Samsung is launching a record-breaking GBP45m marketing barrage to support its new Galaxy S6 smartphone. The figure, disclosed by industry sources, is the largest ever for a mobile phone launch. Samsung is spending heavily across all traditional and new media marketing channels, but is understood to be especially targeting the mass audiences provided by television and high-profile outdoor advertising sites. The Galaxy S6 is already being heavily promoted on the digital billboards on the London Underground network.

Disney has launched a GBP95,000 competition to find developers to come up with new apps that use its characters, such as the Marvel superheroes, to encourage healthy living. The media giant has teamed up with the non-profit Creative England to target software specialists outside London's highly competitive development scene. Matt Carroll of Disney said the competition was seeking submissions that take advantage of the latest heath technology trends, such as wearable fitness sensors.

The number of digital channels and software products that help market on those channels continues to rapidly grow, according to research from eMarketer in its new report "Nine Marketing Tech Trends for 2015." In 2014, global marketing software revenues reached $20.2bn, according to research from the International Data Corporation. Revenues are predicted to reach $32.4bn by 2018. The number of companies selling software and services to marketers rose from about 350 in 2012 to nearly 950 in 2014.

A report published on Friday by the House of Lords says the government needs to push the European Commission on the commitments it made nine years ago in the European Union Alcohol Strategy. The EC had said it would help governments to prevent irresponsible marketing of alcohol on TV. However, in today's report, the lords said: "These were ambitious commitments, and we are not aware of any concrete developments flowing from them."

The publisher said the cross-platform ad partnership team would allow it to "deliver more impactful solutions to advertisers." Mel Scott, the UK chief revenue officer for the Mail Online, will lead the Mail brands partnership team. She will be joined by others from DMG Media's print and digital ad teams, who are yet to be recruited. DMG expects to have the team in place in April. Although it is not the first time DMG Media has sold across platforms, it is the first time they have had a fully dedicated team.

The Salvation Army has mocked up a poster of an abused woman wearing "the dress" in a bid to raise awareness of unreported domestic violence. The poster shows a woman wearing a white and gold (or black and blue, according to your eyesight) dress with bruises on her body. It aims to ride the wave of popular meme #TheDress, which last week caused a social media storm and captivated audiences around the Twittersphere. The Salvation Army used the dress to highlight that one in six women are victims of abuse.

Mark Zuckerberg, the 30-year-old billionaire who runs Facebook, created a huge stir in Silicon Valley this week when he revealed his one rule when hiring staff. It's a simple one, he claimed: he will only hire someone to work directly for him if he would also be willing to work for that person. It is a hugely powerful idea, but one which he carefully caveated. The rule only applies to those staff who report directly to him, of whom, like all top CEOs, he has only a handful and who are all very senior.

Diageo is on the hunt for an ad agency to handle The Singleton Scotch whisky brand. Much of The Singleton's recent marketing activity in the UK has focused on experiential events. Last year, the brand created The Singleton Night Market on London's South Bank in an attempt to modernise the way people drink whisky. Diageo appointed the independent shop Love in 2014 to oversee the Western Europe direct and e-CRM business for its single-malt whiskies, including the Friends of the Classic Malts loyalty club.

R/GA has been appointed without a pitch and will be charged with developing digital and above-the-line strategy for the products. It is the first time that Unilever has hired a shop to handle this selection of brands on a global level. The agency will be tasked with producing TV and print campaigns, digital and social media activity, as well as content. The appointment strengthens R/GA's existing relationship with Unilever. The shop is already on the roster for Axe (Lynx in the UK) and also works on Rexona (Sure in the UK) and Skip (Persil in the UK).

Katherine Viner, the current editor-in-chief of the Guardian US, has won the staff vote to replace current Guardian Editor in Chief Alan Rusbridger. Viner's win ensures that she will be on the list of three candidates. Winning the approval of 53%, Viner beat Janine Williams, editor in chief of theguardian.com, Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, and an unnamed, non-executive director of the Scott Trust. The Scott Trust, which ultimately owns The Guardian, will make the final decision later this month.