News Hotline

• GMA/PwC Report: CPGs' Growth Slows Amid 'Rules' Shift
  by Karlene Lukovitz 60 minutes ago

  Net sales growth rates for consumer packaged goods companies slowed last year amid challenges including tepid economic recovery in the U.S. and elsewhere, commodities cost inflation, and U.S. consumers spending more of their food dollars on eating out. ...

• Microsoft Rolls Out Ad Pano, Mobile Ad Format
  by Gavin O'Malley over 1 hour ago

  With the help of the broader ad industry, Microsoft this week is rolling out a mobile ad format tailor-made for the Windows 8 operating system. Dubbed Ad Pano, the app-friendly ad format was developed in partnership with a crowd of brands and agencies. ...

• 'Jimmy Kimmel,' MySpace Promote Musicians
  by Fern Siegel over 1 hour ago

  Select artists that appear on TV late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" will get to perform an extended set in front of the show's fans, starting June 18. That performance, which follows the TV broadcast, will be streamed on Myspace, giving fans a chance to see bands twice. ...

• Kiip Rolls Out Self-Serve Option For Advertisers
  by Mark Walsh 2 hours ago

  Mobile rewards network Kiip has added a self-serve option for advertisers aimed at attracting more small- and medium-sized businesses to the rewards-based platform. The new tool will let companies create and manage campaigns that run in more than a thousand iOS and Android apps. ...

• Mindshare Taps Elkins As Managing Director, Digital, West Coast
  by Steve McClellan 3 hours ago

  Mindshare, part of WPP's GroupM, has tapped digital marketing veteran Amy Elkins to be managing director, digital, for the company's West Coast operations. The account also includes the Summit Entertainment business. ...

• Industry Is Expanding In Advertising, Social
  by Sarah Mahoney 4 hours ago

  Retailers are planning to spend big on more stores, digital technology and marketing initiatives in the year ahead, according to a new report from KPMG. And for many, the impact of social media on their business has increased sharply. ...

• W+K Amsterdam's Heineken Ad Wins Cannes Lions Grand Prix, Creative
  by Steve McClellan 5 hours ago

  A Heineken ad campaign from Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, the brand's first global campaign effort, has won the Cannes Lions Grand Prix award in the creative effectiveness category. Separately, a campaign from McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains called "Dumb Ways to Die," won the Grand Prix in the ...

• Millennials Split In Attitude, Teens Less Upbeat, But Resilient
  by Wayne Friedman 6 hours ago

  MTV says younger U.S. millennials are a bit more pessimistic than older millennials. New millennials ages 14 to 17 are a bit more worried than their older counterparts about the economy and their future, while their older counterparts have a more positive outlook. ...

• Chevrolet's Fleck Talks Northeast Strategy
  by Karl Greenberg 7 hours ago

  Bill Fleck, Chevy's Northeast regional marketing manager, has a lot of work to keep him up at night -- the region is GM's second-largest, has a mess of dealerships, and it has its challenges, although these are considerably fewer than what the brand faces on the other co ...

• Blogging Stake: WPP Invests In Muzy
  by Steve McClellan 7 hours ago

  WPP has taken a stake in Muzy Inc., an early-stage micro-blogging service focused on mobile content creation. Muzy has attracted over 20 million users globally and is adding more than 1 million new users each month, according to the agency. ...

• Affluence Not Just For Affluent

  For affluent consumers, traditional media is still the way to go, per the latest monthly study by the Shullman Research Center's Luxury and Affluence Monthly Pulse. Television is still number one, and magazines number three for potential reach. ...

• MSN, Newsy Partnership To Debut

  MSN is expected to announce a partnership with mobile-focused video news network Newsy. Similar to other publisher partnerships, Newsy plans to coordinate with MNS's editors to create a slate of original video content. ...

• Be Persistent, Colorful, Short, Valuable: IAB Issues Mobile Creative Manifesto

  In tandem with the Cannes Lions celebration this week, the IAB surveyed agency creative execs on their best practices for making mobile marketing compelling and engaging. Keep it short, colorful, and valuable, they recommend -- and keep that logo visible. ...

• ZO Shaves Global Ad Outlook: Says Internet, Especially Mobile, Will Be Greatest Growth Engines

  The global ad economy now is expected to expand only 3.5% this year, according to the latest quarterly forecast released this morning by Publicis' ZenithOptimedia Group. The update, which is down four-tenths of a point from ZO's last projection of a 3.9% rate of growth, puts 2013 even ...

• Google Enhanced Campaigns Increase Cost Per Click

  Search advertisers will need to learn how to compensate for rising costs per click as Google gains profits from the migration to AdWords Enhanced Campaigns. CPCs on the search engine rose more than 6% during the last three months alone. ...

• Publicis Groupe's VivaKi Influences Mass Relevance Social Road Map

  VivaKi Ventures has gained input into Mass Relevance's product road map to influence features and functions through a deal that could integrate the company's social technology into all Publicis Groupe agency platforms. ...

