that’s a good thing, since Staples can’t do Walmart as well as Walmart can, but at least they’re trying to adapt instead of coasting down an easy route to irrelevance. Credits after the jump.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Josh Gordon and Danny Gonzalez, the two Miami Ad School students responsible for the Party Box Project, have a blog documenting their search for a “winter girlfriend” to cuddle with during the cold winter months. They specify in one of the earlier video blogs, in case you were wondering, that this doesn’t mean exclusively for the winter — they’re not planning on getting rid of their winter girlfriends with the spring thaw.

Winter Girlfriend is set up like a calendar, with each day listing a countdown to Valentine’s Day and a random quote. Click on a given date and you get a blog entry from Josh or Danny with updates on the search for a winter girlfriend, number of days since last cuddle, and how they’re coping with the winter. There’s also a weekly video blog, documenting their progress over the past seven days.

Needless to say, the whole thing is a little strange. Josh and Danny meticulously document their winter girlfriend attempts in exhaustive detail. Obviously, they don’t take the whole thing too seriously, though (because at a certain point that would become really creepy). Some of the best moments are pretty funny, although at times the project seems more like an in-joke amongst friends. Josh and Danny seem like nice enough guys, so we wish them luck finding cuddle partners for the winter, ones who won’t mind being featured on Winter Girlfriend.

Josh and Danny have taken a little break from blogging as of late, but you can check out the most recent video blog above. While we’re not sure the site will actually help them find winter girlfriends (and could actually hurt their case with certain ladies), it’s all in good fun, and should help raise their profile, much like their Party Box Project.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

What gives, R/GA? We inquired six weeks ago about this and no response, but yes, Seth Solomons has indeed joined “the agency for the digital age” as EVP/managing director of its New York hub and global chief client services officer. Who knows how their PR machine works, but it doesn’t seem to be intact as we’ve been told that Solomons joined well over a month ago after serving as CEO of CRM365 and spending a dozen years at Digitas, last serving as global CMO prior.

During his career, Solomons also served as SVP/account director at Wunderman, where he spent nearly a decade. In his current role at R/GA, Solomons is tasked with overseeing not only client services but analytics, planning, CRM, media and digital on a global scale.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

(TrendHunter.com) With celebrity stunts, homemade memes, global events and traditional media permeating consumers’ minds, pop culture trends in 2013 were wide-range and volatile. This resulted in an onslaught…

Comme le récapitulatif Reuters Photos of the Year 2013, le New York Times a mis en place leur « review complète » de l’année 2013 en images. Un récapitulatif des 12 derniers mois racontés à travers les clichés des photographes et journalistes aux quatres coins du monde. Tous les détails dans la suite de l’article.

CHICAGO 01/23/2013 Firefighters extinguished a five-alarm warehouse fire in single-digit temperatures. The water sprayed from their hoses froze quickly, leaving the area glazed with ice.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA 01/27/2013 A building burned in the Ain Tarma neighborhood after a Syrian Air Force strike.Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

PORT SAID, EGYPT 01/28/2013 Egyptians mourned the death of Mohammed Yousra, 27, who was one of seven antigovernment protesters killed in clashes with the police.Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York Times

SAIDNAYEL, LEBANON 01/19/2013 Raeda, 15, and her baby brother are among 11 relatives sharing a tent here, after an explosion near their home in Aleppo, Syria, partly blinded her.Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

TEHRAN 01/20/2013 Iranians at the public execution of two men, whose stabbing of a man, caught on a video camera and posted online, caused an uproar.Ebrahim Noroozi /Fars, via Associated Press

ALLAHABAD, INDIA 02/10/2013 A man cradled his wife, who was killed in a stampede at a train station at the height of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious festival.Kevin Frayer/Associated Press

GRANJENO, TEX. 02/13/2013 United States Border Patrol agents detained migrants from Guatemala.Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

