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Digital

Brands on Facebook: Advertising Is Optional

One in five clicks in the U.S. happens on Facebook, and most brands maintain a presence there and carefully cultivate their fan base. But do they need to advertise as well?

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

USA Fills Pipeline With Comedies and Reality Shows

USA Network wants to diversify a slate currently dominated by "blue-skies" dramas such as "Royal Pains," the series about a doctor in the Hamptons.

MediaWorks

Why Low Ratings Won't Stop AMC From Showing Every Episode of 'The Pitch'

Poor viewership has sparked coverage calling the show a "disaster" perhaps headed for a "premature end." But don't expect AMC to pull it early.

blogs \ DigitalNext

GM Doesn't Have a Facebook Problem, It Has a Brand Loyalty Problem

Rather than focus on selling cars on Facebook, the brand should have looked at how to connect with its best advocates to influence purchase behavior across the social graph.

Digital \ The Viral Video Chart

Olympics Campaigns Go Big on the Viral Video Chart

The summer Olympics have hit the Viral Video Chart in a big way this week, in videos from some of the largest global marketers, according to data provided by Visible Measures.

CMO Strategy

Starbucks Promotes Young-Scrivner to President of Canada

Starbucks upped Global CMO Annie Young-Scrivner to president of Canada, its second-largest market after the U.S.

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

CW to Bid Farewell to 'Gossip Girl' After Prime-Time Shake Up

blogs \ DigitalNext

How Walmart Is Localizing Its Stores With Facebook

Agency News

Lee Doyle Joins Mindshare, Stays in Group M Family

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

Watch Trailers for All Four New Fall Series on CBS

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

TNT Fields Its Biggest Original Lineup Yet

News \ Creativity Pick of the Day

Your Charity Will Determine What Film You Watch, in 3-D Cinema Campaign for Pedigree

News

Ice Cube on Coors Light, Burger King and Gay Marriage

columns \ Small Agency Diary

The Big Problem With 'The Pitch': It Portrays an Outdated Business Model

News \ People & Players

People on the Move: Gill Duff Named President-CEO of BBDO, Atlanta

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

See Previews for Eight New NBC Shows, From 'Revolution' to 'Guys With Kids'

From Around the Web

Chicagobusiness

Ricketts' anti-Obama campaign could cripple Wrigley plan - Blogs On Politics - Crain's Chicago Business

Did the Ricketts family just knee-cap its own plan to rebuild Wrigley Field with a healthy dose of Chicago taxpayer cash?

Picked by Ken Wheaton

AllThingsD

Japan's Rakuten Wins the Heart of Pinterest in $100M Funding Round

The largest e-commerce site in Japan about to get pinned by Ben Silbermann in massive funding round.

Picked by Michael Learmonth

USA Today

Study: 96% of restaurant entrees exceed USDA limits

"If you're eating out tonight, your chances of finding an entree that's truly healthy are painfully low," says Helen Wu, who did the study.

Picked by Judann Pollack

WSJ.com

Apple Fires Back in Lawsuit over Siri Ads

Apple Inc. is defending its voice-recognition software Siri -- she of the iPhone 4S -- against claims that it doesn't perform as advertised.

Picked by Kunur Patel

NPR

Pizza Delicious Bought An Ad On Facebook. How'd It Do?

What happened when two guys who sell pizza out of a window in New Orleans decided to buy a Facebook ad -- and what it says about the state of social-media advertising.

Picked by Natalie Zmuda

Search Engine Land

Google Launches Knowledge Graph To Provide Answers, Not Just Links

Hinted at for months, Google formally launched its "Knowledge Graph" today. The new technology is being used to provide popular facts about people, places

Picked by Kunur Patel

TechCrunch

Want To Reach Light TV Viewers? Put Ads On YouTube, Says YouTube

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The children are our future.

Picked by Nat Ives

U.S. News

Nordstrom in Fashion with Social Media, Mobile Tech

Nordstrom taps social media and mobile tech to meet customers where they are.

Picked by Natalie Zmuda

Consumerist

Chiropractor Who Gave Skechers Such A Great Quote Is Also Married To A Skechers Staffer

Among the many pieces of evidence in the FTC's $40 million settlement with Skechers over deceptive advertising for toning sneakers is one claim about a supposed "independent" clinical study.

Picked by Natalie Zmuda

Reuters

Vatican, Benetton settle dispute over pope kiss ad

Italian fashion firm Benetton has agreed to make a donation to a Catholic charity to end a legal dispute with the Vatican over an advertisement that showed Pope Benedict kissing an imam.

