While online sales are booming, jumping 14% in the second quarter to $37.5 billion, turmoil in the financial markets is already having a significant impact on consumer sentiment. "Consumer perceptions of the economy had been improving moving into August," comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni says in a webcast to present the company's latest research. "But our latest shows a major change. Between the end of July and our polling this week, the number of Middle Americans rating the economy as poor jumped to 64%, from 58%." He adds that among Middle Americans, which it defines as those earning between $50,000 …

Amid posting its best quarterly results in more than a decade, Macy's is unleashing 10,000 wayward elves in locations around the country, with a contest meant to build excitement for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The idea is that the retailer's Elf balloons, which have been floating down Broadway since 1947, are in desperate need of a makeover. Called Macy's Great American Elf Adventure, shoppers who locate one of the missing elves can give it an update. The winning entry will be transformed into a Macy's parade balloon on the big day. (The Cincinnati-based retailer says the parade is …

When it comes to ad recall in mobile, entertainment, technology, and retail are the top industry categories, according to a new study commissioned by mobile ad network Greystripe. Based on a March survey of 2,090 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive, it found entertainment ads were recalled by 39%, tech, 36%, retail, 32%, and gaming, 29%. The study concluded 77 million Americans, including 60% of smartphone owners, recall seeing a mobile ad. Of smartphone users who have seen an ad, 67%, or 39 million, recall the brand category. Younger users were most likely to remember an ad. …

Ad-supported Internet music service Pandora has named Steven Kritzman senior vice president of advertising sales, reporting to Chief Revenue Officer John Trimble. Kritzman, who joined Pandora in 2009 after a 10-year stint at Clear Channel Radio, will be responsible for the U.S. sales strategy for the company's Digital, Network Radio, and Spot Radio businesses. He will also manage Pandora's national advertising sales teams.

With the "Go Forth" campaign moving into its third year, Levi's is taking a new approach for the fall season, launching its first-ever global spot exclusively on Facebook. "Levi's Legacy" is a 60-second film, from Wieden + Kennedy, meant to reinforce the brand's "now is our time" message. While "Go Forth," introduced back in 2009, was inspired by Walt Whitman's poetry, this spot goes into new literary territory for the brand, featuring the poem "The Laughing Heart," by Charles Bukowski. Once called "the laureate of American lowlife," Levi's is hoping Bukowski's call to action ("there is a light …

WPP's MediaCom has been awarded the planning and buying assignment for the adult-targeted game category from the large and rapidly growing Canadian toy maker Spin Master. The client is based in Toronto and MediaCom will handle the account out of its Burbank office, near Spin Master's Los Angeles operation. According to Kantar Media, Spin Master spends about $75 million annually on ads, although only a portion of that is earmarked for the adult-themed game segment that MediaCom will handle. And it was not clear how much of the client's budget is directed at that segment right now. Still, the account …

Award-winning journalist David Bohrman has been named president of Current TV, the cable TV network division of Current Media. Bohrman most recently was senior vice president and Chief Innovation Officer Worldwide for CNN. He will be based in New York and San Francisco, and will oversee programming, production, broadcast operations, digital and technology. He will also work closely with Current's Chief News Officer Keith Olbermann, who is host of Current's centerpiece program, "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," as the network expands its primetime line-up and election coverage.

Havas Media's Havas Digital unit just announced what it claims is a breakthrough in online attribution analysis for the impact of social media. The new "proprietary attribution methodology," which it developed in conjunction with predictive analytics firm Concentric, is being touted as the first to quantify "social media's impact on campaign results." Havas said its new "social media attribution" method builds on earlier pioneering work it did in generic "digital attribution" to understand the results of online display, search and video advertising "beyond the last click." As is deu riguer for such Havas milestones, the media shop has …

Yahoo has struck a deal with Belo Corp. under which Belo will help sell local advertising on Yahoo properties in each of the 15 television markets the media company operates nationwide. Besides providing online display inventory, Yahoo will also share ad technology tools with Belo. The initiative expands on an agreement the companies have had for several years in which Belo stations supply select video content across Yahoo sites. The program will roll out starting this summer in Dallas/Fort Worth, Seattle/Tacoma, Portland, New Orleans, and Spokane and Boise. The remaining nine markets, including St. Louis, Austin, TX, and …

Simon Cowell, executive producer/judge of Fox' new "The X Factor" show, says new competition from other reality singing shows, such as NBC's "The Voice" -- as well Fox's ongoing juggernaut, "American Idol" -- will only up the game for new TV performance/singing series. "You are going to have to make better shows," says Cowell, in speaking at the Television Critics Association meeting here. A part of this comes with more mentoring of singing talent, as well as offering up different kinds of off-stage video. He says: "When you make reality TV you have to make it as real …