Hasta La Creative!

So, Google CEO Eric Schmidt has been teaching Publicis Groupe chief Maurice Lévy how to Google himself. And it’s been going on for a year! (The fourth link down: “Publicis CEO Maurice Levy Inserts Foot in Mouth.” Ouch.) That’s my take on the “news” announcement about “informal meetings” concerning “ongoing collaboration” between the two companies. The Wall Street Journal, maintaining its even keel despite Murdoch’s ownership, was underwhelmed: “The announcement of a relationship … is at least symbolically important.” Apparently, there were some “joint sales calls” by the firms (carpool?) and a “program to begin loaning employees to each other,” which if nothing else should help keep layoffs to a minimum once the recession gets rolling. Publicis’s release did generate 45 Google News hits, probably 44 more than the company got the previous day, so I guess the collaboration is a success. Maybe Havas should team up with Twitter so the world can keep tabs on what Bolloré and Sarkozy are up to on that yacht.

—Posted by David Gianatasio