R/GA, AKQA locked in battle to defile Santa

R/GA and AKQA are undeniably rivals. R/GA set up shop in AKQA's backyard this year and promptly hired away Mauro Alencar Cavalletti to be its executive creative director. The two shops have traded Digital Agency of the Year honors from Adweek. Now, they're taking the rivalry to a new level: disparaging the image of Santa Claus. Last year, you'll remember, R/GA gave us "Tattoo Santa" and nightmares to boot. This year, AKQA New York comes back with what I call "Degenerate Santa." (AKQA claims it's a "psychotic elf," but I'm not buying that.) Check out the video yourself. It's an AKQA coder in a Santa costume with leotards, gyrating, playing guitar, humping the ground and barfing in a trash can. Bonus: You can remix the footage yourself to make your own Degenerate Santa video. Oh my. It's a far cry from the holiday microwaves from AKQA London.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

December 16, 2008 in AKQA, Holidays, Morrissey, R/GA | Permalink