Picked by Natalie Zmuda

More From Ad Age

News

Skechers Pays $40 Million to Settle Toning Claims

David Vladeck, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the settlement is probably the largest to date in terms of cash paid to consumers.

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

Turner Takes Stake in Funny or Die, Will Manage Site's Ad Sales

Funny or Die CEO Dick Glover said the site has done well but still doesn't have big enough reach.

MediaWorks

How (and When) to Measure ROI in Real Time

Whatever you're looking for when you track return on investment, the results can come faster than ever, Zenith Optimedia North America CEO Tim Jones says in this week's Q&A with a media leader.

Agency News

'Working Not Working,' a New Way to Discover (and Hire) Freelance Creatives

A new site is trying to take the guesswork out of freelancing -- for both independent professionals and the agencies that hire them.

Agency News

University of Phoenix Chooses Arnold As Lead Creative Shop After Review

It's the third new piece of business in a matter of weeks for the Havas agency.

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

CBS Shifts 'Two and a Half Men' to Thursday

CBS plans just one new comedy and three new dramas for the fall schedule, fewer than any of its rivals, and it's moving "Men" to Thursdays.

blogs \ DigitalNext

Why Facebook Isn't Screwed When It Comes to Auto Marketing

The real questions we should be asking ourselves, before we blame Facebook for GM's marketing effectiveness, are were they doing it right and were they measuring it right?

columns \ Small Agency Diary

When Big Ideas Come from Small Companies

The freshest marketing ideas don't always come from big-budget marketing departments. They come from entrepreneurs who use their ingenuity to stand out.

CMO Strategy

Delete Creativity? That's Bad for Business

Besting the competition is the endgame of most marketing, and one of the most enduring and reliable ways of so doing is a creative idea.

blogs \ DigitalNext

Social Sharing Data Vampires: They Vant to Suck Your Data

Special Report: Best Places to Work 2012

Allen & Gerritsen Tops Ad Age's Best Places to Work List

What's better than topping Ad Age's Best Places to Work list? Easy: topping it two years in a row.

Full Article

Mr Youth Is No. 2 on Ad Age's Best Places to Work List

This is Mr Youth's second year on Ad Age's Best Places to Work list, and a culture where people are close to the work has contributed to that accomplishment.

Full Article

Tris3ct Is No. 3 on Ad Age's Best Places to Work List

Independent Tris3ct has been growing more than 50% for three consecutive years, not only in headcount but also in new business.

Full Article

Big Spaceship Is No. 4 on Ad Age's Best Places to Work List

The staff enjoys revenue sharing for revenue-generating intellectual property, as well as outings to local bars and sporting events.

Full Article

Eric Mower & Associates Is No. 5 on Ad Age's Best Places to Work List

Collaboration is everything at Syracuse, N.Y.-based Eric Mower & Associates. It can be seen throughout the agency's infrastructure, employee orientation and strategic approach.

Full Article

Red Door Interactive Is No. 6 on Ad Age's Best Places to Work List

In a loft with views of downtown San Diego, the Padres' ballpark and the bay, employees at Red Door Interactive operate under tenets like "share," "exceed" and "100% jerk-free."

Full Article

Read More Special Report: Best Places to Work 2012
Special Report: Agency A-List

Agency of the Year McGarryBowen Proves Solid and Reliable Beat Fast and Furious

McGarryBowen is turning heads for solidly proficient work appreciated by its clients and a new-business record envied by nearly everyone in the industry. And with a staggering 60% growth in revenue in 2011 it's a clear pick for Ad Age's Agency of the Year.

Full Article

Droga5 Is No. 2 on Ad Age's Agency A-List

The 5-year-old agency, with 120 employees and two offices, is sweeping awards shows and nabbing clients ranging from Amstel to Prudential with its avant-garde thinking.

Full Article

BBDO Is No. 3 on Ad Age's Agency A-List

In 2011, BBDO won every global pitch it participated in and about two-thirds of its U.S. pitches. Revenue is up 15%, while globally, revenue has increased 18% to an estimated $2.4 billion.

Full Article

Razorfish Is No. 4 on the Ad Age Agency A-List

Digital-agency acquisitions rarely result in the kind of success this shop has had since landing at Publicis Group in 2009.

Full Article

72andSunny Is No. 5 on the Ad Age Agency A-List

72andSunny's approach is far more democratic than that of most agencies, and an understanding prevails that a great idea can come from anywhere, not just the creative department.

Full Article

Alma Is No. 6 on Ad Age's Agency A-List

That knack for matching Hispanics' passion points with online efforts helped Alma's digital revenue soar 300% last year. Overall, revenue grew 10%. Last year alone, the agency succeeded at bringing home 10 new accounts.

