Citing wide-ranging implications for commercial freespeech rights under the First Amendment, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF) have filed a "friends of the court" brief in support of tobacco companies appealing a lower-court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of most of the regulations in the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. In the appeal, being heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit case, the tobacco companies are seeking to overturn a ruling by the U.S. District Court for …

Apple CEO Steve Jobs Kicked off the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference today, where a new iPhone model is expected to be unveiled with an update on the iPad. Two million of the Apple tablets have been sold in the first 59 days and more than 35 million native apps have been downloaded, or over 17 per iPad. Five million books have been downloaded so far and the six biggest U.S. publishers say iBooks now account for 22% of e-book sales. Jobs says that figure will rise as the company ships more iPads. By the end of July, the …

You can almost see the ad. Maybe it's for fire insurance or the perfect beer, or the perfect...whatever: The sun sets over the Brooklyn Bridge. Umpire Jim Joyce stands on the edge (though that's actually impossible on the Brooklyn Bridge, but anyway). It appears he is so distraught about the Galarraga call that he has decided to end it all. Just then who should show up but Detroit Tigers player Armando Galarraga himself. He pats Joyce on the back, tells him that anyone can make an honest mistake. But only (beer brand here) can make a perfect beer. Cut to …

If there is one thing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is as well known for as he is for trampling individuals' personal privacy, it's his ever-present hoodie. In a surprising move, the beleaguered CEO announced he is readying his own line of hoodies. "It's about all I ever wear," remarked Zuckerberg, when pressed for an explanation. But with all of Facebook's recent drama won't launching a clothing line be an unnecessary distraction? "I really just need a break," said Zuckerberg twisting his face into a pained pout and breaking out into a cold sweat. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg could …

Sprint said in a release today that the HTV Evo 4G had broken all broken all previous first day sales records for any phone sold by the carrier. Its heavily promoted new smartphone launched last Friday surpassed the prior first-day sales of both the Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre. Sprint also said the total number of Evo phones sold Friday was three times the total of the Instinct and Pre devices sold combined in their first three days on the market. Strong demand led to temporary shortages at some of the 22,000 retail outlets offering the Evo including …

Yahoo plans to announce Monday changes to the Yahoo homepage, full product integration with Facebook, and Yahoo Pulse, formally Yahoo Profiles, to lets people manage content and privacy settings. Beginning Monday, people who use both Yahoo and Facebook can link their accounts and view and share updates with friends across both networks. People who connect their accounts can tap into their Facebook News Feed on the Yahoo's homepage and in Yahoo Mail and other Yahoo sites and services. Those who create and share content on Yahoo sites such as News, Sports, and Flickr, will have an option to share their …

When it comes to in-stream video ads, 15 or 30 second spots are the standard. But what's the optimum length for a branded video or in-banner video ad? Thirty seconds to 1:30, according to new data from video ad and analytics firm TubeMogul. The completion rate for standalone video ads of that length, at 32.2%, compared to 23.4% for ads longer than 1:30, and 17% for ads under 30 seconds. The assumption would be that the shortest ads would've had the highest completion rates. "But what people seem to be saying is: 'we don't like 15-second TV-style spots or …

The onslaught of marketing and demonstration of 3D technology by television manufacturers is beginning to show results as early adopters are showing interest in the technology. According to research company Interpret, 5% of U.S. heads of households are "definitely interested" in purchasing a 3D TV, and another 8% say they are "probably interested." The company also finds that those who have interest in the technology are willing to pay 8-10% more for a 3D TV over a comparably sized 2D television.

Following its successful introduction of user-generated content (UGC) initiatives and a "Ville"-themed advertising campaign last summer, Johnsonville Sausage is turning up the heat for this year's peak grilling season. For traditional media exposure, Cramer-Krasselt/Milwaukee created a new national TV spot for this season's "Ville" campaign, which is premised on inserting words in front of "ville" that tie into social moments in which people enjoy Johnsonville's sausage, brats and other products ("Summerville," "Vacationville," etc.).   Like the original spot, the latest commercial, airing on national broadcast and cable through September, focuses on showing families and friends sharing fun, "Ville" …

Jerry Buhlmann, the CEO of Aegis Group, and former head of Aegis Media, earns a base salary of approximately $1.088 million, and has been granted 1,918,150 conditional shares of Aegis stock under the company's Performance Share Plan. Based on the last closing price of Aegis' stock, and current currency conversation rates, Buhlmann's stock grant is worth $3,069,040. Aegis disclosed the Buhlmann's remuneration details in preparation for its annual meeting on June 16th. Following the new grant, Buhlmann holds share options of 1,004,824 ordinary shares, and 3,508,671 conditional shares, and holds a total of 265,053 ordinary shares of Aegis …