Ken Taylor is returning to Publicis Groupe's GM Planworks to run the dedicated shop for General Motors Corp. A spokeswoman for Starcom MediaVest Group say he will succeed Dennis Donlin on April 1 as general manager and president. He is currently executive vice president-group client leader at Starcom USA, Chicago, responsible for the Kellogg and Lego accounts. A prior stint at GM Planworks was as senior vice president-managing director where he was part of the team that helped form the agency that is solely dedicated to buying and planning for GM's $3 billion account. Taylor has spent …

Troubled pop star Britney Spears will make an appearance on the CBS show "How I Met Your Mother," guest-starring in the March 24 episode of the CBS series. She will portray a receptionist in a dermatologist's office who becomes smitten with one of the regular stars. Craig Thomas, the show's creator, says Spears attended a table reading with the cast on Monday, and that her scenes will be filmed later this week. He adds that representatives for Spears approached CBS about "Mother" because "she was looking for a small part on a funny show." Spears played a character …

Applebee's is rolling out what it calls a "bold, innovative" ad campaign to replace the talking apple spots voiced by comedian and actress Wanda Sykes that lasted just four months. The casual dining chain, acquired last year by IHOP, had hoped to cut through the clutter by creating an iconic image, and it thought it had a hit with the apple approach, created by McCann-Erickson Worldwide, that came out last fall. But IHOP spokesman Patrick Lenow says the campaign has "run its course. As marketing evolves, this has gone a new direction with a new campaign." New ads …

Over the last four years, the top newspapers in the U.S. have collectively lost about 1.4 million copies in daily circulation, according to study by Editor & Publisher, although since the reported numbers come out every six months, the overall decline for individual papers may not hit home for many. Each drop is usually in the low- to mid-single digits, while the industry has lost about 10% of its circulation overall in the last four years. Among the top bleeders: Tribune Co.'s Los Angeles Times, down 20%; San Francisco Chronicle, off 30% and The Boston Globe, which …

Cable net Versus has rolled out a new ad campaign touting its coverage of the NHL playoffs under the tagline "I Am The Stanley Cup Playoffs On Versus." Featuring inanimate objects like a red light, empty seats and a marine mollusk being tossed on to the ice, "Anthem" is one spot to try and make the march to the Stanley Cup come alive. Another execution, focusing on the $6 bottles of champagne used to celebrate a victory, will air as Versus' Game 1 and Game 2 coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals gets closer. "Hey, a sommelier isn't buying …

According to a new study, television no longer captivates kids the way it once did, with 64% of them also going online while they watch -- and their Internet use is now a growing factor in what programs they choose to view. The "Kids' Social Networking Study," from independent research firm Grunwald Associates, also found that 17% of kids report they chose what to watch on TV based on what they were doing online, up from 10% six years ago. Half of all teens say they go online frequently while watching television and Grunwald notes 50 percent of …

Nascar and Family Circle are teaming up for "NASCAR: Serving It Up," a syndicated TV show set to roll out this fall. The program will travel around the country, find aspiring chefs and then have them compete at high profile racing events where they can then apply to appear on future programs. Nascar says the mix of cooking and cars is a good match: "Family Circle's brand attributes are directly in line with Nascar," says Sarah Nettinga, managing director for film, television and entertainment. "Family and food are important to the NASCAR experience, and cooking at events …

Various "527" groups are readying a new raft of ads that, while they may not rise to the level of lies like the "Swift Boat" attacks on Sen. John Kerry in 2004, are still pretty tough. One spot -- from the Campaign To Defend America -- posits that a McCain presidency will pretty much be more of the same of the administration of the widely unpopular George W. Bush. Democratic strategist James Carville says Democrats see a winning formula to be, simply put: "If you like George Bush, you'll love John McCain." At the same time, Republican 527 …