Full Article

Read More Special Report: Agency A-List
CMO Strategy

Hats Off to These 10 Forward-Thinking Clients

Here's a ranking of 10 forward-thinking executives, and some takeaways that may help you become a better client. And we included five to watch for the near future.

Full Article

Respect, Trust Key to Healthy Ad Relationship

Agency-client relationships are like a marriage. They can start to wear during the months and years ahead as the difficulties of daily life set in, but how you manage those things is what matters.

Full Article

Bacardi CMO Shares Agency Advice From Simon Clift

Bacardi Global Chief Marketing Officer Silvia Lagnado invited former Unilever CMO Simon Clift to talk to her team. Mr. Clift shared his major points with Ad Age. A few are listed here, along with observations from Ms. Lagnado.

Full Article

The Secret Behind the Long Union of Allstate, Burnett

How have Allstate and Burnett maintained their long partnership? To get some insights, Ad Age sat in on a late-December meeting and interviewed key members of the Burnett-Allstate team. Here is what we found.

Full Article

How to Be a Better Agency Client

Major marketers talk about their resolutions for making the most of their company-ad agency relationships

Full Article

Marketer Resolutions: PepsiCo's Jakeman Will Be Busy, Fit and Talkative

PepsiCo's Brad Jakeman has three tips for making your brand messaging creative and effective.

Full Article

Read More CMO Strategy
Special Report: Hottest Global Brands

William and Kate: Elevating the Royal Brand

William and Kate quietly leading the modernization of the British monarchy, a brand that has been reinventing itself since the first William sat on the throne in 1066.

Full Article

Majolica Majorca Sets Out to Prove Every Woman Can Be a Princess

Even the name of Shiseido's cosmetics brand aimed at young women is supposed to evoke a fairy spell.

Full Article

After Decades of Effort, Jagermeister Lands on Top 10 List of Premium Spirits

Jagermeister is No. 8 on Impact Databank's Top 100 Premium Spirits List this year, just behind megabrands such as Smirnoff, Bacardi, Absolut and Johnnie Walker, and ahead of better-known products such as Bailey's, Gordon's and Jim Beam.

Full Article

Racy Approach Brings Axe Full Control Sweet Victory in Latin America

Thanks to a 'Premature Perspiration' campaign out of Ponce, Buenos Aires, sales of Axe antiperspirants rose by 11.7% in Argentina, a striking performance for a brand that is already a market leader.

Full Article

Moshi Monsters Enter Real World to Become Global Marketing Marvel

The online social-gaming network that aspires to be a Facebook for kids, already has more than 50 million players around the world and one signing up every second, but it's just getting started.

Full Article

Rock in Rio Connects Music Lovers and Advertisers

This year's weeklong music festival, in late September, drew 700,000 people-55% of them from outside Rio-and a horde of marketers. The eclectic mix of headliners included Shakira, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Coldplay and Metallica,and Brazilian stars such as Milton Nascimento.

Full Article

Read More Special Report: Hottest Global Brands
Special Report: Marketer A-List

Marketer of the Year: Coca-Cola

It's a marketing model not just for mega multinationals looking to share best practices from around the world but also a case study for how upstart and mid-size brands, of which Coca-Cola has amassed many, can use creative stunts and strategic partnerships to get a lot done on a smaller budget.

Full Article

For Amazon, a Focus on the New Helps Push Sales of the Old

Like Walmart, Amazon.com sells food, clothing, media and electronics -- the old-school foundation of modern retailing. But Amazon keeps reinventing its business by coming up with new lines to sell, some of them tangible, some of them the stuff of imagination not too long ago.

Full Article

Kardashians Prove Family That Enterprises Together Stays Together

Out of a sex tape flourishes a brand that becomes the linchpin for three TV shows, a clothing boutique, books and a wedding whose rights sold for $17.9 million.

Full Article

Crown Deserves a Toast for Big Sales in Bad Times

In a year where big brewers continued to lose ground, Crown Imports stands out for one simple reason -- it is actually growing sales, overcoming a tough economy with aggressive advertising on Corona and new investments in surging smaller brands.

Full Article

With a Fearless and Willing to Fail Attitude, Diamond Foods Emerges as Powerhouse

Scrappy little snackmaker wins Big -- and aims to get bigger by scooping up Pringles.

Full Article

Humans, Not Tech, Define a PC-Free IBM

IBM's path to marketing success began strangely enough with a retreat from the very thing most consumers knew it for best -- the personal computer. Since the 2004 decision to divest the business to China's Lenovo and focus on business services and analytics, the IBM brand has never been stronger.

Full Article

Read More Special Report: Marketer A-List