BROOKLYN 03/03/2013 The Orthodox Jewish community gathered for the funeral of Nathan and Raizy Glauber. The newlywed couple were expecting a baby when they were killed in a hit-and-run accident.Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

PARWAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN 04/11/2013 A girl read in front of her class at Mir Ali Ahmad Girls School.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

AZAZ, SYRIA 02/11/2013 A refugee at the Bab al-Salam camp on the northern border. Despite claims that millions of dollars in humanitarian aid was sent to Syria, there was little sign of relief at the camp.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA 03/28/2013 Syrian soldiers and investigators surveyed the area where a mortar shell exploded in a cafe at Damascus University. Andrea Bruce for The New York Times

NEAR MAGADI, KENYA 03/04/2013 Masai voters waited to cast their ballots in a crucial, anxiously awaited presidential and parliamentary election. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

LOS ANGELES 04/11/2013 Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, left, and Thomas Bangalter of the French duo Daft Punk watched Coan Buddy Nichols skateboarding. Chad Batka for The New York Times

BOSTON 04/15/2013 Police officers scrambled after the second explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe, via Associated Press

PAKTIA PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN 04/15/2013 The Third Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, known as the Rakkasans, climbed down from the mountains. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN 04/22/2013 Traders exchanged currency at the money market. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

SAVAR, BANGLADESH 04/24/2013 A Bangladeshi woman, who survived the collapse, was rescued. Kevin Frayer/Associated Press

DOVER, DEL. 04/27/2013 Staff Sgt. Miguel Deynes prepared a final uniform for Capt. Aaron R. Blanchard, at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary. Captain Blanchard and his Apache co-pilot, First Lt. Robert J. Hess, were killed in Afghanistan on April 23. Ashley Gilbertson/VII for The New York Times

BOSTON 05/08/2013 Jeff Bauman, 27, rested during occupational therapy, almost a month after he lost his lower legs in the Boston Marathon bombings. Josh Haner/The New York Times

MADRID 05/12/2013 Serena Williams served to her opponent, Maria Sharapova, in the women’s singles final at the Madrid Open. Williams won and retained the world No. 1 ranking. Susana Vera/Reuters

WASHINGTON, D.C. 05/16/2013 President Obama and a helpful Marine at a news conference in the Rose Garden. Doug Mills/The New York Times

MOORE, OKLA. 05/21/2013 Dead horses were piled near an intersection after a tornado plowed through the area. Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

MOORE, OKLA. 05/22/2013 James Akin, 12, outside his home after the devastating tornado. Christopher Gregory/The New York Times

ISTANBUL 06/01/2013 Demonstrators against the Turkish government’s plans to develop Gezi Park clashed with the police near the prime minister’s office. Daniel Etter/Redux

ISTANBUL 06/11/2013 Demonstrators took cover behind a barricade during clashes with riot police officers at Taksim Square. Angelos Tzortzinis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

MANHATTAN 07/15/2013 Having braved the long lines, visitors experienced Random International’s “Rain Room” at the Museum of Modern Art. Karsten Moran for The New York Times

NEAR GOGLAND ISLAND, RUSSIA 07/15/2013 President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia rode in the Sea Explorer 5 underwater research vessel to view the remains of a warship that sank in 1869 in the Baltic Sea. Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti Kremlin Press Service, via Associated Press

CAIRO 07/15/2013 Protesters threw stones at supporters of the ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi near Ramses bridge. Narciso Contreras for The New York Times

LONDON 07/23/2013 Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, emerged from St. Mary’s Hospital with their infant son. Jocelyn Bain Hogg/VII

ALLAHABAD, INDIA 08/06/2013 After a monsoon, a boy dangled from a power line before diving into an overflowing Ganges River. Sanjay Kanojia/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA 08/19/2013 The double-amputee track star Oscar Pistorius was indicted in South Africa in the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. European Pressphoto Agency

