The Media Edge pioneered the concept of the independent media agency in North America and CIA was Europe’s first-ever media independent.
MEC was the first media agency to create a specialist digital operation, Outrider, in 1995.  Against the trend, MEC fully integrated their specialist digital services within the agency in 2003, enabling them to offer a seamless Paid Owned and Earned product to clients.

A founding partner of GroupM in 2003, MEC pioneered the concept of group trading and GroupM remains a unique and ground-breaking concept in our industry.

In 2007 was a big year for MEC.  Firstly MEC Bravo was launched, now the third largest integrated multi-cultural agency in the US. Then the agency integrated its 30 market-strong specialist Sports, Sponsorship and Cause marketing services under MEC Access creating a world-leading position overnight.

In 2010, the agency led the way again in by integrating their specialist Analytics and Insight groups.  The move was critical in being able to address the future needs of their clients; giving them even bigger and better cross-over opportunities, by better understanding the effects of digital and traditional media in the purchase pathway.

That same year the game changing ‘action leadership’ Are you in control enough to let go? was published and shared with over 200 clients around the world – providing a roadmap for their (and MEC’s) media future.

Charles Courtier, Global CEO said, “We’ve achieved a lot since our launch in 2002.  In the past ten years we have more than doubled in size and we were named RECMA’s fastest growing network of the decade.  Our global network was named media agency of the year in both 2006 and 2007 by Advertising Age and Adweek, an unprecedented honour; and we’ve racked-up 53 local Agency of the Year awards all over the world in the decade. 
We constantly challenge ourselves to accelerate change.  Keeping pace with today’s communications landscape continues to occupy most of our waking hours.  Our ability to provide strategic leadership to our clients in this environment is the key to our future.

It’s been an exceptional ten years.  The ‘challenger’ in us is alive and well.  But at MEC, we’ve always had the confidence and commitment to push through change on a global scale where it benefits our clients and our people.

This year, Cannes Lions is proud to honour Jack Dorsey, the creator, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Twitter, Inc. and the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Square, Inc.

Originally from St. Louis, Jack's early fascination for mass-transit and how cities function led him to Manhattan and programming real-time messaging systems for couriers, taxis, and emergency vehicles. Throughout this work Jack witnessed thousands of workers in the field constantly updating where they were and what they were doing. Jack came up with the idea for a site that would combine the broad reach of dispatch software with the ease of instant messaging. Within a short space of time, he had built a simple site, Twitter, where users could instantly post short messages of 140 characters or less, known as "Tweets." On 21 March 2006, Jack Dorsey posted the world's first Tweet: "just setting up my twttr."

In the ensuing time, Twitter has become a communication platform that instantly connects people everywhere to what's most meaningful to them. Twitter is accessible to anyone, via the web, on smartphones and on the simplest of feature phones. And, with 340 million Tweets per day and more than 140 million active monthly users, there is something for everyone on Twitter, no matter what you're interested in or where you are in the world.
As part of Jack's continued devotion to simplifying the complex and making technology accessible to everyone, everywhere, Jack co-founded Square in 2009. Square enables anyone to accept credit card payments on their mobile device and has empowered hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses to start and grow a business. Jack was recognised as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people and was named an "outstanding innovator under the age of 35" by MIT's Technology Review.

Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions, says, "Since inventing Twitter in 2006 Jack Dorsey has, in an incredibly short space of time, brought to the world an entirely new way for people to communicate, share ideas, and learn new things. It has become, in the meantime, a powerful social and political force, and is now part of the everyday global media language. The power and simplicity of what he has created has made Twitter a social phenomenon, and we are delighted to honour Jack with this award."

Jack Dorsey says, "Brands have always used Twitter in creative ways to engage directly with customers. This award celebrates those brands and customers alike."

Jack Dorsey will be honoured during the Press, Design, Radio and Cyber Lions awards ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 20 June in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.

Cannes Lions delegates will have the opportunity to attend the Twitter seminar Harnessing the Power of Real-Time Connections, presented by Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, on Wednesday 22 June at 16:30-17:15.

Previous recipients of the Media Person of the Year Award include: Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google; Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook; Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corporation; Sir Anthony O’Reilly, CEO of Independent News & Media; Tsuneo Watanabe, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings; Sumner Redstone, Chairman and CEO of Viacom and Gerald Levin, CEO of AOL Time Warner.

This integrated account will see G2 Joshua take control of the coffee franchise’s global marketing activity. Initial campaigns will focus on markets in India, the Middle East and Mainland Europe. Costa is the UK’s largest coffee chain and the second most dominant globally. G2 Joshua has been selected to further cement their global reputation amongst consumers within the highly competitive coffee market.

The Knightsbridge based agency’s first assignment will be to take on responsibility for the launch of an upcoming new product in addition to providing support on ongoing brand activity.

Bobby Hui, Executive Planning Director comments: “We are extremely proud to be working with this globally renowned brand, to generate genuine cut through in this unparalleled market.”

