-An update from today's Chrysler telethon: the Dodge Viper will die again and be replaced by an all-new sports car in 2012 using Fiat parts for internal organs. link

-Chrysler update #2: The company promises better quality at launch, adds 200 engineers. link

-180 LA promoted Amir Farhang to creative director of digital and innovation. link

-Kolle Rebbe in Hamburg unveiled the frisky ad above for KY. link

-Charges have been dropped in NYC against the G20 "Twitterists". link

-Microsoft cuts 800 more jobs. link

-AOL ad revenue continues to slide. link

-Seniors yell "Don't Cut Medicare!" at Congress in a national TV ad. link

-Dr. Mehmet Oz will be accepting an Honorary CLIO at the CLIO Healthcare Awards on November 13th. link

-Vaseline, ESPN and BBH want men to love lotion, too. link

-TechCrunch bans Microsoft PR "forever" for blowing an embargo about the MSN.com redesign. link

More: "Tuesday Odds and Ends"

Today we're hearing that the agency is abuzz with the latest high-level departure, this time from the strategy side. Director of Digital Strategy Jeremiah Knight is apparently heading to Team One, though neither TBWA nor Team One were immediately available for comment.

Departures are becoming so common "its practically a punch line" says a person familiar with the matter. At a time when the agency is trying to show off its digital savvy, losing Knight is a big loss. He's known around the shop as "the cleaner", which means Team One is getting someone who can ease client woes.

It's another big loss for TBWA. Knight began as an account supervisor, working his way up through direct and interactive marketing before the directorial strategy position. Other losses include interactive CD Jason Nichols, Al Kelly and Hashem Bajwa, among others.

More: "Lee Clow's 'Not Going Anywhere'"

The folks at Citizens Financial Group announced that they've shortlisted five agencies out of 15 that were participating in the review and as we guessed based on the tips we've been receiving, Arnold is nowhere to be found.

While the agency was supposedly planning to defend the Citizens ad business--which it handled since 2001--only three weeks ago, the client's press release states that Arnold withdrew last week. If our calculations are correct, Citizens marks the fourth large client Arnold's lost in the last year, joining Choice Hotels, GlaxoSmithKline and Radio Shack.

In a statement regarding Citizens, though, Arnold Worldwide CEO Fran Kelly says:

"Citizens has been an important client at our agency for almost a decade. We are extremely proud of the work we have created together and the results we have been able to generate. We wish them nothing but the best. When the review was announced, it became clear to us that there were other options for Arnold. So the time seemed right to focus on our future, and allow Citizens to focus on finding the right new partner. We look forward to servicing them well through the transition period."

The final five instead that have been notified by CFG are Draftfcb, Grey, Mullen, Ogilvy and Y&R. The review is expected to be completed in December.

More: "You Be The Judge: Arnold's Progressive Spots"

Yesterday, it was announced that Kellogg's realigned their advertising work in Europe and Latin America, handing the assignments to Leo Burnett. The client had been with JWT for 71 years, but apparently wanted "to drive greater international consistency on their global brands" according to a memo sent to JWT staff. Speaking for the agency, CEO Bob Jeffrey emailed staff yesterday to explain what "JWT" feels about the situation. Short form: "JWT" doesn't feel good, one bit. Who wouldn't, after 71 years?

"Kellogg's have restructured their own marketing function to drive a greater degree of control from the center and felt a similar structure was necessary on the agency side," wrote Jeffrey, calling the news "disheartening". "While we understand the ambition, we are not happy and strongly disagree with their decision to move away from the agency..."

His letter went on to note the success of the Special K brand under JWT's watch, mentioned that "Kellogg's stressed that this has nothing to do with the performance of our teams, who have worked with great passion and success on the business."

Though the agency still controls the Asia Pacific business, it is not clear whether that will move as well. Today and tomorrow, the agency's top brass will discuss the implications of the loss.

"We would like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly on Kellogg's over the years," Jeffrey concluded. "You've done an amazing job. This loss clearly is not about lack of performance, talent or passion."

More: "JWT Singapore at the Center of Cannes Scam Ad Snafu"

IQ Interactive is an Atlanta based agency known for building flash and microsites. That should help explain, in part, why the 55ish person shop let go of 8-10 employees yesterday — according to a source.

The agency serves clients like UPS and New York Life. Yesterday's layoffs were attributed to a "restructuring", we're told. The last time you heard about this shop, it was in Russian.

