"Not sucking is something that we're really trying to live up to," continues Pawych. "There's so much shit in the advertising world today; a lot of people claiming that their work doesn't suck but never living up to the promise."

The proof's in the pudding as they say, with the recent "Pull My Finger" spot for Beer.com being a case in point. After the success of Downtown's work for Budweiser and Bud Light, including last year's successful "This Calls For A Bud Light" campaign, featuring such inventive solutions to escaping responsibility as Viking delivery, Labatt gave the division an opportunity to wander down its own creative alley to produce what turned out to be a memorable spot for Beer.com. "Pull My Finger" works as a spoof on globally rampant dotcom advertising. As allegorical visuals unveil workers utilizing technology to lay bridges across cultures within a media-savvy universe, a voice-over announces the euphoric possibilities of a new media world. Suddenly, gratuitous pictures of scantily clad women emerge, gyrating around technology workers on a high-tech assembly line brewing up to a final shot of the beloved finger-pulling exercise. The deliciously twisted spot aired for only three weeks but gave beer.com a sevenfold upturn in site hits. Most recently, Downtown created a spot for new Anheuser-Busch beverage "Doc" Otis. The spot launches the yellow drink with an atmospheric dance club scene shot in the nether reaches of Toronto castle, Casa Loma.

Stepping back to take in the full picture, Palmer Jarvis was formed by Frank Palmer back in the flower-power days of '69 to become one of Canada's most respected brand-retail agencies. More recently in '98, New York-based DDB Worldwide entered the scene and merged with Palmer Jarvis to form PJ DDB.

"DDB is one of the more venerable ad agencies worldwide," says Neil McOstrich, creative director at the Toronto office. "When the two companies came together it struck me as an opportunity to merge the creative energy of PJ with that of DDB. The union really brought a sense of great brand building and respect for creativity running through the agency."

Today clients include Telus Communications Inc., Lever Pond's, Labatt Brewing Company, Imperial Oil Ltd., Purolator Courier Ltd. and the Ontario Lottery Corporation.

Yet times were not always so sweet, especially when national creative director Chris Staples departed from the Vancouver-based PJ DDB in 1999, leaving a bitter taste in many a creative mouth. Considered a catalyst in the agency's metamorphosis into one of Canada's leading creative agencies, Staples stepped aside to open Rethink Communications. "When Chris left, it was a very Vancouver-centric time," concedes McOstrich. "Now we're more of a national company with strong offices in every city. Of course there's a lag effect when someone of importance leaves, but why drag your feet; you move on."

Randy Stein has since replaced Staples, and the creative director is positive about future endeavors within PJ DDB. "We continue to be successful and keep finding fresh, inventive ways to find stories," says Stein. "Plus PJ DDB Downtown has done some wonderful work for Budweiser and Bud Light. Neil [McOstrich] is a great guy and Dan [Pawych] is great to work with. We all feel like a really strong team who find new and inventive ways to get the message across."

With more and more clients requesting that their messages be delivered across different points of contact in a media-rich world, PJ DDB recently unveiled its innovative new Brand Management Group (BMG). The premise of the group is to recognize its clients' needs for integrated brand marketing and build a recognized identity as a one-source communications agency for its clients.

"It's a more holistic approach to satisfy the client," explains Stein on BMG. "We look at the entire business of the brand. Essentially, instead of having a bunch of different touch points for the client, we have one group of senior individuals who oversee all of the work on that brand."

"I'm in an environment with high creative standards so you see a lot less crap," answers McOstrich when asked about the agency's success rate. He offers his thoughts on the future:

"We have to be responsive to a client's needs, continue to do very good work with the clients that we have and stimulate our people by bringing in new assignments to keep the company healthy and buoyant. Yet however much we spread, we will continue to vigorously pursue the Canadian market because we pride ourselves on possessing a certain quotient of Canadian business -- that's the nature of who we are."