In the last round of the pitch, which took just a couple of months from start to finish, the WPP shop faced off against sibling Ogilvy, New York, and Omnicom Group's DDB, New York. JWT won the business with the help of WPP siblings including media shop MediaCom, PR agency Hill & Knowlton and strategic branding shop the Brand Union. The marketer's CEO, Jim Evans, in a statement said: "JWT's global network is unparalleled, especially within our priority markets. They demonstrated impressive strategic insight and a genuine, shared passion for our mission." The statement also noted that the …

On Tuesday, Toyota is holding a multi-city unveiling -- live via webcast here -- of the redesigned for 2012 version of its volume model (22% of Toyota sales, more sales total than all Lexus and Scion models combined). Toyota hopes to draw a lot of attention for the event that includes a Twitter chat session in which you can pepper company brass with your questions.

When Facebook told drugmakers that they had to start allowing comments on their Facebook pages, some of those pages started disappearing. "Take On Depression" suddenly disappeared. "ADHD Moms" vanished, too. So did "Epilepsy Advocate." In the past, drug companies had been reluctant to create Facebook pages without a guarantee that they'd be closed to public comments, a unique accommodation on Facebook's part. But that accommodation ended last week.

Under new U.S. VP/marketing Paul Chibe, A-B InBev has put its biggest domestic brand in review. For agencies, it's a chance to work on the biggest ad-spending account in beer, with more than $276 million in measured media spending in 2010. So who's pitching? Industry executives say the net is much wider than it has been in the past. While some shops have worked with the brewer for Super Bowl and other projects, the company is also said to be in talks with a handful of undisclosed shops it's never partnered with before.

Richard and Rob Sands took their father's little wine company on a two-decade buying binge, turning a regional purveyor of low-pedigree plonk into an alcoholic-drinks powerhouse. Along the way, the brothers acquired one other seemingly enviable label in 2003: world's biggest vintner. But size doesn't trump success. Constellation has been pruning methodically for five years as it strives to invigorate profits in a choppy economy and refocus on solidifying its supremacy in the sweet spot "premium category" -- higher-margin wines priced from $5 to $20 a bottle. In January, it dropped to No. 2 in the vintner-by-volume rankings behind …

Apollo Management -- the New York buyout firm headed by billionaire Leon Black -- is about to become the latest entrant, as it is preparing a bid to acquire 99 Cents Only Stores, a 285-store deep-discount chain based in City of Commerce, Calif. The 29-year-old chain's founding family, which controls one-third of the retailer's shares, earlier this year partnered to take the chain private with rival PE firm Leonard Green & Partners for $19.09 a share, or $1.3 billion. But the family, after being wooed by Apollo, has signaled in recent days that it is willing to change …

Starting in October in five states, Wells Fargo & Co. will charge customers $3 per month if they use a debit card to make purchases. Customers can avoid the fee if they don't use their card or by signing up for certain checking accounts. The guinea pigs will be customers who opened accounts in Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Georgia and Washington. It won't affect customers elsewhere unless they originally opened their accounts in one of those states, Wells Fargo spokesman Josh Dunn said. No decision has been made on whether to expand the pilot program, he said.

Arnold Worldwide said today that it has been named the ad agency of record for the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. Boston-based Arnold said that it will be launching an integrated marketing campaign that includes digital, TV, and print ads for the start of the upcoming National Hockey League season. Billings for the account are not being disclosed.

The fast food giant is expected to announce today that it is kicking the King to the curb. In a new ad campaign set to air this weekend, Burger King will nationally roll out the California Whopper on Monday, made with what's arguably the gastronomic trend of 2011: guacamole. In a serious image twist, the entire commercial shows only the sights and sounds of the fresh ingredients being washed, sliced and diced. There are no words, just pulsating music. Industry experts say the move may be Burger King's best bet of giving Ronald McDonald any hint of competition. In …

Skin care company Nivea has offered a mea culpa for an ad that became quite the trending sensation on Twitter Wednesday. The advertisement for Nivea for Men appeared in the September issue of Esquire magazine and featured a clean-cut, African-American male holding what appeared to be a mask of a black man with an Afro hair style and a beard. The copy accompanying the ad read, "Look Like You Give a Damn. Re-civilize Yourself." "Adding Nivea to the list of companies that will not be getting my money," tweeted blogger Septembre Anderson, who appears to have …