More: "Ad Agency Layoffs: The Twitter Feed"

The douche bag is a man of great prowess, if only in his own mind, and over the last few years he has been maligned by his peers for just being himself. Well, no longer. You see, a 'douche bag' is actually a cleansing device, and that's how douche bags everywhere (ourselves included) want you to think of them. Us. Like mints.

Because at the end of the day aren't we all coke-snorting, pink-shirt-wearing, breast-grabbing jerk offs? No, no we aren't, but some of us are. And we must stick together. So, before you click play make sure to pop your collar a little higher and stick your chest out a bit further. But seriously, that coke habit could be bad long term.

Via Youtube

More: "Lonely Girl 15's Rebirth Brought to You in Part by: Douchebags"

"My name is Ram, and my tank is full" spouts the semi-old-mannish voice over leading in to the newest TV spot for Dodge brand Ram, the automaker's truck line. Click here to see the spot.

Also, the presentation seems to have included an image belonging to Jalopnik. Oops! Here's the original.

More: "Chrysler So Far: Jeep to Expand Globally"

Though Guy Ritchie's take on Sherlock Holmes won't hit theaters til Christmas, AKQA and Warner Bros. are whetting appetites with a game specifically tailored for Facebook users.

If you have Microsoft Silverlight, Facebook Connect and an updated version of Flash ready to go, you can get the ball rolling at 221B.sh, the number signifying the address of Holmes' fictional London abode. After grabbing a friend and choosing who takes on the roles of Holmes and Watson, you're ready to play the game, which requires you to collect and read evidence, chase suspects, and observe and interview characters through eight different chapters.

Footage from the actual film is spliced into the experience, which is probably best enjoyed on full-screen and is probably the closest you'll ever get to feigning Victorian outside of a goth club.

Via Adverblog

More: "DraftFCB Toronto Appeals to Youths with Drug-Fueled Eyeball"

McCann Erickson New York has picked up a new Group Creative Director in R. Vann Graves, who began as an intern at BBDO and rose up through the ranks before becoming CCO of UniWorld Group, then an intern at BBDO (hunh?), before dropping out of the business shortly following the 9/11 attacks to fight in Iraq.

Graves enlisted in the Army, was nominated to receive the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. The former Lieutenant was awarded the Combat Action Badge for outstanding efforts while being actively engaged by anti-U.S. forces, inducted into the Order of the Spur, and received a Purple Heart. Damn. Don't f*ck with this GCD.

He's won some awards over the years, too, so before you go ripping this guy to shreds, remember that he can probably do the same. But with his bare hands. OK who knows if that's true, but this time I'm glad I'm not an account exec. at McCann New York.

More "Curt Detweiler to EVP/ECD at McCann North America"

Meanwhile, Detroit starves.

Via Twitter

More: 'WPP: Q3 'Less Worse' Than Q2'

Mashable's obtained this new live-action Droid spot in which stealth aircrafts drop mysterious capsules onto an unsuspecting rural populace. It's like the opening to an X-Files episode--minus Mulder & Scully's witty banter--that signifies the Droid drop date (get it?) of 11-6-09. Are those pro-Apple spoof guys up for a new challenge?

More: "Verizon Happily Mocks iPhone in Droid Teaser"

According to Alexander Wipf, Head of Strategy at Leo Burnett Frankfurt, when you write 'is strategy the new creative?' in a headline it attracts attention and sparks conversation. So we gave it a try. How's it working so far?

The strategist is responding to PSFK/Redscout's SPUR, a 5-part video series we introduced yesterday via an interview with Redscout managing director Alain Slyvain, who is spearheading the series with PSFK.

"But what does this really mean," asks Wipf. "I believe a headline like this is a great eyecatcher. But really, it is written that way to make you look. Strategy is not the new creative. It's simply that the definition of strategy and creative and how both have to work together has changed."

Well, that's still unclear. It seems like no one, not even a strategy leader at one of the world's most widely recognized agencies, Leo Burnett. But, if one thing is certain for Wipf, it's that strategy is key to maximizing the creative effect.

"In a communications landscape where marketers have begun understanding that people aren't interested in your messages obviously the old form of creative product, i.e. the delivery of ads, is losing importance," he writes. "Or, at a minimum, ads need to be complemented with different creative products that provide context-relevant experiences, content and participatory elements alongside before they can be effective again."

We can't adequately piece together Wipf's article, so we recommend you take a look at it in full, here.

Image

More: "Account Planning Breakdown with Redscout's Alain Sylvain"