Wall Street Journal: The advertising agencies born of the “Mad Men” era have always put a premium on recruiting top creative talent. These days, the task is getting tougher as hiring competition intensifies with companies outside the agency world. Silicon Valley’s juggernauts and new media startups like BuzzFeed are courting young people with similar skill sets, offering more creative freedom, flexible schedules and often more money. “We are no longer competing just with other advertising agencies like Crispin Porter and BBDO, but now it’s also Facebook, Google, Vice, Maker Studios and other content players,” said Bob Jeffrey, non-executive chairman of ad agency J. Walter Thompson. The competition, he said, has stepped up over the past year and is growing.