The Mobile Content Venture (MCV) group, formed by a dozen broadcast groups last year, has committed to launching in another 12 markets in 2011 for a total of 32. The new markets include Seattle, Miami, Denver, Cleveland, St. Louis, Charlotte,  Raleigh. Kansas Cit,y Columbus, Las Vegas. Tulsa and Montgomery. Among the 20 markets MCV is already pushing into are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas.The broadcast companies behind MCV, including Belo Corp., Cox Media Group, E.W. Scripps Co., and Hearst Television, have previously said they plan to offer mobile digital TV service in 40% of U.S. television markets by year's end.

A character called Mr. Nonstop has the leading role in an ad campaign that JetBlue Airways will launch April 18 to highlight its long list of daily nonstop destinations from Logan International Airport in Boston, according to the <I>Boston Globe</I>. The six-week effort includes TV, online, radio, print and out of home. Designed by Boston ad firm Mullen, the campaign is expected to reach 95% of the regional market as JetBlue tries to solidify its position at Logan and fend off intensifying competition from other discount carriers, according to the newspaper report. The marketing push, which targets business travelers, …

MDC Partners, the holding company for such agencies as Crispin Porter and Kirshenbaum Bond, has hired CNBC journalist and blogger Ash Bennington as director of strategic technology and innovation.  His responsibilities will include the formation and running of MDC Ideas, an internal think thank to identify ares of investment in such areas as social media, digital convergence and business analytics. At CNBC, Bennington reported and blogged on technology, economics, finance, and banking. MDC said he will  continue to contribute to CNBC.com. Bennington is a seasoned technology consultant and manager who was previously an assistant VP and technical expert at …

Denver-based Booyah Online Advertising has promoted Troy Lerner to president, replacing founder Michael Shehan, who remains as CEO and president of sister company SpotXchange, the online video ad network. Lerner was previously agency VP. Lerner joined Booyah in 2005 from Avenue A/Razorfish, where he was senior strategy manager.  The 10-year-old agency had originally focused on paid search and now offers a full line of digital services, including display, email, social media and online video. Booyah's clients include DISH Network, Teleflora, Vail Resorts, Qdoba, Dirt Devil, Vitamin Shoppe and Little Tikes.

After suffering weaker sales, Best Buy is thinking small: It says it will focus on expanding its petite Best Buy Mobile stores, which are about 1,400 square feet, and shrink its regular stores by about 10% in the next three to five years. In presentations to investors and analysts, the Minneapolis-based chain says it is all part of its mission to look beyond individual products to larger issues of connectivity. "Technology is connecting the world, and we believe it's changing the world for the better," says CEO Brian J. Dunn, in its release explaining the changes. "We recognize that …

Kimberly-Clarke's Huggies brand has named Ogilvy & Mather as its digital agency of record following a review. The brand says it plans to grow the use of online media as part of its overall marketing mix. "We understand the importance of using digital channels and mobile platforms to connect with today's moms.  Ogilvy delivered an innovative approach that demonstrated unique insights into the digital behavior of moms that we believe will significantly increase our opportunity to engage moms across digital channels," said Jeff Jarrett, global digital director for the company, in a release. Ogilvy has handled the advertising, …

Customer insight communities company Communispace is partnering with the Ad Council, a non-profit organization that delivers critical, public awareness messages to the American public.  The deal will let the Ad Council get consumer insights from private online communities on topics like preventative health, education, and community well-being. Communispace had done research through its IdeaSpaces communities around the Ad Council's Child Passenger Safety PSA campaign in the Fall of 2010.  Communispace used participant insights to develop strategies for educating parents on child transportation safety measures. The firm says the Ad Council will be using these insights to help shape the …

Maytag is introducing a new brand campaign that it hopes will warm up its old-reliable image, while at the same time building on its never-breaks-down brand equity. The famed Maytag Repairman gets a cameo in the TV spots, but the focus is now on contents of the machine, themed "What's Inside Matters." Ads show a family quilt getting dragged from picnic to campout to station wagon to laundry room, or a rag doll getting roughed up at a tea party. "We wanted to shift the focus to the mundane urgencies that people connect with dependability," Jim Paul, VP/creative director …

Interpublic Group's Mediabrands – consisting of UM and Initiative, and named Media magazine's agency holding company of the year for both 2010 and 2010 – is realigning to fit what IPG calls a new "client-centric" strategy.  As part of the changes, its Mediabrands Ventures unit will be absorbed into Mediabrands itself, with Ventures CEO Matt Freeman moving to IPG's McCann Erickson in the new post of vice-chairman, global chief innovation officer.

WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather has been named digital agency of record for Kimberly-Clark's Huggies brand.  Olgilvy has been Huggies' overall ad agency in many markets for more than a decade, and took on the brand in North America last year.  The new digital assignment will be handled out of Ogilvy's  Chicago and New York offices under  Brandon Berger, who joined the agency recently as  its first global chief digital officer.