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News highlights

WPP's revised proposal to Taylor Nelson Sofres plc (TNS)

On 2 July 2008 WPP submitted a revised proposal to the Board of TNS consisting of 173 pence in cash and 0.1889 of a WPP share for each TNS share (the "Revised WPP Proposal").

Miles Young to succeed Shelly Lazarus as CEO of The Ogilvy Group

Miles Young, Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Asia Pacific, has been appointed global CEO of The Ogilvy Group, the world's third largest agency group, succeeding Shelly Lazarus who has led the company for 11 years. Shelly will remain Chairman of The Ogilvy Group. Both appointments become effective 1 January 2009.

WPP appoints John O'Keeffe to Worldwide Creative Director, WPP

WPP has appointed John O'Keeffe, former Executive Creative Director of BBH, to Worldwide Creative Director of WPP. He will report directly to CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell. In this new full time role, he will work with WPP companies globally - across agencies, disciplines and clients - to help raise creative standards.

Ogilvy acquires stake in online marketing agency, Advertures, in Czech Republic

Ogilvy has acquired a majority stake in Advertures s.r.o ("Advertures") a leading online marketing agency in the Czech Republic. Founded in 2001, Advertures is based in Prague and employs 28 people. Advertures' clients include the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Clickforsky, Nokia, SUN Microsystems and EMC.

Cohn & Wolfe and GCI Group merge

WPP public relations agencies Cohn & Wolfe and GCI Group have merged to create a dynamic global agency singularly-suited to the transformed communications environment. The new firm, to be called Cohn & Wolfe, offers a powerful combination of breakthrough, brand-building creativity and pioneering digital and social media strategies. Cohn & Wolfe will be led by Donna Imperato as CEO and Jeff Hunt as President.

Wunderman acquires Chicago-based Designkitchen

Wunderman has acquired Designkitchen, the leading digital and interactive agency in the Chicago/metro area. The addition of Designkitchen marks an extension of Wunderman's expansion across secondary markets in the US and abroad. Over the past three years, Wunderman has bolstered its strength and size through acquisition of digital assets in the largest 20 markets around the world.

New offers

Cohn & Wolfe launches GCI Health

Cohn & Wolfe has formed GCI Health, a new global healthcare public relations firm, specialising in all aspects of the healthcare industry. GCI Health, which will be led by Jill Dosik as President, offers high-science expertise, ROI-generating product marketing strategy and leading-edge digital health capabilities. Paul Keirnan will be Managing Director in London and Samantha Cranko Managing Director in New York. Contact jdosik@gcigroup.com.

New business

G2 wins Heineken USA

H&K Australia wins Yahoo!7

Team/Y&R Dubaia wins Dnata, provider of air travel services in Middle East

Mediaedge:cia China wins Best Buy

Awards, Winners, Movers & Shakers

David Moore to enhanced Chairman role and Jonathan Hsu to CEO of 24/7 Real Media

Cohn & Wolfe appoints Jake Drak as President of Asia Pacific

Enfatico appoints Lisa Fabiano as Chief Talent Officer

AAAI institutes Lifetime Achievement Award - Ranjan Kapur of WPP is Recipient of this Honour in 2008

New business enquiries

Are you looking for an advertising or marketing services partner? WPP can help point you in the right direction - find out how.

BrandDigital: Simple Ways Top Brands Succeed in the Digital World

by Allen Adamson

In his new book, BrandDigital: Simple Ways Top Brands Succeed in the Digital World, Allen Adamson, Managing Director, Landor Associates New York explains that in the fast accelerating digital marketplace the basic principles of building a powerful brand have not changed (as some may think) but, rather, have been magnified. He clearly demonstrates that in an environment where everything is visible, audible, and sharable, brand professionals have an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about their customers than ever before, making it possible to deliver experiences that reinforce customer relationships - and brand equity - more successfully than ever before. Based on over 100 interviews with top branding executives on both the corporate side and the agency side of the table, Adamson makes his point by using case studies from companies including Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Nikon, Ameriprise, Burger King, PepsiCo, and General Mills.

Privacy in the Digital Age

A JWT White Paper

Is privacy passé? It certainly seems so: Your colleagues may be checking out your home on Google Street View, watching that mortifying party video your friend posted to YouTube or blogging about you themselves. And in a wired world, many of the details of our lives are contained within our text messages, our e-mail, the Web searches that Google and others track. We all have a digital footprint, and a portion of it gets stored, sorted and possibly scrutinised by corporations and authorities - a little too Orwellian for some. For businesses, the dilemma is how to leverage this wealth of data to tailor their offerings and their marketing efforts without raising the hackles of consumers. These are among the many issues explored in JWT's newest white paper, Privacy in the Digital Age.