Tim Hipperson, CEO, G2 Joshua comments: “Costa Coffee represents a creative opportunity that as an agency we are in the perfect position to take on. We will focus on delivering campaigns in a seamless and connected way. To work with a brand as omnipresent as Costa Coffee is going to be an exciting challenge and we are elated to have been chosen to handle the substantial task.”

Mita Padhi, International Marketing Director at Costa Coffee EMEI, adds: “I’m certain this partnership will signal the start of an exciting new direction for the brand. We are thrilled to be working alongside G2 Joshua on building the Costa brand internationally and are highly confident they will deliver creative solutions to our unique global marketing requirements.”

New Delhi:To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the foundation of Grupo ABC, the largest communications group in Latin America, President Bill Clinton will address delegates at the 59th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Taking to the stage in the Palais des Festivals in Cannes on Thursday evening 21 June, President Clinton will deliver a keynote speech at the event titled How Advertising Can Help Build a Better World. President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote healthier childhoods, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), and private citizens to turn good intentions into measurable results.

Grupo ABC, which uses social activism as one of its strongest pillars of action, has sponsored the Clinton Global Initiative, which convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, since 2009.

Nizan Guanaes, Chairman of Grupo ABC, comments, "President Clinton and his Foundation show how we can all act in a thorough and efficient way to improve our lives on the planet. He has a very clear view on how new communication tools are essential to provide well-being and fight the greatest deficiencies in the world today. I'm sure that his address at such a fundamental forum as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will help provide numerous new ideas and social actions."

Terry Savage, Chairman of Cannes Lions, remarks, "As has been proven by the superb response to the Cannes Chimera partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, our industry is passionate about uniting together and using its unique skills to make the world a better place. President Clinton’s presence at Cannes Lions reinforces the enormous power this industry has to do good. We are honoured to welcome him to the event."

President Clinton's speech will take place on Thursday 21 June at 18:45 to 19:45 in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.
 

The dividend is 50 percent higher than a year ago, reflecting a substantial increase on October 25, 2011, that – in conjunction with a new authorization to repurchase $100 million of Meredith stock – builds on Meredith's commitment to returning cash to shareholders. 

Meredith has a strong history of paying dividends – 65 consecutive years – and increasing them over time – 19 years straight.  Prior to the October increase, Meredith had grown its dividend at an average annualized rate of 12 percent over the last decade.  The dividend yields 5.5 percent based on Wednesday's closing price of $27.68.

Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; www.meredith.com) is the leading media and marketing company serving American women.  Meredith features multiple well-known national brands – including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle, Allrecipes.com, Ladies' Home Journal, Fitness, More, American Baby, Every Day with Rachael Ray and FamilyFun – along with local television brands in fast-growing markets.  Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, food, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms – including print, television, digital, mobile, tablets, and video – to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.

Additionally, Meredith uses its many assets to create powerful custom marketing solutions for many of the nation's top brands and companies. Meredith Xcelerated Marketing has significantly added to its capabilities in recent years through the acquisition of cutting-edge companies in digital, mobile, social, healthcare, database, and international marketing.  Most recently, Meredith made a strategic investment in London-based Iris Worldwide, a leader in experiential marketing.

A hallmark of Meredith's business model and financial profile is its ability to consistently generate substantial free cash flow by leveraging the strength of its multi-platform portfolio.  Meredith is committed to increasing Total Shareholder Return through dividend payments, share repurchases and strategic business investments.

This year’s cumulative winners, based upon ADC awards won across all categories, are: ADC Agency of the Year: BETC Euro RSCG, Paris, France,ADC Network of the Year: BBDO ,    ADC Design Team of the Year: The New York Times Magazine, New York, NY USA  ,ADC School of the Year: School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, USA .

There were two winners of the second-annual ADC Designism Award, honoring work that drives social or political change:
LOWE/SSP3, Bogota, Colombia, for the “Operation Christmas” program bringing humanitarian attention to demobilized guerrilla forces on behalf of the country’s Ministry of Defense (also a Gold winner in Advertising).

Creative Artists Agency, Los Angeles, for “Back to the Start”, the two-minute stop-motion film for Chipotle showcasing the eatery’s commitment to sustainable farming.  CAA won four Gold Cubes for the Chipotle work, marking the first time in ADC’s nine decades of annual awards that the top Gold winner was a non-traditional advertising or design agency.

The club also presented the first ADC Audience Award, recognizing the Gold Cube winner to receive the highest ranking in a public poll of favorite work, to Mirada and SYPartners, Los Angeles, for their work on IBM “Think”, which won Gold in Interactive, Physical Installation.  Juries did not select an ADC Black Cube winner for best-in-show, the second time that has happened in that award’s four-year existence.  

Master of ceremonies for the Awards Gala was John Boiler, president, founding partner, 72andSunny, Los Angeles, and chair of this year’s Advertising jury.  The evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at espace in New York, followed by the awards presentation using a lively and engaging format consistent with branding created by DDB New York for this year’s awards call-for-entries.

This year’s winners represented 24 countries, reflecting the program’s global stature.  All ADC Cube-winning work will be included in the distinguished Art Directors Annual 91, the Annual Awards Exhibition at the ADC Gallery in New York and in the subsequent global traveling exhibition.  The work will be permanently highlighted in the ADC online archive, and possibly used in future ADC promotional materials. 

