Unilever, Nestle, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and TUI are looking to scale their programmatic media buying strategies with dynamic delivery of creative in an attempt to alleviate the problem of brands reaching the right audience, but with the wrong creative. Programmatic advertising technology is fundamentally about audience trading -- but in the rush to exploit its efficiencies the industry has yet to apply the potential benefits to produce more dynamic creative, according to speakers at this week's Ad:Tech conference.

Impulse has picked Droga5 London to handle its global creative account after a competitive pitch. Campaign first reported on the pitch for the Unilever-owned body spray's creative account in May. There was no intermediary used in the process. Ponce, the Argentinean agency, was the incumbent on the account and unsuccessfully re-pitched. David also pitched for the business. Droga5 London is now tasked with working with Impulse's in-house team to create a campaign spanning TV, social and print.

Prudential is seeking a digital agency to help overhaul its consumer-facing Web site. The insurance brand has been speaking with agencies ahead of a pitch this month. It is handling the process in-house. The appointed agency will be briefed to update Prudential's digital communications. It is part of Prudential's attempt to reposition the brand. In particular, it is looking to target affluent people in their fifties who are planning for retirement.

Microsoft's chief marketing officer in the UK, Philippa Snare, is leaving the company for Facebook after 16 years. Snare is about to go on gardening leave for several months before joining Facebook, where she will be director of business marketing for EMEA. She will lead all of Facebook's business-to-business marketing activity in the region, a Facebook spokeswoman said. Snare has overseen major campaigns for its Azure cloud computing platform and the Lumia range of smartphones.

John Lewis has dubbed 2015 the year of the "master shopper" -- a phrase it has coined for a new type of consumer who sees shopping as a leisure pursuit and knows how to use stores, the internet and mobile devices to get the best deal. In its third annual Retail Report, John Lewis says these consumers are using its shops as much as a social destination as place to make transactions. They are just as likely to be grabbing a bite to eat or getting a treatment at a beauty counter as shopping, it explains.

Many marketers are not paying attention to data protection rules such as offering consumers a clear opt-out from being contacted, and are suffering from low customer engagement and a lack of data, yet tactics such as loyalty schemes are fruitful in gaining consent. Almost half of marketers believe their organisations are failing to follow best practice for data capture, with only 56% agreeing that they give consumers a clear and easy opt-out of marketing communications when collecting their information.

AOL's UK MD Hamish Nicklin warned marketers that "terrible use of data" is threatening the digital advertising industry as online audiences are likely to completely reject all commercial messaging unless the industry clears up its act. Speaking at today's (15 October) IAB Engage conference in London, Nicklin told attendees that advertisers misuse of audiences' personal data has led to an erosion of trust and belief in the value that brands and media owners provide.

The soft drinks industry must adapt and change to produce a more healthy portfolio while allowing customers to make their own decisions, according to the British Soft Drinks Association's president Peter Harding. Speaking at the annual British Soft Drinks Association (BDSA) industry lunch yesterday, Harding warned that previous successes are no guarantee for future prosperity, citing McDonald's ongoing store closures in the U.S. amid falling sales as an example.

Black cab drivers had argued that by using GPS signals to calculate the cost of a journey, Uber was breaching a law which bans private-hire cars from being equipped with taximeters. Transport for London (TfL) went to court for clarification, where Mr Justice Ouseley handed Uber a decisive victory. He said the app operates differently from a taximeter. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said: "The law really is an ass." An appeal is planned.

Marketing budgets are set to rise for the tenth consecutive quarter but to the weakest degree, driven by mounting worries about the global economy as marketers demand greater accountability, according to the latest IPA Bellwether Report. Ad spend increases were claimed by 4.4% of companies surveyed in the third quarter, a sharp drop on the 12.2% jump posted in the second quarter. Companies' hopes for better financial prospects plummeted to a nine-quarter low of 6.9%, compared to the previous quarter's 13%.