Ad spending in the U.S. is heading up. New forecasts from Publicis Groupe SA's ZenithOptimedia says spending will rise 2.5% to $155.2 billion this year mostly from marketers in financial, retail and auto sectors. But the firm says it will take several years before spend reaches pre-recession levels. The firm predicts that worldwide spending will rise 4.2% to $470.8 billion, lower than the previously estimated $4.6 billion, because of recent events in the Middle East and Japan. The largest increase will be online, per ZenithOptimedia, which predicts a 13% rise in digital media. Second would be cable, with a …

The PepsiCo snack division will have a snack kitchen in Times Square this week as part of a grassroots effort to tout its snacks as all-natural. Promoting its line of products from Lay's, SunChips and Tostitos, Frito-Lay will show the latest flavors with chefs, branding elements from Hard Rock Cafe, and Electrolux. Also on hand, "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi.

John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, said at Ad Age Digital Conference that in terms of reach, games are bigger than all forms of entertainment, especially TV. He also previewed the coming EA games, "Battlefield 3" and "Star Wars Old Republic."

Industry analysts say General Motors has company staffers -- reportedly hundreds of them -- in the U.S. assessing the Japan crisis in terms of its potential effects on the automaker's supply chain. Analysts say effects have so far been small on GM's operations from the quake, which happened a month ago today.

The head of Costco may be president of a company with its eye on Paris and Madrid, but he likes hot dogs as well as the next guy. Craig Jelinek could be in line to take co-founder Jim Sinegal's CEO title should Sinegal retire. He also doesn't often speak to the press and adheres to the company's focus on tortoise-style patience. Jelinek started at Costco in 1984, and has opened stores, overseen the Northwest region and led merchandising. In a speech at Seattle University where he became trustee recently, he said he could never replace Sinegal, but that he …

Some months back Target raised hackles among gay rights organizations when the Minnesota retailer gave $150,000 to MN Forward, which backs an anti-gay-marriage gubernatorial candidate. Since then gay-rights supporters have been boycotting the store, though both sides say they want to resolve the issue. That has been difficult, as neither side has found a way to do fix the rift. Things got worse last month when the company sued a gay marriage group that picketed outside its San Diego store, which led to anti-Target groups on Facebook, and Lady Gaga dropping her album deal with the retailer. The …

Pro baseball accessories maker "New Era" has launched a TV ad shot in black and white touting its tie to Major League Baseball. In the ad actors, Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski ("The Office") berate each other's favorite MLB teams (the Yankees for Baldwin and Red Socks for Krasinksi.) Baldwin is in a fancy party but baseball transcends everything. He excuses himself to take a phone call from Krasinski to engage in trash talk.

Gap has been trying to figure out how to get younger consumers into stores and bring back former loyalists, especially as it has posted a 9% drop in same-store sales last year. To shake things up, the company changed agencies, named a new president for North American operations, moved marketing operations to New York from San Francisco and hired its first chief global marketing officer for the Gap brand, Seth Farbman, who came from the new Gap agency Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in New York.

Ex-Major League Baseball stars Tommy John, Andre Dawson and Greg Luzinski are signed on to participate in the national launch of Mobil Super motor oils. Now through May 6, the players will appear in the ads as mechanics in Mobil 1 Lube Express uniforms, replacing old engine oil with Mobil Super. The effort, called "Changeup Day," also offers consumers a chance to win baseball tickets and autographed merchandise.

L'eggs was once bigger than mood rings and Hai Karate combined. Now the brand, under the aegis of Winston-Salem, N.C., Hanesbrands, is doing its first national advertising in more than 14 years. The effort includes a new Web site, Leggs.com, social media and a new slogan, "You're in luck. You're in L'eggs." The company says it is pitching the hosiery to women 18 to 34 for whom "dresses are popular, skirts are popular," said Angela Hawkins, director and general manager of hosiery at the company.