The ADC 91st Annual Awards Exhibition opens at the ADC Gallery with a cocktail reception on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 4:00-7:00 pm, free admission.  The exhibition runs May 10-24, 2012, Monday-Friday, 10:00 am-6:00 pm, free and open to the public.  The ADC Gallery is located at 106 West 29th St., New York.
 

The show, which started LIVE broadcasts in the UK, Poland, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey and the Nordic Region from May 6th, will be broadcast in India starting May 17th.

Filming in six different time zones, across five diverse continents, in seven locations using spectacular cinematography, real-time filming techniques and up-close HD wildlife footage – the young animals’ struggle for survival during the critical month of May will air across BBC channels around the world. 

The lives of the Earth’s youngest animals truly hang in the balance over the course of the series including baby elephants in Kenya, black bears in Minnesota, macaque monkeys in Sri Lanka, meerkats in South Africa, grey whales in the Pacific and lion cubs in the Masaai Mara.
Attached is the Press Release and some pictures of the same.

The special committee is chaired by Alfred Amoroso, an independent director who joined the Board in February of this year. The other members of the special committee are John Hayes and Thomas McInerney, independent directors who joined the Board in April of this year.

The special committee has retained as its independent counsel Terry Bird of the law firm Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks and Licenberg in Los Angeles. His firm has been recognized as one of the most respected specialty litigation firms in the country, focusing on litigation and internal investigations. Mr. Bird is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, and has also served on the President's Judicial Advisory Committee for the Central District of California.

The special committee and the entire Board appreciate the urgency of the situation and the special committee will therefore conduct the review in an independent, thorough and expeditious manner. The Board intends to make the appropriate disclosures to shareholders promptly upon completion of the review.

Introduced in 2003, the Roger Hatchuel Academy provides a group of international students in advertising, marketing, communications or design an invaluable one week training and education course. Brainchild of the former Festival Chairman and named in his honour, the course is an investment in the future of the industry.

A group of around 40 students from 31 different countries, aged 19-23, are selected for the course by the international Festival Representatives in partnership with a designated School, University or Foundation and with the help of Draftfcb’s local market executive creative directors. After selection they are invited to the Festival for seven days where they take part in Festival activities and participate in an intensive tailored programme of tutorials and discussions.

"Draftfcb is committed to growing and investing in young talent from around the globe. Having sponsored the Academy previously, we're looking forward to helping cultivate another robust pool of up-and-coming ad talent," said Luis Silva Dias, Head of Draftfcb’s Regional Creative Council and President of Draftfcb in Portugal.

Heading up the Academy and offering guidance as Dean is Rick Boyko, Director and Professor of VCU Brandcenter, and a 2012 inductee into the Advertising Hall of Fame. He will be accompanied by tutor Clive Challis, head of the Advertising Course at Central Saint Martins in London. Challis will provide daily training sessions and steer the students through their busy schedules.

Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions, said, "We look forward to welcoming this year's group of students. The content rich programme of the Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy will expand their knowledge about the advertising and communications sectors and provide them with a unique and memorable insight of the industry when they embark on their careers. We are delighted to work with Draftfcb again to deliver this exceptional learning platform."

At the end of the Festival, some students will be selected by Draftfcb to experience the unique opportunity of an internship. The terms and conditions of these internships will be at the local agency’s discretion.

This important accolade is presented to advertisers who have distinguished themselves for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and who embrace and encourage the creative work produced by their agencies.

Since winning its first Cannes Lion in 1990, Mars commercials have gone on to win 77 Lions across different categories (11 Gold, 10 Silver and 46 Bronze Lions), as well as the Radio Grand Prix in 2007 for the SNICKERS 'Hoedown' ad.

"Mars's creative and skilful approach to the brand communication of its diverse product portfolio has been rewarded at Cannes for many years," says Philip Thomas, Cannes Lions CEO. "Lions have been won for work from countries as diverse as France, the US, the UK, Brazil, South Africa, Portugal, Chile, and many more – a testament to a company which truly embraces creativity and demands outstanding work from its agencies. We congratulate all the marketers at Mars, as well as their agency partners around the world, on this well-deserved honour."

Commenting on the award, Paul S. Michaels, President of Mars, Incorporated, said; "We are grateful for the recognition of the Cannes Lions Advertiser of the Year Award. This award is a testament to the fantastic work of our Mars Associates and our agency teams at BBDO and DDB. Ultimately great advertising is effective advertising, particularly when I see sustained growth on 80 year old brands such as SNICKERS® as an example. Outstanding creativity connects with consumers across generations, geographies, cultures and languages and I am proud of the work being generated on our whole portfolio of iconic brands."

The Advertiser of the Year trophy will be presented in Cannes to Bruce McColl, Chief Marketing Officer of Mars, Incorporated, during the Film, Film Craft, Branded Entertainment & Content and Titanium & Integrated Lions on Saturday 23 June 2012.