The morning after the Paris shootings, three of the top four trending subjects on Twitter in the UK are #CharlieHebdo, #JeSuisCharlie and then #ParisShooting. The hashtags are being used to show solidarity with the 12 people who were killed by hooded gunmen and to also support the freedom of expression. Earlier today, Francois Hollande, the French president, tweeted: "freedom will always be stronger than barbarism. Our best weapon is our unity."

Amnesty International is making a push to bring more "coherence" to the way it presents its brand after admitting it has previously had lots of different voices and lacked a consistent message. The charity wants to turn those sympathetic to its objectives -- what it describes as slactivists and clicktivists -- into active participants. The push is being led by Jane Clancey, who was appointed last year as its first head of global brand.

Pepsi is tapping into the social media-savvy 16 to 25 age group with a digital-first global campaign that aims to capture what it describes as the "vibrant, youthful spirit" of its target market. The brand is looking to build on recent sales momentum through four online and TV spots that encourage consumers to celebrate life's "now" moments by showcasing a rooftop party, a spontaneous trip and a first date that turn "ordinary moments into something extraordinary."

Advertisers and service providers are joining forces to standardise the complex Internet of Things (IoT) landscape as they shift focus from whether services are technologically possible to whether it is technologically meaningful. General Motors, Samsung, Phillips and Electrolux are keen to see progress from a marketing mindset that was recently identified as the most over-hyped technology in development by research firm Gartner. They said the concept was at the "peak of inflated expectations," but all that could be about to change.

Ikea is meeting with agencies to discuss its advertising requirements as part of a procurement-led review of the company's marketing suppliers. The retailer has been in touch with agencies in the past week to set up meetings. Ikea's procurement department is leading the talks. There has been no decision to escalate the discussions into a pitch, and the client is said to be happy with work by its incumbents, which include Vizeum and Mother.

Canon is looking for a digital agency. A company spokesman said: "We are in early stages of an agency selection process for a specific digital project. It has no connection to JWT or any other digital agencies on Canon's agency roster." The camera manufacturer recently released a major pan-European ad campaign called "come and see," which is part of a three-year communications strategy. Other agencies that work with Canon include a Creston Unlimited proposition involving TMW, Nelson Bostock Group and Fever.

Tesco has sold Blinkbox and Tesco Broadband to TalkTalk for an estimated GBP5m, it was revealed today in the retailer's trading statement and strategy update. David Lewis, chief executive of the struggling supermarket, explained the decision came as part of an effort to deliver savings of GBP250m per year as it tried to recover from last year's GBP263m profits overstatement. Tesco confirmed its has appointed Goldman Sachs to explore strategic options for its Dunnhumby business.

The Sainsbury's Christmas ad recreating the first World War festive truce was more popular with YouTube users in the UK than rival John Lewis's Monty the Penguin. It proved controversial, drawing criticism that the supermarket chain was exploiting the memory of fallen soldiers to sell groceries and Christmas products, The Sainsbury's ad had 16.6m views globally by the end of 2014, John Lewis 22.1m - YouTube has ranked them by UK-only traffic, although it did not reveal the exact numbers.

Virgin Media has resurrected the chief marketing officer role it scrapped last year and expanded the remit, adding responsibility for data, insight and analytics. Kerris Bright, who has previously worked at Unilever, AkzoNobel and British Airways, will take on the role from 19 January. She will report to Chief Operating Officer Dana Strong. Virgin Media got rid of the CMO role following its takeover by Liberty Global in 2013 which created separate divisions for marketing, customer experience and commercial strategy.

Samsung's BK Yoon kicked off the Consumer Electronics Show by calling for further action between industries to ensure the Internet of Things (IoT) succeeds, as brands work to further create connected services in-home and out. Yoon announced the timeline for Samsung to have all of its devices IoT-ready in the space of 5 years, and said the brand will invest $100 million in the developing community to further create cross-device interactivity at CES.