Piriteze is using Sky AdSmart technology to carry out a highly targeted TV campaign, with ads only being shown to those in areas where the pollen count is medium to high. For many brands, TV is a highly effective medium, and yet the amount of wastage of spend can also be an issue, as it often hits a wide audience. Allergy brand Piriteze is now using data and targeting technology to ensure that its ads are only shown to those who are likely to be suffering from hay fever.

Two streaming companies have been brought together by a shared investor with the hope of creating a specialist able to target emerging markets that Spotify and Apple Music have yet to crack. Toscafund has forged a merger of the Akazoo streaming business owned by InternetQ, the listed mobile marketing company, and R&R Music, a high-tech music technology business run by Eric Nicoli, the former EMI chief executive. The combined business has been valued at GBP75 million as a result of the fresh investment.

Facebook has been forced to deny media reports that it is on the cusp of launching its own music streaming service amidst rumours that it may be poised to go head-to-head with Apple Music, Spotify and others. Rumours first began circulating following a report by Music Ally which claimed Facebook would launch an own-brand service within a matter of months. The social media giant later categorically denied any such thing however; issuing a statement which said that it had "no plans to go into music streaming."

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is undergoing a "massive digital branding project" for Lord's, ahead of this summer's Ashes, as it looks to boost revenues and show that cricket is not just for "affluent English gents." It has launched a mobile app that it will trial over the summer to test ways of creating a more connected experience by improving its food and beverage offering and managing queues. The app will also provide promotional opportunities with the MCC looking to trial beacon technology to push offers.

P&G says it has "effectively completed" its brand cull as it merges 43 of its beauty brands with Coty, leaving it close to its aim of having 65 brands in 10 categories where it believes it can "create value." The deal includes its global salon professional hair care and colour, retail hair colour, cosmetics and fine fragrance businesses as well as some of its hairstyling brands. Max Factor, Covergirl and Wella are among the brands involved in the merger, which had total sales of $5.9bn in the 2014 fiscal year.

Privacy concerns and unwanted marketing are the top reasons for consumers giving false information online and with only a small percentage of incorrect responses disproportionately devaluing databases, brands need to up the ante in explaining the benefits of giving accurate data. People are deliberately giving brands false data about themselves to protect their privacy, and are ignoring brands' efforts to empower them to take control of their data, according to a study of more than 2,400 UK consumers by research company Verve.

American Airlines has launched a campaign with The Week, owned by Dennis Publishing, to promote its London to New York business class route. The "going for great" campaign will see 160,000 The Week US issues being delivered to UK subscribers, and 12,000 copies being distributed in Canary Wharf. The US edition will include an American Airlines cover wrap and content aimed at UK readers. There will also be tailored content on TheWeek.co.uk.

Microsoft has published a memo sent to staff from CEO Satya Nadella revealing that the technology giant will axe 7,800 -- just over 6% of its workforce. Many of the layoffs will be in the company's struggling phone division, and Nadella also revealed that Microsoft will take an impairment charge (read: writeoff) of $7.6 billion (GBP4.9 billion) on its acquisition of Nokia. What's more, Nadella said the company will take a restructuring charge of between $750m (GBP488m) to $850m (GBP553m) to push through the changes.

Has the "Sun" abandoned its paywall? Readers without a subscription can access the splash, some of its main news stories and high-profile columnists as well as some sports stories for free. So what's left? In fact, a great deal of the content on the "Sun" Web site now appears to be accessible, which is bound to upset those who pay GBP7.99 a month for what they imagine to be exclusive online access.

BBC spending could fall 20% in real terms over the next five years under the government's plans to hand the corporation the bill for providing free TV licences to the over-75s, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility's analysis of Wednesday's budget. The OBR predicts BBC spending will fall by about GBP400m from GBP3.9bn this year to GBP3.5bn in 2020/21 as the BBC takes responsibility for the bill in phases. The cost to the BBC at the end of the five years is expected to be GBP745m annually.