Merrill lynch has revealed US advertising expenditure is expected to trail nominal growth in the US gross domestic product (GDP), projecting adspend to rise by 4.2% this year, excluding direct mail. According to Merrill analyst, Lauren Rich Fine, the soft advertising economy is attributed to a “variety of factors”, including a low rate of economy… Continue reading Merrill Forecasts US Adspend To Rise By 4.2% In 2005

Word of mouth advertising is expected to enjoy a surge in popularity as advertisers cotton on to the potential of the “friends and family” media and how it can be used in conjunction with the internet. According to estimates from eMarketer, about half of all online marketers are engaging in some form of word of… Continue reading Word Of Mouth Advertising Set To Increase

Maurice Levy, CEO of media giant Publicis, has said that a further bid by his company for control of Aegis Group is unlikely, following the company’s decision to leave takeover talks last month.The media boss did not completely rule out a return to the negotiating table, however, simply stating that “There is very little possibility… Continue reading ‘Little Possibility” Of Renewed Aegis Bid Says Levy

Media buying and market research firm, Aegis Group, has this morning announced the acquisition of leading French digital agencies Planète Interactive and Webcontents, integrating the new businesses with its existing Isobar network.The purchases, which cost Aegis a combined €9 million, will be payable in cash over three years and subject to strict performance conditions.Planète Interactive… Continue reading Aegis Boosts Isobar With French Digital Agencies

The BBC’s epic historical drama Rome conquered all in its path last night, drawing a massive 6.3 million adults and securing a 28.2% share with its hour long debut at 9pm.Going head to head with ITV’s network premiere of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, Rome trounced its sci-fi competitor, which averaged a… Continue reading BBC’s Rome Conquers All With 6.3 Million

Global advertising network Publicis has reported strong growth in its third quarter results, with revenues rising by 7.4% following a string of new business wins and an upbeat advertising market. Announcing the results, Maurice Lévy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said: “We are understandably pleased with the performance of Publicis Groupe in the third… Continue reading Publicis Sees Revenues Rise On Upbeat Ad Market

Vincent Bollore is continuing his relentless acquisition of shares in media buying firm Aegis, announcing that his overall stake in the company now totals 21.31%, following the purchase of 3 million shares in the firm yesterday. The purchase, which cost Bollore £3.7 million, was made through the Frenchman’s company Financiere Du Loch and is the… Continue reading Bollore Continues Aegis Share Purchases

IPA director general, Hamish Pringle, has called for increased investment from major players in the online industry to fund reliable audience measurement of the web.In an open letter published by Media Week, Pringle claims that ahead of the launch of the IPA Touchpoints survey it is now important to improve online audience measurement.“The lack of… Continue reading IPA Boss Calls For Investment In Online Measurement

ITV failed to outdo the BBC with its football coverage last night, as the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool and Anderlecht drew an average of 4.1 million adults.The Corporation’s antidote of Holby City and Eastenders proved much more attractive, winning ratings of 6.3 and 9.9 million respectively. However, the final episode of new drama… Continue reading BBC On Top With Soap And Drama

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has announced the purchase of Asserta Holdings, owner of UK property portal Propertyfinder.com, for £14.3 million.The purchase gives News Corp a sizeable stake of the online property market, with the ten year old site currently used by over 2,000 estate agents and visited by around 700,000 house hunters each month.The purchase… Continue reading News Corp Splashes Out £14 Million On Property Site