• Digitas Merged With LBi, Taylor Named Global Chief by Joe Mandese

  Just months after acquiring Amsterdam-based independent digital agency LBi for $540 million, Publicis is merging it with its flagship digital agency network, Digitas, to create DigitasLBi, a new global network with 5,700 employees in more than 25 countries. LBi chief Luke Taylor has been named global CEO of the consolidated group, filling a void that has been vacant since Laura Lang left Digitas to become CEO of Time Inc. more than a year ago. Colin Kinsella remains CEO of Digitas USA. ...Read the whole story

• Agency Trading Desks Lag In Awareness, Understanding by Joe Mandese

  Despite their growing importance in the real-time media trading marketplace, agency trading desks are one of the least understood parts of the advertising technology ecosystem. In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, Advertiser Perceptions Inc. has begun releasing findings of its first "Ad Tech Study," which finds that a third of marketers either have no or very little awareness of agency trading desks. ...Read the whole story

• Super Bowl Ads On Mobile Don't Encourage Brand Interaction by Laurie Sullivan

  The majority of consumers watching the Super Bowl would like to take action on their mobile devices, based on television commercials -- but most didn't, according to findings by the Mobile Marketing Association. In fact, 21% want to see more commercials inviting them to interact with the brand on a mobile device and be rewarded with incentives and content for their actions. ...Read the whole story

• Facebook To Enable Behavioral-Targeting Icons by Wendy Davis

  Facebook has agreed to show AdChoices icons on some ads served through its exchange, the Better Business Bureau said. But unlike many other Web publishers, Facebook will only show the icons to users who first interact with the ad. ...Read the whole story

• SellPoint Acquires ShowUhow Video Network by Laurie Sullivan

  In a move intended to remodel the online shopping experience, SellPoint, which publishes interactive video product tours, has acquired ShowUhow, a producer of video-information guides, in an effort to support sales, generate leads and entertain consumers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ...Read the whole story

• comScore Expands Device Sample Sizes by Mark Walsh

  Per comScore, its Media Metrix Multi-Platform service offers accurate measurement of audience overlap across devices and improved geographic reporting by local markets. ...Read the whole story

• Apple Can Ask iTunes Purchasers For Addresses by Wendy Davis

  Siding with Apple, California's highest court ruled on Monday that online merchants aren't covered by a law that bans retailers from collecting and storing the addresses of credit card users. ...Read the whole story

• BlackBerry Ad Gets Mixed Response by Mark Walsh

  Fresh off unveiling its latest handsets last week and corporate rebranding, BlackBerry kept the publicity rolling with a Super Bowl ad promoting its new Z10 smartphone. Rather than use precious airtime to highlight product features, the company turned to humor and whimsical visual effects to capture attention. ...Read the whole story

Oreo didn't just air a spot with a fleeting hashtag -- it gained followers for its just-launched Instagram channel; it created artifacts that can continue to be tweeted and share; it built a platform that can ...More