Advertising Agency & Marketing Industry News

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blogs \ DigitalNext

EU Cookie Law Could Be the Death of Digital

The law, as it stands, does not consider its impact on the industry. Forcing these requirements on marketers lead to huge erosion in the quality of web experiences for consumers -- the very constituents it hopes to protect.

The Cable Show

Netflix: OK, Maybe We're Cannibalizing Something

"We have billions of hours of viewing, so we are going to take away from something," Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said on a panel with cable executives.

See the Spots

John Malkovich Gets Philosophical in Apple's Latest Siri-Starring Ads

After enlisting Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson, Apple continues its celebrity ad series with a new pair of iPhone spots starring John Malkovich.

Agency News

Omnicom Group's DDB Acquires London Hotshop Adam & Eve

The management team of Adam & Eve/DDB will comprise the Adam & Eve partners and members of DDB U.K. management. It will be led by James Murphy, who has been named CEO of the newly combined shop.

News \ People & Players

People on the Move: Jack Bamberger to Head Digital for MEC North America

Also on the Move: Annette King, Adam Mirabella, Steve Marino, Shonali Burke, Mark Stewart, Scott Parker and Qian Qian.

MediaWorks

Cable Execs Root for TV Everywhere, But No Timeline on Mass Adoption

News \ Creativity Pick of the Day

A Therapy Session Takes a Fashionable Turn in Roman Polanski's Prada Short

Digital

Facebook IPO Scrutiny Grows as Morgan Stanley Defends Role

blogs \ DigitalNext

The Summer Road Trip Went Digital. What's Your Strategy?

CMO Strategy

Google Names New Motorola CMO as Deal Closes

columns \ Small Agency Diary

JC Penney's Mistake? Assuming the Consumer Is Rational

News

VW's Lamborghini Issues RFP for PR Support

MediaWorks

Huffington Post Plans to Add an Oprah Winfrey Section

See the Chart

A Snapshot of the Exploding Social-TV Ecosystem

Q&A

Global Branding and Media Planning, Market by Market

From Around the Web

Gawker

How Tom Cruise's Couch-Jumping Changed Stardom Forever

"Tom Cruise like I've never seen him!" is how Oprah Winfrey described it on May 23, 2005, at the top of an episode of her show that would go on to become its most memorable: the one with the couch jumping.

Picked by Nat Ives

Smithsonian magazine

How the Chicken Conquered the World

The epic begins 10,000 years ago in an Asian jungle and ends today in kitchens all over the world

Picked by Ken Wheaton

TwinCities.com

General Mills to eliminate about 850 jobs

Food maker General Mills Inc. said Tuesday it will cut about 850 jobs as part of a plan to lower costs and boost efficiency.

Picked by Natalie Zmuda

Brand Republic

Omnicom Completes £60M Adam & Eve Acquisition

Omnicom has announced it is acquiring London's Adam & Eve in a deal estimated to be worth around £60 million. A&E will now be merged into DDB London.

Picked by Kunur Patel

Media Decoder Blog

Falling Interest in 'Idol' as It Prepares to Crown Winner

Tuesday's rating was the lowest ever for a final performance show among 18- to 49-year-olds, down 34% from the same night last year.

Picked by Nat Ives

NYTimes

Judge Rules Pom Wonderful's Advertising Is Misleading

The health claims of Pom Wonderful were unsubstantiated, a judge ruled.

Picked by Kunur Patel

Reuters

Facebook, banks sued over pre-IPO analyst calls

Facebook and banks including Morgan Stanley are being sued by the social networking leader's shareholders, who claim the defendants hid Facebook's weakened growth forecasts ahead of its IPO.

Picked by Natalie Zmuda

Retailingtoday

Target to offer guest more rewards via new Shopkick partnership

Target will reward its guests for using the app via their smart phones.

Picked by Natalie Zmuda

Thewrap

Barry Diller's Aereo Wins Partial Dismissal of Broadcasters' Suit

But digital TV company still has to answer a copyright claim.

Picked by Nat Ives

New York Times

A Prized Logo Is Returned to Ford

The company's blue oval and other assets pledged as collateral for a $23.5 billion loan package were formally returned after a ratings upgrade on Tuesday.

Picked by Abbey Klaassen

More From Ad Age

Digital

Oracle Buys Social-Media Marketing Startup Vitrue

Oracle snapped up Atlanta-based social-media-management company Vitrue for a reported $300 million as consolidation in the space picks up.

MediaWorks

Campaign Centered on Stanley Cup Lures Casual Fans, Lifts NHL Ratings

A social-media push and a comprehensive ad campaign around the Stanley Cup "all geared to help lure the casual fan" has helped the NHL forge record TV ratings through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

MediaWorks \ Special Report: TV Upfront

TBS Promoting Facebook Ads as Part of Upfront Package

Facebook is announcing an arrangement with TBS in which the network will bundle Facebook ads together with its own TV and digital inventory to sell as a single package to promote branded content.

Digital

Brands Flock to 'Instagram for Video' Apps

Apps like SocialCam and Viddy are exploding in popularity as the next "Instagram for video" among consumers for recording and sharing short videos and -- like clockwork -- big brands are following.

Digital

Huffington Post Gets Its First Publisher Amid Broader AOL Changes

AOL is naming Janet Balis the first publisher of Huffington Post Media Group as part of broader changes. AOL Chief Revenue Officer Ned Brody is also taking on a new role.

Digital

Parent of Lucky, Juicy Apparel Lines Taps Loyal3 for Facebook Stock Plan

Want to become an owner of Juicy Couture? Not a handbag or a velour hoodie, but shares of stock in three clicks on Facebook? Parent Fifth & Pacific Companies is going to give consumers the chance.

blogs \ DigitalNext

Want to Raise Online Display CPMs? Pull In Small Advertisers

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