At the OMMA Ad Nets conference in Los Angles, Brandon Berger, vp of digital innovation of MDC Partners, said the growth of digital media seems to be pushing creative away from media. "Creative is now disconnected with media," says Berger. Case in point is the current Old Spice campaign, where actor Isaiah Mustafa began a series of personalized online videos to thank his fans. "There was no creative," says Berger. Berger thinks the value of media is going to grow. As a side note, Mustafa now says this is retiring from this activity. "I can't write …

Good morning and welcome to Los Angeles. Brandon Berger, vice president of digital innovation at MDC Partners, steps back to get a perspective on what the industry might look like going forward. In the past, clients give agencies money and relied on their expertise. The simple business built on limited ways to reach people through execution vs. strategy eventually flip flopped and drove up prices for ads. Scarcity led way to an abundance. It became strategic rather than execution as more companies lined up to help advertisers advertise. Then it became audiences vs. media, and the new currency, data, emerged. …

That's how opening OMMA Ad Nets keynoter Brandon Berger kicked things off this morning. "The truth is media is a commodity. It really is. It's the ability to buy attention for the opportunity to sell your product," Berger said, priming the audience with the quote: "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) will introduce a privacy bill today, Politico reports. Observers anticipate that Rush's proposal will "take a more middle-of-the-road approach" to data sharing than a draft bill floated in May by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) Politico says that details are still scant, but a hearing on the measure is slated for Thursday.

Just one day after NBC declared victory on the Internet front, ABC claims top spot with a different measuring company. Nielsen Video Census puts ABC.com at 3.4 million unique visitors for the month of June. CBS is in second place at 2.4 million; Fox, 1.8 million; NBC, 1.4 million; and CW 229,000. ABC says its best rated show, new series "The Gates" was at 814,000 unique visitors,; “The Bachelorette" was second, 797,000 million; and “General Hospital", third, at 646,000. ABC says it has remained in the top spot in this Nielsen VideoCensus for the last sixth months. …

Ford is putting 43 of the Fiesta compact cars it has been using in its Fiesta Movement program out to pasture, literally. The Fiestas will be part of a rally-racing experience program via Team O'Neil Rally School in Dalton, N.H. The Ford Racing Fiesta Rally Experience gives aspiring rally drivers a way to learn how to drive the grueling offroad race, which typically winds through hill and dale on gnarly dirt roads. For the Fiesta rally experience, Team O'Neil will modify each production front-wheel-drive Fiesta with a roll bar, rally suspension and off-road tires, and will then feature …

Grammy award winner Joss Stone will appear in and compose original music for Activition's upcoming James Bond release: James Bond 007: Blood Stone. The game, which will be available later this year, is an action adventure game that pits players in the role of international spy and also features the likenesses of Daniel Craig as the title spy and Judi Dench as "M." Stone's track for the game, written with former Eurrythmics maestro Dave Stewart, is titled "I'll Take It All."

Propelled by strong sales in its Toy Story 3 and Hot Wheels line—not to mention a nice midlife bounce from Barbie—both profits and sales rose at Mattel in the second quarter. And to boost demand for its American Girl line, the company is launching Shine On Now, a charitable initiative run entirely on girlpower. The El Segundo, Calif.-based toy marketer says net income more than doubled to $51.6 million, compared with $21.5 million in the same period a year ago. And sales rose 13% to $1.02 billion, up from $898.2 million last year.

Ford Motor is making big management changes to promote its "One Ford" plan to simplify global operations. Among changes, Jim Farley, who is now Ford group VP of global marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America operations, will become Ford's global leader for marketing, sales and service, effective August 1. Ford says that new role marks the first time has had a single global leader for marketing, sales and service. Farley has led Ford's Global Marketing operations since he joined the company in November 2007. In September 2009, Ford's operations in Canada, Mexico and South America were added to …

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Friday the company will give iPhone 4 customers a free rubber “bumper” to remedy the device’s much-publicized reception problems in addition to a software update previously announced to fix how the phone displays signal strength. Users who are unsatisfied with the iPhone 4 will also be given a refund without having to pay restocking fees, Jobs said during a press conference aimed at defusing the near crisis that’s erupted since complaints about wireless reception began emerging shortly after Apple released the latest version of its signature device in June. Jobs conceded the iPhone …