Advertising Age - Latest News

Facebook's $38 IPO at End of First Day of Trading Worth ... $38

Facebook hovered near the initial public offering price in its trading debut, following a record IPO.

Days After Quitting Facebook Ads, GM Swears Off the Super Bowl

Is General Motors making a point or acting under new pressures?

Top 10 Twitter Trends of the Week: 'Little Monsters' Multiply and Pop Grips the Chart

Pop stars command the five largest followings on Twitter, so a pop-heavy list of trends should be no surprise this week -- or any week.

DraftFCB Wins SeaWorld Account

Yahoo Taps Mollie Spilman as New Chief Marketing Officer

Yahoo interim CEO Ross Levinsohn reorganized the management team of the struggling web portal after taking the helm earlier this week, naming Mollie Spilman as chief marketing officer.

Mediabrands Spinoff Network Will Be Called BPN

Plans for a third agency network at Mediabrands are finally firming up. The new unit will sit under the Orion Trading Unit and handle conflict business.

Foursquare Hires Former iAd Exec as Revenue Chief

A darling of the New York startup scene starts to get serious about building a business out of its 20 million users.

USA's Social-TV Upfront: Network Pitch Becomes a Trending Topic

USA actors posted messages to Twitter while onstage at the network's upfront presentation while fans tweeted outside.

Doing It Wrong: 11 Boring Things GM Posted on Facebook

GM's Facebook page is a sterling example of a company that wants to broadcast instead of listen, ignore instead of engage.

Facebook IPO Eclipses Google, GM

Facebook Inc. gained as much as 18% in its trading debut, following a record initial public offering that made it more costly than almost every company in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

Sprite Taps Johannes Leonardo for Global Duties

Coca-Cola continues to adjust the agencies working on its Sprite brand, selecting Johannes Leonardo to lead Sprite creative globally.

Samsung Must Make Do After U.K. Olympic Torch Relay Is Downsized
After the torch relay for the 2008 Summer Olympics was marred by protests, the 2012 version has been scaled back -- and that's disappointing to the sponsor.

PepsiCo Taps Weber Shandwick for Diet Pepsi PR
"We liked the thinking and creativity and approach Weber had taken with the Pepsi Next launch so we asked them to do some thinking on Diet Pepsi," said a Pepsi spokeswoman.

See Previews for Five New CW Shows, From 'Arrow' to 'Breaking Pointe'

While the CW is sending off "Gossip Girl" with a half-season run next fall, it's expanding its original offerings.

Sir Richard's Asks Women: What Will You Not Let into Your Vagina?

For National Women's Health Week, the condom brand and TDA/Boulder are asking women that question to highlight that the condom brand has no chemicals in its products.

Clients Need to Know: Are You Helping or Selling?

We must assure clients that we have their best interests at heart, not an agenda.

Amazon to Sell Ads on Kindle Fire Welcome Screen -- If You Have $600K

The Kindle Fire is Amazon.com's best-selling product, the company said in its first-quarter-earnings release. And it's being treated that way by the Amazon ad sales team.

A Look Back at Donna Summer's Long Commercial Career

The dance-music diva's megahits did more than flood dance floors and top the charts; Ms. Summer's songs were used in plenty of commercials, well after disco's peak in the 1970s and 1980s.

Brands on Facebook: Advertising Is Optional

One in five clicks in the U.S. happens on Facebook, and most brands maintain a presence there and carefully cultivate their fan base. But do they need to advertise as well?

USA Fills Pipeline With Comedies and Reality Shows

USA Network wants to diversify a slate currently dominated by "blue-skies" dramas such as "Royal Pains," the series about a doctor in the Hamptons.

Why Low Ratings Won't Stop AMC From Showing Every Episode of 'The Pitch'

Poor viewership has sparked coverage calling the show a "disaster" perhaps headed for a "premature end." But don't expect AMC to pull it early.

GM Doesn't Have a Facebook Problem, It Has a Brand Loyalty Problem

Rather than focus on selling cars on Facebook, the brand should have looked at how to connect with its best advocates to influence purchase behavior across the social graph.

Olympics Campaigns Go Big on the Viral Video Chart

The summer Olympics have hit the Viral Video Chart in a big way this week, in videos from some of the largest global marketers, according to data provided by Visible Measures.

Starbucks Promotes Young-Scrivner to President of Canada

Starbucks upped Global CMO Annie Young-Scrivner to president of Canada, its second-largest market after the U.S.

CW to Bid Farewell to 'Gossip Girl' After Prime-Time Shake Up

The new fall slate includes more action-themed programming that could appeal to a broader swath of viewers.

How Walmart Is Localizing Its Stores With Facebook

A social-local strategy lets retailers capitalize on consumer use of new media, at the store level.

Lee Doyle Joins Mindshare, Stays in Group M Family

Nearly eight months after stepping down as North America CEO of WPP's MEC, Lee Doyle has joined sibling agency Mindshare in the newly created role of president-client development in North America.

Watch Trailers for All Four New Fall Series on CBS

CBS only thinks it needs four new series this fall, including a modern retelling of "Sherlock Holmes" co-starring Lucy Liu as Watson.

TNT Fields Its Biggest Original Lineup Yet

TNT will run nine original series this summer, including its revival of "Dallas," the biggest slate of original programming in the network's history.

Your Charity Will Determine What Film You Watch, in 3-D Cinema Campaign for Pedigree

See Colenso BBDO's innovative, interactive way to drum up public interest in New Zealand's Pedigree Adoption Drive.