Diary: Stories we could tell... Splash on how to win morons, er clients

Savvily pointing out that "most clients are morons", the ad by the marketing communications arm of Asiacity Publishing Group goes on to remark that agencies are also morons, memorably observing that agencies want "to win some hokey award with some hokey, puerile ad..."

Inevitably, the solution to this apparent surfeit of morons is to get in touch with Splash, the agency that is the offspring of Little Red Hen and Spark, following their merger over a year ago. Unsatisfied with having a general go at the industry, Splash also takes specific aim, and says: "And although we didn't take on the name of a root vegetable, fruit or alcholic drink, we're creative too." Neither Lemon nor Tequila could be contacted for comment.

While the ad has rubbed some in Hong Kong the wrong way - one rival agency commented that, "we found it very funny that they were insulting just about everyone under the sun and actually have two spelling errors in their ad" - Splash regional director Greg Crandall is less than perturbed.

"I've gotten a lot of comments from people who were quite shocked," admits Crandall. "But the response is quite positive, even some industry peers have agreed."

As Crandall points out, the ad is "meant out of fun", and who are we at Diary to disagree, particularly as we have long held that agencies need to promote themselves. Which brings us neatly to our next example, a CD of TBWA's 'Greatest Hits Vol. 1'. Sporting song titles such as 'Foxy Ladies' and 'Stairmaster to heaven', Diary could be forgiven for entertaining visions of regional president Keith Smith dressed in spandex and wildly wielding an electric guitar. Unfortunately our hopes were dashed when we found that the CD was, in fact, a compilation of some of TBWAs best work of the last year. Still - those visions just won't go away.