WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will stand by his offer to go to the US now that Chelsea Manning is being released. Mr Assange had previously committed to hand himself in if Barack Obama offered clemency to Manning. But when that happened, his lawyers suggested he wouldn't actually fulfil that commitment -- arguing that she wasn't being released quickly enough.

Marketers are becoming more cautious when it comes to hiring new staff, the latest quarterly IPA Bellwether report has claimed. Given the uncertain economic impact of Britain leaving the European single market, the latest data suggests an impact on new hires. The net balance of marketers looking to hire new staff in the fourth quarter was 12.7%, down from a score of 16.4% in the third quarter.

Despite efforts to promote the value of marketing within businesses, Marketing Week's annual Career and Salary Survey shows there is still a lack of understanding and appreciation for the discipline, at a time when gaming and gambling is revealed as the best-paid sector for marketers.

WikiLeaks had pledged in a tweet that its founder would agree to be extradited to the US if Barack Obama granted clemency to Ms Manning, which he did in the final hours of his presidency. Mr Assange's lawyers initially seemed to suggest that promise would be carried through but it appears now that Mr Assange will stay inside the embassy.

Netflix has been rewarded for putting its eggs in the original content basket. After hours trading on Wednesday saw the company's stock rise by as much as 9% on the news it had added 7.05 million new subscribers in the last three months of 2016. The company notes that the BBC became the first "major linear network" to push into a "binge-first" strategy, and it expects HBO to follow suit.

The number of marketing communications mergers and acquisitions continued to rise during 2016, led by Dentsu overall with content creation businesses very much in demand. According to annual research released by Results International, 1,023 marcom deals took place globally, up from the 979 deals that were completed during 2015.

The weak pound that has lured shoppers from all over the world to London has paid off handsomely for Burberry. The luxury fashion house announced strong third-quarter figures yesterday, with comparable sales up by 40% in the UK, what it called an "exceptional performance."

Snapchat has become a must for many brands -- especially those aiming to reach young consumers, who are the bulk of Snapchat's audience. New research found that Snapchat adoption among brands increased throughout 2016, but many of these branded accounts were quickly abandoned.

Results of the study suggest that consumers suffer from "sales fatigue" given that only 37% of participants are "excited" by the prospect of the January sales. The same proportion put off major purchases until this key sales period. The research also found that only 6% use discount codes.

Maurice Levy has declared his successor will be an insider and suggested Publicis Groupe is close to naming "him." Arthur Sadoun, chief executive of Publicis Communications, which runs the group's creative agencies, is regarded as the frontrunner to be chairman and chief executive of Publicis Groupe.