• Facebook: Sponsored Stories Settlement Gives Users 'Windfall'

  Facebook is asking a federal judge to grant final approval to a $20 million deal that would resolve litigation about "sponsored stories" ads. The deal calls for Facebook to pay users up to $10 if they were featured in a "sponsored stories" ad. Attorneys would receive $7.5 million ...

• Scripps Launches TV Everywhere With TWC

  Scripps Networks has a TV Everywhere deal with Time Warner Cable, allowing viewers access to on-demand programming. Content from five networks will be available to the cable operator's subscribers on an authenticated basis. ...

• Cannes Lions, Gates Foundation Partner For Global Initiative

  The Cannes Lions organization, which puts on the annual advertising awards festival, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are serious about doing something to help ease the plight of the world's poor. Cannes Chimera Initiative is designed to tackle global problems. The Cannes Chimera Initiative will award ...

• Digital Businesses Address Need For Mobile Ops, Sites

  Almost a third (32%) of digital businesses will spend $1 million or more on mobile operations this year compared to 24% in 2012. With most working with budgets under $1 million, 38% of 145 executives surveyed in the first quarter feel they don't have enough to fund their ...

• After TV, Sports Fans Up Coverage On Mobile, Social Nets

  While TV remains the No. 1 platform for sports fans, the second-screen TVs of sports -- including connected and smart TV sets -- are still lagging behind. Over a third of sports fans use smartphones to access sports content. ...

• Fandango Adds To Video Lineup

  Fandango has launched a new series called "Summer of Action" previewing new blockbuster releases during the peak moviegoing season. ...

• Marriott Modifies Marketing Message

  With a new marketing campaign, the hotel chain -- a division of Marriott International -- is looking to show how it can cater to both business and leisure travelers who are sometimes one and the same at the same time. ...

• Public Trust In Newspapers Dips Again

  In addition to their well-publicized financial woes, newspapers have a credibility problem, as Americans' confidence in them continues to decline. ...

• Speculation About TWC, Charter Merger Continues

  Strong speculation on Friday about a possible merger between Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications -- the second- and fourth-largest cable operators in the U.S. -- quieted a bit on Monday. ...

• WPP Adds Funding To Fullscreen, Ups Digital Expansion

  WPP is participating in a round of funding for startup digital content firm Fullscreen. Per the agency, Fullscreen's global network now generates over 2.5 billion monthly video views and reaches over 150 million subscribers. ...

• DeMoulin: Booming Licensing Show = Booming Business

  While entertainment properties -- movies, TV, games -- are the major source of licensed merchandise as well as a destination for brands to get integrated into movies and games, other sectors are catching up fast. Fashion is the fastest-growing segment. ...

• Kia Back To Rock At Vans

  At the tour, which hits 39 U.S. cities, the brand gets both main stages (Kia Soul Stage and Kia Forte Stage), has its Soul Lounge on site, and its own show theme, "Rock and Roll. Punk and Soul." People can escape the mosh pit if they have a ...

• 'Atlantic' Joins 'Esquire' In Launching Weekly Mini-Mags For Devices

  Magazines are trying to re-imagine their content and test new models on devices. Within weeks of one another, two legendary print brands have used the tablet platform to test smaller, weekly versions of themselves for snack-sized consumption. ...

• Yahoo Launches Lead Gen Biz

  Yahoo Small Business on Monday will launch Yahoo Localworks to help companies generate leads and become more visible through search query results, directories and map applications such as Mapquest and Bing Maps. ...

• Second-Screening Posts Modest Results In Sports

  Second-screening remains slow out of the gate for sports viewers, according to new research. Results show that in the past two years only 4% have begun following an event on an Internet-connected device while watching on TV. ...

• United Donates Miles To Make-A-Wish

  United Airlines is donating one million MileagePlus miles to Make-A-Wish. The donation, which is being made for the second year in a row, will help children with life-threatening illnesses reach their wish destinations. The airline donated the miles as part of the annual Make-A-Wish "Mileathon" held last w ...

• Barbasol Writes The Book On Manliness

  Barbasol is offering a decidedly old-school twist on masculinity, launching its new Field Guide to Manhood on Amazon. Priced at $19.19 (the year the shaving cream company was founded), the manual is an effort to shore up the brand's macho cred, as well as raise money for the ...

• Schick Hydro, Three Guys, And New Zealand

  The series also reprises last year's program in which the guys were in Hawaii skydiving, mountain biking and surfing the big waves. Fuel says last year's show was the top-rated late fringe program, with over 85,000 hours streamed across Yahoo since its debut. ...

• Weber Departs AT&T Role Overseeing U-Verse Content

  Jeff Weber, president of content and advertising sales at AT&T, has left the position. Weber oversaw program negotiations for the U-verse TV service as well as the AdWorks operations. ...