The threat of a triple-dip recession in the eurozone, civil unrest in China and the Ebola crisis have created an unprecedented number of headwinds for the global economy, according to the chief executive of WPP. Sir Martin Sorrell, founder of the world's largest advertising group by sales, said geopolitical risks "continued to multiply" and had hit confidence among major advertisers. WPP posted a lower-than-expected increase in like-for-like sales in the third quarter and said it expected sales to slow further in the coming three months.

Less than six months after an abandoned merger with Omnicom thwarted its ambitions to create the world's biggest advertising group, Publicis has tried to increase its digital capabilities by agreeing to pay $3.7 billion in cash for an American marketing and consulting business. The acquisition of Sapient, for $25 a share, will mean that half of Publicis' revenues are generated by digital services, three years ahead of its target, Maurice Levy, the longstanding chief executive at Publicis, said yesterday.

Magic, the Bauer Media radio network, has launched a new TV ad, ahead of going national on DAB in January. The ad, created by Bray Leino and called "good mood music," shows Magic listeners tuning into the station during variety of different points in their day. It broke during Downton Abbey on ITV yesterday evening. The songs in the ad include Scissor Sisters "I Don't Feel Like Dancin," "A-Ha's "Take On Me" and Queen's "You're My Best Friend."