L'Oreal UK has appointed The Red Brick Road to be the retained integrated agency for its Active Cosmetics Division in the UK and Ireland. The agency will handle creative, digital, press and experiential activity for the division, which comprises the La Roche-Posay and Vichy skincare brands and the fragrance brand Roger & Gallet. The division has previously worked with a number of different agencies on a project basis.

Diageo has kicked off a consumer trial of its Johnnie Walker Blue Label connected bottle prototype as it looks to test out the technology's ability to push personalised messages. From yesterday, 500 bottles have gone on sale in Thailand kitted out with Near Field Communications (NFC) to show targeted messages and exclusive content to people using their smartphones. Diageo is partnering with Selinko, a software and solution provider, for this limited-edition launch.

Carlsberg is looking to "move beyond" lad culture with its sponsorship of Euro 2016, but admits there will be challenges in appealing to football fans when England, Wales and Northern Ireland are all involved in the competition. Its Euro 2016 sponsorship campaign will be fronted by former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel as he talks up Carlsberg's commitment to "do it better for the fans."

Chinese Internet giant Alibaba will pay $266m for Hong Kong's "South China Morning Post," the newspaper said on Monday, in an acquisition that has sparked fears the paper will lose its independent voice. The deal comes at a time when concern over press freedom in Hong Kong is growing after attacks on journalists, reports of pressure on editorial staff from authorities and increasing self-censorship. SCMP Group also owns the Hong Kong editions of magazines "Esquire," "Elle," "Cosmopolitan" and "Harper's Bazaar."

The National Trust is shifting its digital strategy to encourage people to see their membership as a contribution to the charity's cause of preserving historic buildings and landscapes rather than as a season ticket to a number of attractions as it looks to boost engagement. The National Trust said last year it would invest GBP30m in this digital transformation, which includes an overhaul of its mobile apps, website and digital infrastructure. It hired Tom Barker, previously at the BBC's digital lab project, to oversee the project.

Social networks have historically been used as a way for brands to amplify their marketing content, in some cases without paying a penny. That has become more difficult as the sites have restricted the reach of brands' posts and the sheer number of brand accounts and messages has increased. Social networks are also keen to get brands to buy into their ad platforms. But does this work? Should marketers think of social media as a paid-for advertising channel or a low-cost conduit for their content?

YouTube has published the 2015 Creative Agency Leaderboard with Wieden+Kennedy topping the list, with the agency's work for brands including EA Sports, Nike and KFC all winning plaudits. The independent creative shop appeared a total of eight times in the YouTube Creative Agency Leaderboard throughout 2015, with the agency awarded a Gold Standing by the Google-owned video-sharing service for a variety of clients, with its FIFA 16 - Play Beautiful ad for EA Sports ranked as number 1.

Creston, the marketing group that owns TMW Unlimited, has launched a new brand partnership agency, Affinity Unlimited. The agency aims to complement the existing Creston Unlimited agencies, and assist clients in developing brand identity, making them seem more accessible, trustworthy and "human" to their target audience. It will also aim to build brand partnerships that revolve around creation and collaboration, rather than basic sponsorship activity.

Niche, the social media talent agency recently bought by Twitter, has launched its first campaign in the UK for Doritos, the crisps brand owned by PepsiCo. The agency connects advertisers with popular figures on social media. The Doritos "#BoldAdvent" campaign sees the brand partner with Arron Crascall, a comedian and prankster well known with users of Vine, who shares his interpretation of what a "bold Christmas" looks like. OMD UK handled the media for the campaign.

The Tab, an online red top that launched in 2009, secured the investment from Balderton, the London-based venture capital firm behind Betfair, Lovefilm and Citymapper. The company said it would use the funds to widen its American expansion after opening its first US office, with a team of 16 editors in New York, in September. The Tab -- which now has a presence in more than 40 UK universities and 25 North American colleges, including every Ivy League school -- plans to roll out to another 45 campuses.