LinkedIn today launched a “Follow” button that member companies can add to their Web sites so people can keep up with brands through their company LinkedIn pages. By clicking on the button, someone will automatically begin to follow a company as long as they’re logged onto LinkedIn. Otherwise a box appears asking for their account login. Company status updates will then appear on a user’s LinkedIn home page. The online professional network said research shows 70% of members follow or would companies on LinkedIn. Half would do so “indefinitely.” And about half of current followers say they’re more likely …

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has named Karen Schuchardt senior vice president of digital media sales. She joins from Viacom, where she was vice president convergent ad sales, and previously she was an account executive at Google and Yahoo.

This year marks an extraordinary milestone birthday for us. Hearst has now informed, inspired and entertained people for 125 years!

Isis, the mobile payments joint venture of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, on Monday announced Chase, Capital One and Barclaycard will place their credit, debit and pre-paid cards in the Isis wallet when it’s introduced in mid-2012. Together, the banks represent more than 100 million U.S. cardholders. Adding the three big banking partners is a key step for Isis as it gears up to compete with Google Wallet, its chief rival in the near field communication (NFC)-based payments space. Both efforts aim to replace physical wallets with the swipe or tap of a phone at checkout. Google Wallet launched in …

American Express’s Small Business Saturday campaign, created by Digitas and CP+B, won top honors in Facebook inaugural Studio Awards recognizing the best brand campaigns on the social network. In its second year, the effort helped more than 500,000 businesses used Amex promotional tools, and the Small Business Saturday site on Facebook doubled to over 2.7 million fans. Among other winners were the Juicy Fruit/Wrigley’s “Serenading Unicorn” campaign, by EVB; a blood donation campaign on behalf of Dovera Health Insurance by Zaraguza Digital in Slovakia; Intel’s “Progress Through Processors” effort by Noise; and a campaign for Nike Run Brazil by Sao …

The Interpublic Group of Companies reported nearly 8% revenue growth for full year 2011 to just over $7 billion, while nearly doubling its net income to almost $552 million. For the fourth quarter, revenues were up 3.4% to nearly $2.1 billion while profits climbed 25% to more than $278 million. For both periods, however, organic revenue growth (which excludes acquisitions, sales and currency fluctuations) was lower, the advertising holding company said. IPG said it generated organic revenue growth (ORG) of 6.1% for the full year and 2.8% for the fourth quarter. By comparison, Omnicom Group, which reported full year results …

John Hogan has been promoted to Chairman-CEO of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment from president-CEO of Clear Channel Radio, the unit that was recently re-branded Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.

Google could name Dennis Woodside CEO of Motorola Mobility, according to Bloomberg. The news agency reports Google will replace Motorola Mobility Sanjay Jha with Woodside, who oversaw the $12.5 billion Motorola buy and led Google's ad sales in the Americas.

People tend to read print newspapers in the early morning and evening, while Web use spikes during the workday, says Todd Haskell, vice p[resident of advertising at The New York Times.

Ad agency Gyro, has tapped Steffan Postaer as executive creative director for its San Francisco office, the agency has confirmed. In addition to overseeing creative efforts at the office, he will jointly run the San Francisco operation with Robert Ray, the office's president, Gyro said. Gyro San Francisco clients include VMware, Hewlitt Packard Printing and Ryder Trucks. Previously Postaer was chairman and CEO of Euro RSCG Chicago, a unit of Havas. During his six years at the helm, Postaer is credited with helping the office quadruple its revenue. Clients included Barilla, Beam Spirits, Kraft, Citibank, Sprint and Valspar Paint. Postaer …