TED, the ideas-centric non-profit has launched its second annual Ads Worth Spreading initiative at the IAB MIXX Conference stage in New York today. Agencies, brands, producers and individuals can submit work that expresses a "clever, compelling or infectious idea." TED will open submissions on Oct. 15, and close on Dec. 31. During this time, six teams of two – made up of one TED speaker and one "rising star" from the advertising industry will nominate ads from specific areas of interest. In addition, TED's 24 Advocates from the advertising industry will also suggestions and nominate ads. YouTube's Ad …

TED, the ideas-centric non-profit has launched its second annual Ads Worth Spreading initiative at the IAB MIXX Conference stage in New York today. Agencies, brands, producers and individuals can submit work that expresses a "clever, compelling or infectious idea." TED will open submissions on Oct. 15, and close on Dec. 31. During this time, six teams of two – made up of one TED speaker and one "rising star" from the advertising industry will nominate ads from specific areas of interest. In addition, TED's 24 Advocates from the advertising industry will also suggestions and nominate ads. YouTube's Ad …

The IAB today introduced what it calls the first tablet buyer's guide for the U.S. mobile marketplace to help advertisers and agencies clarify issues on planning, design, execution and measurement of three specific types of display advertising: In-App Ads - Ads delivered in apps downloaded to and resident on the tablet Tablet Web Ads in PC-Optimized Websites - Ads served to consumers using tablet web browsers, but browsing websites designed with the PC audience in mind Tablet Web Ads in Tablet-Optimized Websites - Ads served to consumers using tablet web browsers, in web pages designed specifically …

Growth in ad expenditures around the world slowed in the second quarter to 5.7% and totaled $127 billion in 36 key markets measured by Nielsen's Global AdView Pulse report, released today. By comparison, growth in the first quarter was 8.9%, while first half spending was up 7.2%. While there was spending growth overall in the second quarter, the Nielsen data recorded declines in half the markets that the company's AdView Pulse report measures. Economic worries on the part advertisers were cited as the reason for the market spending declines. "Compared to the 8.9 percent growth rate in the …

One of the things that makes Advertising Week a challenge is that there are so many parallel tracks, and it's easy to completely miss a really good conference or panel. I just showed up at the Reuters building to catch a panel at noon on winning the marketing war, or something amorphous like that, but caught the tail end of a panel I really wish I hadn't missed on how to navigate the purchase funnel. the panel had Delta Airlines' digital marketing guy, someone from L'Oreal, and other interesting folks. Ah well, one can't be everywhere at once. But …

Coupons.com Monday announced landing $30 million in new funding from Greylock Partners to continue the coupon industry's expansion from print to digital, mobile and social. The latest round comes only a few months after Coupons.com raised $200 million in June from institutional investors, up to half of which will be used to "facilitate liquidity" for employees and early investors. (Greylock was not a prior investor.) That funding valued the company at $1 billion. Besides its own flagship site, Coupons.com powers the majority of coupons printed online via a network of tens of thousands of sites. Since June, the …

In the wake of Amazon's Kindle Fire launch, Barnes & Noble Monday announced Target as the latest retailers to selling its Nook e-readers. Besides B&N and Target, the $139 Nook Simple Touch Reader™ and the $249 Nook Color Reader's Tablet are distributed through Best Buy, Books-A-Million, Fred Meyer, Office Max, P.C. Richard & Sons, Radio Shack, Staples, and Walmart. Last week's rollout of the $199 Kindle Fire, and a new family of Kindle e-readers starting at $79, puts B&N under more pressure than ever as the leading rival to Amazon in the e-reader space. Whether B&N will make a round …

The National Retail Federation reports that this Halloween will breathe new life into zombies, with walking-dead costumes zooming into the fourth most popular costume for adults this year, up from No. 22 in last year's survey. As has been true in past years, traditional costumes are still the most popular, with witches coming in first, pirates second, and vampires third. The NRF predicts Americans will $2.5 billion on costumes this year, including $1 billion on children's costumes, $1.2 billion on adult costumes, and $310 million on pet costumes. For kids, princesses, witches, Spidermen and pirates occupy the top four …

Chrysler Group LLC today reported U.S. sales of 127,334, a 27% increase compared with sales in September 2010 (100,077 units), and the best September sales since 2007. But more telling, Chrysler's retail sales (excluding fleet) rose 50%. The company says it has beaten the average industry sales increase in eight of nine months this year. What did it? The company attributes the rise to Chrysler 200 mid-size and Chrysler 300 full-size sedans, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass, Dodge Journey crossover, Ram pickup truck, and the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans. Pretty much everything. "Irrespective …

Here at Advertising Week's main venue, Times Center, they have Bloomberg Radio blasting in the restroom. One of the hedge funders being interviewed about today's events on the floor of the exchanged said "we have optionality..." to do something or other.