The Federal Trade Commission should investigate word-of-mouth marketing companies BzzAgent and Influenster, which allegedly send consumers free products in exchange for reviews and posts on sites like Instagram, advocacy groups … Read the full story by Wendy Davis
U.S. media stocks have pulled back somewhat from their recent run-up, yet they still score big results since the election. Dow Jones U.S. Broadcasting & Entertainment Index is up 4.5% … Read the full story by Wayne Friedman
In what appears to be a restructuring -- or at the very least, a re-branding of -- Xaxis, GroupM this morning announced the launch of a new "platform" rolling up … Read the full story by Joe Mandese
Is there anything cheesier than a "naughty" Santa? Well, yes. The Fiat "Black Friday Event" commercial manages to pack in so many sexist, culturally tone-deaf, throwback, and cringe-making elements in … Read the full story by
Security researchers at Check Point Software Technologies have uncovered a new variant of Android malware that the company estimates has breached the security of more than one million Google accounts. … Read the full story by Laurie Sullivan
Forget about Millennials. Anyone trying to understand the future of media and technology should observe what the children do. First of all, they talk to computers. Read the full story by Josh Engroff
Briefing securities analysts during its "Investors Day" this week, WPP gave little insight about the ad industry outlook, although it implied that things would be relatively flat, expanding at about … Read the full story by Joe Mandese
If Santa puts a big red bow on a good number of vehicles in December, automakers will break the all-time record for annual sales. November U.S. auto sales were up … Read the full story by Tanya Gazdik
There may be trouble in wearables land. Based on a number of recent reports, the appetite for smart or connected things that are worn may be softening a bit, at … Read the full story by Chuck Martin
You probably looked at the headline on this column and said to yourself, "Oh Christ, not another story on fake news?!?!" Read the full story by George Simpson
Roslyn Layton, an outspoken critic of the FCC's new privacy rules as well as the net neutrality rules, will join President-elect Donald Trump's transition team. Read the full story by Wendy Davis
Adblock Plus is looking for candidates to run an independent board. It's holding a meetup in New York on Dec. 6 to discuss the board's function and vet candidates. Read the full story by Tobi Elkin
The French holding company issued a statement indicating that the new roles are designed to "ensure the creation and development of the most effective, innovative and integrated solutions for clients … Read the full story by Steve McClellan
So far, Adobe says online spending has hit $36.5 billion -- a 7.1% increase from 2015. It says consumers have spent more than $1 billion on 26 out of 27 … Read the full story by Sarah Mahoney
In what likely is a precursor for the rest of Madison Avenue's annual year-end forecasts, influential Wall Street analyst Brian Wieser has downgraded his outlook for 2017, citing tough comparisons … Read the full story by Joe Mandese
Permit me to sit out the Great Media Apology Tour of 2016. Since election night, we have been fed a steady stream of mea culpas for the press's failure to … Read the full story by Bob Garfield
Consumers spent $3.34 billion online on Black Friday, up 21.6% year-over-year, while Thanksgiving accounted for the remaining $1.93 billion for the two days. The biggest surprise: Mobile devices drove $1.2 … Read the full story by Laurie Sullivan
Let's have a debate. Adblock Plus, the leading ad blocker, will convene a "potentially world-changing meetup" the week after next in New York. Should advertisers attend? Read the full story by John Motavalli