Sony's year-long, star-studded, $100-million-plus TV, print and digital ad campaign kicks off tonight on NBC, Fox and CW with a 30-second TV spot for its Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 digital camera starring country music star Taylor Swift, Laurie Burkitt reports. The campaign will highlight Sony's prowess in making music and movies, as well as it status as an electronics devices behemoth. "We've had a long-standing history with innovation," says Steve Sommers, Sony Electronic's director of marketing, "and now it's time to call it out." Each ad will feature a Sony-affiliated celebrity pitching a specific product, a new strategy to …

Observers offer a lot of reasons why the agency-client relationship seems to be at an all time low -- the 7.5% dip in agency revenue just being one symptom of the malaise -- from the rise of social media to the cost-cutting zealots known as procurement officers. Meanwhile, everybody is getting into everybody else's business. It's not a pretty picture. So, Ad Age canvassed experts across the industry for cures and brings it all together in it first "Agency" Issue. "When the agency doesn't know where it stands or if the client believes in it, it becomes dysfunctional," …

Gatorade's new strategy to promote a "before, during and after" approach to hydration, as previously re-reported,  will come to life in a campaign breaking tonight on telecasts of the NBA playoff games, Valerie Bauerlein reports. The new lineup of "G Series" drinks for athletes is Gatorade's "biggest innovation news in its history," according to the company, which claims dibs on the right to say so by dint of being the inventor of the category. "It's our birthright to come along and say, this is what the category is going to be like for the …

Burger King is advertising a brunch in select markets in Florida and Massachusetts that includes a faux $1.99 mimosa that is a mixture of orange juice and Sprite, instead of the usual O.J. and champagne. Advocates are concerned that it sends a wrong message to children, Noreen O'Leary reports. "It's inappropriate for a family restaurant to be serving drinks that mimic the act of consuming alcoholic beverages," says Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. "It serves as a message to kids that if you want to feel grown up, you should drink alcohol." It would …

United and Continental Airlines are said to be moving rapidly toward a merger, Julie Johnsson reports, following US Airways formally ending its talks with United on Thursday. A deal could come as early as next week, sources tell her, although some "thorny 'social' issues," such as where to locate headquarters, are still on the table. Continental walked away from a deal with United just before an announcement in 2008, so analysts remain cautious. The two airlines, for their part, remain mum. US Airways, however, said that its talks began to fall apart once Continental reentered the equation; sources …

Today is the 25th anniversary of the introduction of New Coke, Kai Ryssdal reports, which "like Max Headroom ... faded mercifully into obscurity as one of the biggest product launch disasters ever." Headroom, for those who may have missed his brief career as a spokesandroid for the beverage, gets a sound clip in the piece ("Now when you first tried Coke, I bet you said, 'Uh-uh. Not for me.' But hey, let's not let first impressions sway us....') Bottom line: First impressions did sway most consumers, and it wasn't long before "Coke Classic" was back on the shelf. …

Ford is going to build a three-cylinder, 1.0-liter, direct-injection, turbocharged engine for a new car in China in the near future, it says, and the engine will be part of it EcoBoost engine family, in all regions, including the U.S., Brent Snavely reports. Dubbed the Ford Start, the minicar will be targeted to residents of large cities. "The Ford Start delivers a dynamic, personality-driven design that stays true to the global Ford brand," says J Mays, Ford's group vp of design and chief creative officer. Ford plans to offer its direct-injection, turbocharged EcoBoost engines on 11 …

Procter & Gamble Co. signed an advertising pact valued at more than $100 million with the Oprah Winfrey Network, according to sources, notes The Wall Street Journal. The deal comes as the ad market heats up in advance of the yearly TV upfront. P&G's deal with OWN follows the network's planned debut next January. OWN, a joint venture between Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Inc. and cable programmer Discovery Communications Inc., is to replace the Discovery Health Channel in its approximately 80 million U.S. homes. Winfrey, the most popular host on daytime TV, is slated to appear prominently on the …