Various claims filed in April 2012 as part of a race discrimination lawsuit against Interpublic Group of Cos. have been tossed out by a New York district judge. However, one claim made by Trinidadian employee Joy C. Noel -- that Interpublic failed to promote due to her skin color -- has been permitted to proceed to trial.

The trial begins on June 3, according to court documents.

When Ms. Noel filed suit in Manhattan federal court last spring, she sought a whopping $50 million in damages. She claimed that in her many years working for the company, Interpublic fostered an environment where discrimination based on race and color is condoned. She alleged that she was passed over for promotions because Caucasian and light-skinned Hispanics are treated more favorably than African-Americans or other dark-skinned employees. Ms. Noel has been at Interpublic since 1993 and is still an employee there.

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Brooklyn-based Huge just got a bit smaller.

A group of senior executives from the Interpublic Group of Cos.' digital shop are decamping to start a new shop. Dubbed Work & Company, the agency is launching with: Huge's Founding Partner and Chief Strategy Officer Gene Liebel; Creative Director Joe Stewart, Partner and Head of Product Design Felipe Memoria and VP-Product Design Marcelo Eduardo. Mohan Ramaswamy, a former product strategy lead at Huge and most recently, an engagement manager at McKinsey, is also joining the new shop.

Mr. Liebel has given notice but remains in his role at Huge for the time being.

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TV networks showcasing their wares during the recent upfront have a bigger concern than one-upping their broadcast rivals: grabbing attention from original content on nontraditional platforms, many of which are not ad-supported.

This influx in originals such as Netflix's "House of Cards" and "Hemlock Grove" is being blamed for the overall decline in TV viewership, and potentially stealing dollars from the estimated $63.9 billion U.S. TV-ad market in 2013.

Originals are a small but growing factor. "We think the shift from ad-supported viewing to Netflix had a negative impact of $500 million on total advertising during the quarter," UBS analyst John Janedis wrote in a research note in April.

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There aren't many marketing executives who would advertise a convertible as the perfect ride for a freezing winter day--or a sunny night. But that's what Kevin Mayer, VP-marketing for Volkswagen Group of America, is doing in a campaign for the all-new Beetle convertible.

Mr. Mayer and his agency, Deutsch, created a new spot showing a young woman awakened in the wee hours by her boyfriend. But as they tool around town in his Beetle convertible, we see the sun is up, but the streets are deserted. The reason? They're driving around Fairbanks, Alaska, so-called "Land of the Midnight Sun." The tagline: "Perfect for a sunny night. The all-new Beetle convertible." The spot follows one that has been running for some time showing a masked man walking into a convenience store. The cringing cashier fears he's about to rob the joint. But when the oblivious masked man returns to the car, viewers can see that he and his friends are wearing masks because they're driving the Beetle convertible on a winter day.

Marketing spending for the Volkswagen brand has shot up in recent years, jumping from just $200 million when Deutsch won the account in 2009 to more than $360 million in recent years. The company, which also operates Audi, Bentley and Porsche among other brands, ranks as the country's 58th largest national advertiser, according to Ad Age's DataCenter.

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Shaken, stirred ... or skinny?

It's a question that could be asked at a growing number of restaurant chains seizing on the low-calorie-liquor trend spawned by Skinnygirl Cocktails.

T.G.I. Friday's, Chili's, Cheesecake Factory and others are slapping generic phrases like "skinny" and "slender" on cocktails as they target weight-conscious drinkers. And Champps Americana and sibling chain Fox and Hound this month unveiled a handful of drinks with fewer than 140 calories using Skinnygirl brand spirits on a lighter summer menu.

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For food and drink makers, "skinny" seems to be the phattest marketing term going.

Brands have put the label on everything from cocktails to popcorn to give foods a low-cal sheen for consumers that are watching their waistlines.

"Skinny is the new "baby,' as in baby carrots [and] baby spinach," said Kit Yarrow, a consumer-research psychologist and professor at Golden Gate University. "It personifies food and makes it more endearing."

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After a six-month agency review, Porsche has opted to keep its creative account parked at Cramer-Krasselt, the incumbent on the business since 2007.

The search was launched nearly six months ago, and was narrowed down to five agencies. They were: independents Droga5 and Olson, MDC Partners' CP&B; Cheil-owned McKinney; and the incumbent.

For the Chicago-based indie shop Cramer-Krasselt it means hanging onto a marquee account at a time when it's been relatively quiet on the new business front. The agency a year ago picked up the Panera account and is lead agency agency for Corona Extra and Heinz.

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Tumblr founder David Karp and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer have a delicate balancing act ahead of them: Assure devout Tumblr users that their beloved platform won't change, while convincing Wall Street that their union will be a lucrative one.

