WPP

Survey declares Apple brand 'less inspiring'

One shouldn't rely on the same sources of inspiration every day.

Sometimes, even the finest of one's muses just doesn't amuse. Sometimes, even the greatest of one's heroes gets drunk and bangs his head on the pedestal as he falls.

However, one brave enterprise wished to measure the brands that inspire real human beings the most.

It is called Added Value. It has just released its list of the most inspiring. Perhaps the information that might cause the most perspiring in certain parts of the West Coast is that apparently Apple's brand has become less … Read more

Ad executive bashes Facebook advertising

The Facebook ad bashing continues. The social network is taking another hit regarding its advertising value, and this time it's from the head of the world's largest marketing group.

WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said he has told Facebook that the social network is great for branding, but not advertising, the MediaGuardian reported today. The statement is another blow to Facebook's efforts to increase its advertising dollars, particularly because the money WPP spends on behalf of its clients accounts for nearly a third of the money spent annually through ad agencies worldwide. Sorrell made the remarks at … Read more

Ad agencies stump for Microsoft-Yahoo search deal

An advertising industry association--backed by four of the world's largest ad agencies--sent a letter to the Department of Justice Monday endorsing the Microsoft-Yahoo search deal, saying it "enhances competition."

American Association of Advertising Agencies President and CEO Nancy Hill posted the open letter Monday, which was also signed by Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe; Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP; Michael I. Roth, chairman and CEO of Interpublic Group of Companies; and John Wren, president and CEO of Omnicom Group. "We believe that Yahoo and Microsoft's proposal to combine their technologies and search … Read more

Microsoft's agency sued over Bing TV advertising

I have never watched NBC's "The Philanthropist." (I have embedded a small excerpt, to offer you a little excitement.)

However, the show seems to be the battleground for a less than altruistic lawsuit against Microsoft Bing's ad agency, JWT and its holding company, WPP.

According to AdAge, the plaintiff, a Delaware-based company specializing in "program-integrated advertising" called Denizen, is claiming that it was in discussions with WPP as long ago as 2002.

These talks seem to have gone on for more than four years and Denizen claims it had a confidentiality agreement in place.… Read more

Report: Microsoft shopping Razorfish to ad agencies

Microsoft is shopping its digital ad agency Razorfish around to five major ad agency players, says Monday's Wall Street Journal.

The company hopes to strike a deal for Razorfish that would entice the right agency to use Microsoft's advertising technologies and buy ad space on Bing and other properties, according to the Journal. The move is seen as part of Microsoft's growing battle with Google and other Web sites for precious online ad dollars.

Citing executives familiar with the situation, the Journal said that top ad firms WPP, Omnicom Group, and Publicis Groupe have all expressed interest … Read more

Microsoft and WPP to swap advertising assets?

Microsoft's forays into online ads may be focused on yet another deal, according to a report Monday in Advertising Age.

Microsoft reportedly has restarted talks with ad giant WPP Group to sell its Avenue A/Razorfish agency to the advertising behemoth, but with a new twist, according to the report.

Advertising Age, citing sources familiar with the talks, said discussions now involve an asset swap, as opposed to an outright buy of Microsoft's Avenue A/Razorfish operations:

Microsoft unloads the agency in exchange for a WPP package that includes 24/7's Open AdStream publisher ad-serving tool plus … Read more

Dell-only ad agency names first CEO

Ad giant WPP Group has hired the first CEO for its Dell-only agency, which is taking over the work of about 800 firms that have been coordinating ads and marketing for the PC maker.

Torrence Boone, who is leaving his job as president of the Boston office for digital marketer Digitas, will eventually oversee about 1,000 employees at Project Da Vinci, the temporary name for the ad agency that's been created to serve Dell. So far, the agency has hired about 500 employees.

Boone, who is 38, is set to start work in June out of the New … Read more

Yahoo teams up with ad powerhouse WPP Group

Yahoo announced Friday that it has formed a partnership with three subsidiaries of advertising giant WPP: GroupM, 24/7 Real Media and WPP Digital. Through the deal, WPP agencies will have access to Yahoo-served ad space and work closely with the Right Media ad exchange, in which Yahoo was a major investor before it outright acquired the digital-ad platform in 2007.

No financial terms were disclosed.

"More and more, we see the need for agencies and media and technology companies to work together to create a new level of value," WPP Digital CEO Mark Read said in a … Read more