The Media Rating Council (MRC), NCC Media and a broad coalition of cable, satellite and telco-based subscription TV providers this morning announced plans to develop guidelines for the creation of consistent digital video viewership data. The organizers said the objective of the coalition is to "foster consistency and enable accumulation of this data" across the TV service providers.  Among other things, the initiative plans to develop "best practices" surrounding terms, definitions and calculations for accumulating digital viewership data. The guidelines will include specific recommendations for data processing procedures, which will cover data-capture, editing and reporting as well as guidance …

Best Cheese Corp., the U.S. division of Holland’s largest cheese company, UnieKaas International, B.V., has launched dual Web sites – one to help meal preparers easily determine which cheeses and dairy products are best-suited for specific meal times (and how to use them), and another to provide an international forum for culinary professionals and cheese connoisseurs. The heart of the site geared to mainstream cooks, Dairy Dial (dairydial.com), is a dial app that enables users to click on a meal occasion (breakfast, brunch, lunch, snacks, dinner, late night) and immediately see which types and Best Cheese brands of imported …

Guacamole tends to be pigeon-holed as a party food, but Wholly Guacamole is out to make it part of everyday meals, as well. A partnership with Six Flags theme parks is helping the brand inspire moms to use guacamole as part of recipes (topping burgers, for instance), gain awareness for its new snack packs, and grab shoppers' attention while in-store. A DVD-rebate partnership with Disney-ABC is also in the works.

Mike Wehrs, former president and CEO of the Mobile Marketing Association, has been named CEO of 2D tcchnology company Scanbuy. He replaces Jonathan Bulkeley, who led the startup for the last four years. Scanbuy's flagship ScanLife application allows allows users with a camera phone to scan product information, offers and other content via 2D tags placed on packaging, print ads and outdoor signage. Advertisers including Volkswagen, Discovery Communications and Sprint have used the company's technology in ad campaigns. Prior to joining the MMA in 2009, Wehrs held the post of "Chief Evangalist" at Nuance Communications, best-known for its …

Chief executives both at Google and Verizon will hold a press conference today to talk about last week's reports that the companies reached an agreement on net neutrality. The companies didn't define the details of the call, but did say a preview of the announcement would be posted on both companies' public-policy blogs five minutes prior to the call taking place at 1:30 Eastern. Update: The two companies have come to an agreement on net neutrality and formed details of a "balanced policy framework." the two companies hope other carries and search engines will follow. You can read …

Foxwoods Resort Casino and Live Nation, the live music company, announced an agreement today granting Foxwoods the exclusive naming rights to the former Hilton Theatre on 42nd Street in New York's Times Square, reports The [New London] Day. As of today, the venue will be known as Foxwoods Theatre, the paper said, adding that financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Under terms of the agreement, the Foxwoods brand will be incorporated into all exterior and interior venue signage, including the theater's iconic sign overlooking 42nd Street.

Time Warner this morning confirmed that long-time consumer magazine publishing honcho Jack Griffin has been named CEO of its Time Inc. magazine division, succeeding Anne Moore when he joins the company next month. Moore is retiring after 32 years with Time Inc., but will remain chairman of the unit on a transitional basis. Griffin joins Time Inc. from Meredith Corp, where he stepped down as president of its National Media Group earlier this month. Griffin

Best Buy’s Geek Squad CTO and Founder Robert Stephens could have slipped recently when he tweeted on Twitter about a white label tablet developed by the retailer. If that's the case, the mobile ad industry could heat up quickly as Apple's iPad gets some competition and companies mange to stick more gadgets in the hands of consumers at reasonable prices. Geeky Gadgets points to a prototype from Rocketfish, which is Best Buy’s in-house brand. It would make sense. The Financial Times reports Best Buy has become the first U.S. retailer to distribute mobile coupons to consumers …

A campaign employing food bloggers, Facebook and other social media, a fitness club partnership and print advertising has yielded a 9% sales volume lift for the Athenos Feta Cheese brand in its first three months, reports Athenos brand manager Marshall Hyzdu. The "Make a Change for the Feta" campaign is anchored in a straightforward call to action: Make a simple change by topping salads with Athenos Feta instead of cheddar cheese, and consume one-third less fat and 30% fewer calories, without sacrificing flavor.  Currently, about 80% of cheese used as salad toppings is cheddar, and Athenos's mission is …

Ford has tapped CBS sports announcer James Brown for a new ad push directed at African American consumers. The corporate effort, with an "All-In" theme line, touts quality, technology, the environment and the community. As part of the campaign, via UniWorld Group, Brown appears in a series of web videos touting Ford product quality, technology, the community and the environment. "Our strategy with the ALL IN campaign was simple – we wanted to share Ford's turnaround story in a way where we could highlight the "All In" approach that had to come into play as it relates to individuals …