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FOUL PLAY
Incumbent Grey has lodged a formal protest with the California State Lottery
claiming the $100 million media and creative account was unfairly won by DDB.

Ties That Bind
Venables, Bell Lands New Clients
Venables, Bell & Partners relied on client contacts to notch its latest new-business gains. The upstart San Francisco shop will create advertising for HBO Home Video and Bell Automotive Products. Paul Venables said his agency is “stoked” by the wins.

Two For The Money
Seeking ways to lure new business, Rubin Postaer and Associates has acquired two Orange County shops: Open Minds and The Ponzi Group. The shops, which are being merged into one agency called Open Minds, will operate as an RPA subsidiary.

Creative Quest
Following the departure of Alan Randolph, Grey in San Francisco has launched a nationwide search for a “killer talent” to become executive creative director. The new position encompasses recruitment as well as supervising traditional and interactive creative work.

Smell of Success
After sniffing around at least one New York agency, Elizabeth Arden has tapped Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to handle creative for the launch of a new fragrance. Contributing to the win was the fashion expertise of Goodby’s only all-female creative team.

The big picture
Appearing on 100-foot-high screens, National Geographic’s films will be promoted by Dailey & Associates. The Los Angeles shop was hired by distributor Destination Films.

Let The Game Begin
Britney will be there. So will E*Trade’s chimp, Led Zeppelin and the Coen brothers. We preview the Super Bowl advertising mix-and the sales picture-as it stands with two weeks to go. Barbara Lippert looks at the Jeep spot pulled by DaimlerChrysler after protests from hunters. Plus, Mark Dolliver’s Portfolio.