Highlighting how important it is to maintain the Tumblr experience, Yahoo made an outright pledge "not to screw it up" in the press release announcing the $1.1 billion acquisition. Further, the 26-year-old Mr. Karp -- who will be $275 million richer once the deal closes -- will stay put as CEO, and Tumblr will function as a separate business unit.

While Mr. Karp and Ms. Mayer are adamant that Tumblr will continue on its own roadmap, they also say that its ad business will be spurred along with the help of Yahoo's sales organization -- which is 2,500 people strong, compared to Tumblr's existing 25, per Ms. Mayer -- and that Yahoo will introduce new native ad units to the platform.

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Before their annual negotiations for upcoming ad time even begin in earnest, USA Network and AMC Networks are asking buyers to adjust the starting numbers upwards.

TV networks usually base upfront negotiations on the prices advertisers paid last year, but USA and AMC are saying they want to kick things off well above those levels and haggle over increases from there, according to media buyers.

For USA, the "re-pricing" of last year's deals -- anywhere from 9% to 60% depending on the base -- reflects the arrival of "Modern Family" in syndication this fall. Media buyers said USA went out about two months ago with plans pricing "Modern Family" around double the network's typical prime-time base.

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Bonnier Corp. and Source Interlink Media inked three separate deals on Monday that send nine motorcycle titles to Bonnier and all but one TransWorld title, as well as Sound + Vision, to Source InterLink. Both companies pursued the deals in order to deepen their presence in the verticals the magazines cover, according to a spokesperson for Bonnier.

Neither company released financial terms of the deals, but in an internal memo to staff, Bonnier CEO Dave Freygang assured employees that after weeks of deal-making the company is ready to move forward with its current lineup of titles.

"The transactions today are the last in a series of moves we have implemented to transform our company to one that will achieve revenue growth and sustained profitability," Mr. Freygang wrote in the memo. "Please be certain of this: We have our operating groups and brands in place, and we have the right people to allow us to achieve our goals."

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This music video created by Volvo for the dance group Swedish House Mafia cleverly bridges the gap between branded content, product placement and social media. Swedish House Mafia disbanded in March after five years together, so Volvo, and its agency Forsman & Bodenfors, approached them about making a film in which the trio are seen going their separate ways in the brand's new XC60 cross-country vehicles.

While the music video is a poignant tribute to the band who -- at least for now -- will be saying goodbye to the fast-pace life of touring and traveling, it's also an elegant illustration of how the new car can pull its drive away from frenetic city life to more peaceful environs.

Director Adam Berg filmed it beautifully against a moody Scandinavian landscape, and the soundtrack is a cover of one of their early hits, "Leave the World Behind," by singer Lune. The YouTube video has already created a social buzz, and there's also an interactive website, leavetheworldbehind.com, featuring the video and behind-the-scenes information. Scenes from the video will also feature in TV and print commercials by Volvo.

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News item:

Yahoo! to Acquire Tumblr

Promises not to screw it up

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Ever forget to record a TV show and wish there was another way to do it? Brazil's largest satellite provider, Sky, is testing a way for subscribers to record shows via Twitter.

The technology, which was developed by Sky's digital agency in Brazil, AgenciaClick Isobar, generates a Twitter hashtag that works like a record button. According to the agency, the concept is a response to noticing that consumers were turning to Twitter and other sources for information about TV shows rather the schedule of programming on Sky's website.

Sky, which is majority owned by DirecTV, is rolling out the service to subscribers starting today.

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The most glaring question regarding Yahoo's Tumblr acquisition is how it will generate more advertising revenue from a platform that, to date, has taken a minimalist approach to incorporating advertising.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is going to change that, however. Ms. Mayer said Monday morning that Yahoo would introduce more "native advertising" formats to Tumblr. She also said that advertising will eventually appear on an individual's original Tumblr "with the blogger's permission."

"I would expect any ad units to be very native and to follow the form and function of Tumblr," Ms. Mayer said.

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Coca-Cola's long experimented with its vending machines, trying to make them more technologically advanced than the average soda-spitter-outer.

In the past, they've been known to give you a beverage only if you give them a hug, or if you dance or sing in front of them. Now, the beverage giant is attempting a much loftier goal: world peace.

Along with agency Leo Burnett, Coke created "Small World Machines", two vending machines, one placed in India, and the other in Pakistan, that turned into communication portals. The idea was to let citizens of both countries -- long embroiled in a bitter political and religious battle -- see and interact with each other, even complete shared tasks. Once those tasks were accomplished, the machines dispensed a Coke.

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Tyler, the Creator. Rick Ross. Lil Wayne.

Brands like Mountain Dew and Reebok have turned on a dime on the recording artists they've struck deals with and dropped talent in light of a small group of critics making a lot of noise. I don't want to defend any of the content that was deemed offensive. But it's important to examine how that content got attached to a brand and subsequently made its way into the world.

In other words, marketers must take a step back and examine their own culpability in these crises.

