Marketing 2007, meet Denver 2001

Ad Age tells us how a viral spot ruled Cannes:

The film winner at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival was Dove's "Evolution" from Ogilvy, Toronto, a 60-plus-second spot that barely qualified for the category. Famous for going viral on the web and garnering more impressions than a Super Bowl ad, it made the cut because someone at one point had the foresight to run it once on TV.

Meanwhile Fast Company reports on Martin's modernization:

The story of how the Martin Agency got its mojo back is not one of some transformational epiphany or monumental business decision. It is a tale of adaptive success, the power of chipping away at a problem until a razor-sharp idea emerges. It's about letting go of industry habit and doing what works now.

And the New Denver Ad Club's 2007 show has been completely restructured to allow judges to rate ideas virtually, without regard to media. (That's right, Ad Age, we're actually doing it.)

Is this some sort of epic change? I don't know. It's how agencies in Denver have been thinking for years. We've always done guerrilla because our clients have never had the budgets to shoot six-figure spots. We've always been media neutral because in Denver a team doesn't get to concept spots and microsites unless it's willing to work on tradeshow booths and direct mail, too.

Denver has the chance to put itself on the map. Partially because of Crispin. And partially because we're good at what the world wants now.