Hasta La Creative!

LONDON – B&Q, the DIY retailer, has handed its £40 million advertising account to McCann Erickson.

The term "free media" (or free advertising) is more and more being used as a synonym for social media. And some people seem to think it will render ad agencies (on the content side) and media-planning/buying agencies obsolete.

LONDON – Future, the special interest publisher, is overhauling Jetix Magazine and renaming the kids’ offering as Nitro!, with a broader remit to include all major children’s TV content while retaining its focus on five to 13-year-old boys.

It's day two for actor David Arquette, who's staying in a box atop New York's Madison Square Garden Marquee to raise money for Feeding America. Mr. Arquette is spending July 14-15 in the box as part of Snickers' new "Bar Hunger" campaign to raise awareness of hunger in America.

LONDON – BBH Singapore has created the iSaw, a USB powered chainsaw, in a bid to encourage people save paper by printing less.

Fayetteville, N.C., wants to support the troops. It really wants to support them. But its enthusiasm, as portrayed in a couple of spots from ad agency The Republik, Durham, N.C., has some folks up in arms.

The 3 min advert promotes Bang Goes the Theory, the new science show on BBC One that starts later this month. The live advert uses experiments and explosions acting as a teaser for what is to come in the series. Advertiser: BBC

ShortList’s new women’s weekly Stylist, the search for a senior role at IPC and account and people moves at the big media agencies are up for discussion with Media Week’s Steve Barrett, John Reynolds and Arif Durrani in the Media Week podcast.

If you’re anything like me, you love YouTube. Maybe “love” isn’t a strong enough word. Alright, I admit it. I’m obsessed with YouTube – I could watch it all day long. Why? Aside from the astounding variety of content, I’m fascinated with the originality of the material – especially as it pertains to advertising.

My latest obsession is a relatively new spot from Cadbury, which is divinely awesome because of its sheer weirdness. A glass and a half full of joy, indeed. This spot makes absolutely no mention of the product, but I love it anyway and if loving the spot is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

I’m also intrigued by the “Live Young” campaign from Evian. This spot features onesie-clad babies grooving on skates and doing rail slides to “Rapper’s Delight.” Alright, Evian, I get the hint – drinking your product makes you feel young – but I still think those babies are kind of creepy.

So, what’s the deal? Are spots focused on the Internet being made purely for the creative joy of it? Are we trying to capture the imagination (and eventual cash flow) of the beaten-down consumer? Or have “the rules” completely gone out the window?

Sara Barton is a copywriter, social media strategist, and avid blogger who is in search of her next opportunity. Contact her via Twitter, LinkedIn, or her blog.

LONDON – Twitter users watching online video via the microblogging site keep their eyes glued to their computer screen for longer than those using Facebook or Digg, says TubeMogul.