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That the electrifying opening -- a dark, tight, frantic shot of Ken Cosgrove; a speeding carful of drunken, jowly old men; and a gun -- was not even the strangest moment in last night's "Mad Men" episode tells you just how bizarre it was.

In "The Crash," drugs, sex and late 60s psycho-spiritual mumbo-jumbo dominate, and not just as historical decorations. These themes actually wend their way into the agency's work. Time and place are out of whack and the characters are rambling, their lines both elusive and allusive, a lot of sound and fury signifying very little and certainly not a new ad campaign for Chevy.

Here's the set-up: The new, lucrative car account is weighing heavy on the agency. Even as General Motors rejects the agency's ideas, it's supplying an onerous-sounding calendar -- three years of monthly deadlines, strategy statements, copy testing and Byzantine approval processes. Cosgrove, the agency's ambassador to Detroit, has a cane and a limp from the drunken joyride. Meanwhile, the creative leadership is stressed and sleep-deprived, with Don coughing like a howitzer into his handkerchief.

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Amazon has selected Interpublic Group of Cos' Initiative following a fast-paced global media agency review that began earlier this year.

WPP's Mindshare handles the e-tail giant's offline media work and sibling agency MEC supports digital media. Digital media was not part of the review, according to people familiar with the matter.

Consulting firm Accenture managed the review process.

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Gyrating, scantily clad models with pouty red lips haven't exactly been a hallmark of RadioShack advertising, but the latest spot -- inspired by Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" music video and promoting Beats by Dre's Pill speaker -- is the first indication the electronics retailer is embarking on major changes.

Jennifer Warren, the new chief marketing officer and a former ad-agency exec, says the retailer is moving quickly to make changes in its advertising as it attempts an aggressive turnaround. It hopes to attract younger consumers, alert customers to the popular products it carries, such as Beats, and rethink the design of its stores. RadioShack is also rolling out a brand platform and tagline, "Let's Play," in an effort to become the "neighborhood technology playground."

The ad, which has racked up 1.5 million views on YouTube, surprised some people, Ms. Warren said, but was generally well-received. Taking a risk with the #UWantIt ad has won the retailer points, even among franchise owners who Ms. Warren said are eager to see the marketer become culturally relevant again.

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AT&T is the country's fifth largest ad spender -- and now its using data gleaned from its own digital advertising to to help other marketers buying inventory through AT&T's AdWorks business.

The company is unveiling a new platform, called Blueprint, for targeted online, mobile and TV ads. However, the platform falls short of achieving what largely remains elusive for advertisers: a way to target one person or group of the same people across digital, mobile and traditional platforms. At the outset, there will be three Blueprint platforms: one for online, one for mobile and one for TV. Most notably, it will be using the intelligence it gathers from its own corporate digital ad efforts to inform the online Blueprint platform.

"We're both an ad network and an advertiser ... our ads show up in thousands of websites that go beyond our network. The nice thing about that is we can leverage that learning," said Maria Mandel Dunsche, head of marketing and media for AT&T's AdWorks. The company's own ads create 4 billion signals per month that it uses to identify audience segments and interest categories, said Ms. Mandel Dunsche.

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Poptent, a company that collects and crowdsources video and creative content for brands, has named Nick Pahade its CEO.

The move comes as the company wants to strike more content deals with brands and the shops that work for them.

"I want to get the company to the next level," said Mr. Pahade, who most recently served as North American CEO of Interpublic Group of Cos.' media agency, Initiative. "There's an opportunity to work with marketers and a variety of different agencies, and potentially with publishers and actionable [video] producers. There are a lot of legs to this business."

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This story has been updated.

Like a host of other brands, Yahoo has a millennial problem, and its acquisition of Tumblr could be a step toward fixing it. But will new ownership help Tumblr with one of its biggest problems -- drawing major advertisers?

All Things D on Sunday morning reported that the Yahoo board unanimously approved the deal to buy Tumblr for $1.1 billion.

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Remember that time Bloomberg News got caught using subscriber information from Bloomberg data terminals to spy on the financial industry?

Oh, right, that pretty much just happened. But conveniently for Bloomberg, a bigger journalism-related scandal -- the revelation that the Justice Department was spying on the Associated Press (a story that will haunt the Obama administration forever) -- broke, overshadowing the Bloomberg scandal.

So you may have missed Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief Matthew Winkler's admission and apology, titled "Holding Ourselves Accountable," that was published in the dead of the night last Monday -- at 12:11 a.m. ET. In it, he owned up to the fact that Bloomberg News reporters had access to "limited client information" for Bloomberg's financial-data-terminal business, a sibling division of the Bloomberg empire that serves more than 300,000 subscribers on Wall Street and beyond.

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Imagine for a second that you could interview a product. How often is it being used? For how long? And where in the house does it live?