FORT MEADE, MD. 08/20/2013 Army Pfc. Bradley Manning headed to a hearing in the WikiLeaks case. He later was sentenced to 35 years in prison for espionage and changed his name to Chelsea. Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

GROVELAND, CALIF. 08/25/2013 Corey Adams of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife watched the Rim Fire as it burned outside Yosemite National Park. Noah Berger/European Pressphoto Agency

LONG BEACH, N.Y. 08/25/2013 Children played on the beach as the first summer vacation season after Hurricane Sandy was coming to an end. Karsten Moran for The New York Times

WASHINGTON 08/28/2013 President Obama greeted Yolanda Renee King, the only grandchild of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., after a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Doug Mills/The New York Times

ALEPPO, SYRIA 09/07/2013 Issa, 10, carried a mortar shell in a weapons factory of the Free Syrian Army. He works 60 hours a week with his father at the factory. Hamid Khatib/Reuters

NEAR GIGLIO ISLAND, ITALY 09/17/2013 The wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise liner was raised off the coast of the Tuscan island of Giglio, almost two years after it sank and killed 32 people. Andrea Sinibaldi/Lapresse, via Associated Press

IDLIB PROVINCE, SYRIA 09/17/2013 A Syrian rebel fighter rested in a cave. Russia claimed that it had new information tying rebel forces to nerve gas attacks on the capital. Narciso Contreras/Associated Press

NAIROBI, KENYA 09/21/2013 Plainclothes officers searched the Westgate mall for gunmen. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

THE BRONX 09/26/2013 Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees closer who had pitched on five of their World Series-winning teams, played his last game at Yankee Stadium. Barton Silverman/The New York Times

NEAR SIRACUSA, ITALY 10/02/2013 Syrian refugees aboard an Italian Coast Guard vessel after they were found floating adrift off the coast of Italy. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

LAKE KIVU, CONGO 10/05/2013 Aaron Kubuta, a military chaplain, prayed following a baptism ceremony for members of the Army of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pete Muller for The New York Times

LONDON 10/20/2013 Malala Yousafzai, 16, the Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by Taliban fighters, signed a copy of her memoir, “I Am Malala,” before an event at the Southbank Center. Olivia Harris/Reuters

BROOKLYN 10/30/2013 In Julie Taymor’s new production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn, Kathryn Hunter, as Puck, arrived from above the stage.

BROOKLYN 11/06/2013 Justin Timberlake performed at the Barclays Center. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

ADELANTO, CALIF. 11/15/2013 Immigrant detainees exercised at the Adelanto Detention Facility, which houses an average of 1,100 immigrants, who are in custody pending a decision in their cases or are awaiting deportation. John Moore/Getty Images

SAMAR ISLAND, THE PHILIPPINES 11/18/2013 A boy swung in front of Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Basey. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

KIEV, UKRAINE 12/03/2013 A man looked out at a street teeming with protesters demonstrating against the government near the Parliament building. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

BROOKLYN 12/05/2013 The 2013 graduating class of New York City firefighters, the most diverse in the city’s history, at the Christian Cultural Center. Todd Heisler/The New York Times

EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA 12/15/2013 Mnikelo Ndagankulu, draped in a South African flag, sat on a hill overlooking Nelson Mandela’s ancestral home and burial ground, Qunu. Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times

Mercedes-Benz USA puts the "demo" in demolition derby for this fun 60-second spot by Merkley + Partners touting the latest high-tech safety features of the automaker's M-Class vehicles. All hell breaks loose when a woman drives her shiny silver SUV into a crash-crazed competition of mangled metal and screaming steel. Smash! Bang! Screeeech! This particular carmageddon, pulse-pounding but also played for laughs, was impressively staged at an old California factory where the final confrontation in Terminator II: Judgement Day was shot.

Naturally, the M-Class emerges unscathed and its driver unharmed. Her ordeal was fiery and fierce, but notably less stressful than the wars waged for parking spaces at malls across America on any given Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!