The mobile payments company, Powa, has announced a series of a deals through which its tags will be used by major retailers and advertising companies. Founder and e-commerce veteran Dan Wagner has announced that its tags are to be used by Mediacom and Carat in the UK and globally, he has signed up 500 merchants. The tags, which are to be used by Laura Ashley and John Lewis, allow consumers to scan a code which opens up a virtual till on a mobile from which a purchase can be paid.

Pernod Ricard is going through trial data as it seeks to understand how iBeacons could help it understand how people socialise and how they react to brands reaching out to them on their mobile phones in bar settings. The brand first trialled the technology through Zappit, at the start of the month at an event where guests were sent messages including a coupon for a Chivas Martinez cocktail. The company is going through data to check redemption levels in the following weeks.

Maynards is experimenting with augmented reality. Its latest version of its Sour Patch sweets, Discovery Patch, has an on-pack code which, after an app has been downloaded, bring four on-pack characters to life and set children puzzles. The experience was created by Hi Mum! Said Dad. The augmented reality execution is being supported by a GBP3m advertising campaign.

Projections from ZenithOptimedia suggest the UK ad market will overtake Germany's in 2016 and become the fourth-largest in the world. Growth in the UK, the agency predicts, will mean a market that was worth $20.9bn in 2013 will reach $25.7bn in 2016, slightly ahead of Germany which it tips to grow from $24.2bn to $25.3bn over the same period. The UK market bucked the Western European trend in 2013 by growing 5.1 percent compared to a general contraction of 0.6 percent.

The Sochi Winter Olympics and the Fifa World Cup are behind an upgrade in global advertising growth figures published by Warc. Global advertising, it claims, will grow by 5.6 percent in 2014 and 5.3 percent in 2015. India, Brazil and China will lead growth with rates of 14, 12.3 and 12.4 percent, respectively. Outside the BRIC countries the UK posts the highest growth figures of 5.8 percent, slightly ahead of the USA at 4.6 percent.

Silicon Roundabout is to get a digital-out-of-home makeover with four new large screens which offer audio. JCDecaux is developing the Old Street roundabout site which is owned by TfL It is teaming up with BBH to add audio to the screens and is also partnering with Tech City UK, an affiliation of digital entrepreneurs, to show content from nearby technology start-ups.

Facebook has revealed that it will trial behavioural targeting techniques in America in the coming weeks. At present advertising is served on the basis of Facebook activity, such as a user's profile and their likes and shares. This will be extended to take into account Web browsing history. Facebook claims the move will be accompanied with tools to allow users to better define the type of adverts they should receive, including the ability to delete categories and individual advertisers.

Apple is investigating setting up a massive internal creative team. The brand is concerned that it is losing its marketing edge, as outlined in an email from Apple VP Phil Schiller to James Vincent at Apple's agency, Media Arts Library, talking about Samsung's Super Bowl ad. "It's pretty good and I can't help but think "these guys are feeling it" (like an athlete who can't miss because they are in the zone) while we struggle to nail a compelling brief on iPhone. Something drastic has to change. Fast."

One in five Argos sales are made on mobile, and the channel now accounts for half of all Internet sales. Mobile sales grew by more than 50 percent in the three months leading up to the start of June. The figures suggest Argos is leading the high street adoption of the channel. The British Retail Consortium estimates that 17.4 percent of sales are currently placed online, which is less than Argos' mobile sales alone. Its strong mobile performance has helped like-for-like sales improve 4.9 percent.

The WPP Chief Executive faces another shareholder rebellion over his remuneration package. Pirc, an influential shareholder advisory group, has called for a vote on Sorrell's pay at its AGM later this month. The focus for concern is a long-term incentive scheme that was altered last year but is still too generous, according to Pirc. The group said: "Analysis by Pirc leads us to conclude that it is excessive and dividends continue to accrue over the performance period (five years) on the number of shares that vest."