Sounds crazy, but it's increasingly probable as marketers mine for data beyond the usual places -- web browsers, loyalty programs and smartphones -- and capture information from pill packages, soda fountains and the most mundane of consumer implements, the toothbrush.

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It was Larry Page's Willy Wonka moment: The Google CEO was handing out pairs of Google Glasses to anyone who could dream up a novel way to use the device. All they had to do was submit the idea via Twitter or Google Plus and pony up $1,500.

More than a few agency execs ended up with golden Glass tickets, and they're toying with how the technology could be used in marketing.

Ian Schafer, CEO at digital agency Deep Focus, was awarded a pair after posting on his G+ account: "#ifihadglass no matter how far away I was from home, my family would be close." MDC Partners-owned KBS+ created a website devoted to its employees' contest submissions, and Google greenlit eight of them. Dave Meeker of Aegis-owned Isobar got ahold of the eyewear after stating he wanted to build apps on it for clients. Dentsu's Jeff Hinson snagged a pair for tweeting he'd use Glass to develop an interactive marketing campaign for client New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. And two employees at digital agency Huge won the coveted Glasses.

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Procter & Gamble Co. is the U.S.'s largest ad spenderand now it's embarking on a major review of how it measures the impact of that $5 billion-plus annual outlay.

The move comes only two years after adopting a new system for measuring return on marketing investment and amid investor pressure for the world's biggest advertiser to get more bang for its marketing bucks.

Two years ago, P&G consolidated marketing-mix-modeling efforts with Nielsen and brought on DemandTec, an IBM company that worked with Nielsen to deliver monthly ROI reports supplementing the annual or quarterly analyses the company used in the past. P&G scrapped DemandTec after getting readings that varied widely month to month and sometimes didn't gibe with analyses by Nielsen and others, according to people familiar with the matter. (P&G and Nielsen declined to comment.)

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Every upfront ushers in a new slate of TV programs, but this year's offered something additional: a new philosophy when it comes to broadcast-network scheduling.

Broadcasters are taking a page from cable, with several networks introducing limited series and staggering scripted programs throughout the year.

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Bacardi USA's answer to Captain Morgan is Colonel Roosevelt.

The marketer's flagship rum brand on Monday plans to introduce a TV commercial evoking the history of the "Cuba Libre," better known as the rum and Coke cocktail, which Bacardi says was created in Cuba in 1900 as then-Col. Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders helped fight for the nation's independence from Spain.

Directed by Jake Scott, the spot is the first in a series of ads that will emphasize the historical events that shaped the 151 year-old brand, which has links to the creation of other rum cocktails such as the Daiquiri and Mojito. Global parent Bacardi Limited began looking back last year, with a global campaign celebrating the brand's 150-year anniversary. The new campaign -- called "Vivimos! ("We live!") -- was created for the U.S., although elements might be expanded globally. It is the first work overseen by boutique agency OW, which Bacardi USA recently brought on board to oversee brand and creative strategy.

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Brandon Allen, CEO and one of the twenty-something co-founders of Santa Barbara-based vineyard Slo Down wines, bares his buns in a thong and cheekless chaps in a new online campaign to promote the vintner's "Sexual Chocolate" wine.

The wine's name pays homage to Eddie Murphy's band from "Coming to America." It also provides lots of fodder for the three ads, which all turn on risque themes. In the first, Allen, dressed in a tuxedo jacket and thong and with Sexual Chocolate in hand, steps into a menage-a-trois -- and turns it into a menage-a-quatre.

In another execution, he carries his glass into a marijuana-filled room while a third spot finds him chained up in an S&M den. The point being, that Sexual Chocolate is the perfect partner for all your good times. The spots were created in-house and directed by Baker Smith of Harvest Films.

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The concept behind Kidzania -- essentially a theme park that's about work -- is growing like a weed abroad, with 12 existing locations and openings scheduled this year in Kuwait City, Cairo, Sao Paulo, Mumbai and Istanbul. The first U.S. location is due in 2015 in a city to be determined, and it's up to Cammie Dunaway, U.S. president and global CMO, to explain the concept to American children and their parents.

Started in Mexico in 1999, Kidzania exposes children to the working world and money management by letting them earn a virtual currency. Kids apply themselves in various career paths, all courtesy of brand sponsors. They can perform surgeries in a Johnson & Johnson hospital in Portugal and work in a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Dubai. Their earnings could go toward renting a car in an Avis rental office, or kids could do the prudent thing and deposit their hard-earned cash in a bank to earn interest.

The brand accomplishes an unusual trifecta of appealing to children, their parents and global marketers who are already looking for ways to talk to the next generation of consumers. Ms. Dunaway -- a speaker at Ad Age's CMO Strategy Summit in San Francisco next month -- gave some insight into the strategy behind where to set up shop and how to promote such an unusual brand.

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