The number of marketing jobs advertised in the first quarter has risen by 25% year-on-year, according to new research from recruitment specialist Roger Walters. Over the period, the biggest growth for marketing opportunities appeared in Northern England, with job listings up 48%. There was also strong growth in London and the Midlands, with respective increases of 18% and 20%.

Instagram has become the latest big name app to join the Apple Watch fold with the release of a custom app designed exclusively for use on the wearable tech. The launch forced Instagram to reassess how the image-sharing platform could work on a shrunken display. In excess of 1m Apple Watches have already been sold ahead of the device's launch on Friday.

OgilvyOne UK has been appointed by Inter Ikea Systems to work on in-store and online experiences for the brand's stores across the world. OgilvyOne UK won the business after a competitive pitch, run by Inter Ikea Systems directly, against two other unnamed agencies. There was no incumbent on the account. The brief is to review Ikea's customer journey, both online and in stores, and improve customers' experience. OgilvyOne UK will then create a campaign to alert people about the ways they can shop with the furniture retailer.

Bloomberg Media today announced Microsoft as its advertising partner for the Bloomberg Hub, its news and data installation at London City Airport. The deal marks the first time Bloomberg has offered advertising inventory to a third party within the Hub, which was launched in May 2014 as part of a three-year agreement with the airport. For the next three months, Microsoft will showcase real-life stories about its Cloud system on the Media Wall -- a set of 12 55-inch ultra HD screens that feature departure information, market prices, and news summaries.

The BBC is to begin allowing paid product placement in programmes on its BBC World News international TV channel. BBC programmes outside the UK have already been sponsored by commercial interest. Product placement will apply to feature programmes on topics such as sport, travel and technology. But it will not feature in news content.

With ambitious plans to open a new store every week, Habitat is confident that its new television campaign can help it to become a high street fixture once again. Design brand Habitat went into administration back in 2011, closing around 70 stores across Europe and the UK, and only keeping its three flagship Central London stores open. However, since being acquired by the Home Retail Group, which also owns Homebase and Argos, the business has focused all its energies on the UK market and opening smaller store formats.

Unilever hopes to grow its global e-commerce sales by 40% in 2015 in an effort to reach more customers through digital channels. The move is part of its cost-cutting strategy to make its advertising budgets work more efficiently. The company announced plans yesterday to "step up resources" in e-commerce, "further accelerate digital" and increase overall brand and marketing investment this year in order to see more return on investment.

We are meant to be more "connected" than ever in an era of mobile communications -- but new research suggests that millions of us feel we now have less and less direct contact with other people. A survey found that almost four in 10 people feel they now have less daily interaction with people they know than they did just five years ago, while only one seven feel they have more. Even when people do interact with others outside of the workplace, it is more likely to be through a phone call or text message than direct face-to-face contact.

The owner of the Daily Express, Richard Desmond, has handed over GBP1.3m to boost UKIP's general election campaign. The newspaper baron, who began his publishing career in pornography, said he was making the donation because he "firmly believes in UKIP." This comes at a time when Ukip is being squeezed in the polls by the Conservatives and Labour, having dropped from its peak of 19% to around 14% or less. It comes on top of a GBP300,000 donation to the party last year and speculation that Desmond would like a peerage.

Moneysupermarket was among the first UK brands to ring fence its first-party data, to create its own programmatic trading desk. Speaking at the Drum's Digital Trading Awards (DTA), the brand revealed that although it is advanced compared to others, internal education remains a "vital" part of its overall strategy as it moves beyond last click to understand the value of display. Viewability remains an ongoing issue for the industry and one that Moneysupermarket is actively looking to crack down on.