Ad industry holding company Omnicom Group is prepping to lay off nearly 5 percent of its 70,000-person global workforce, per AdAge. The trade pub’s unidentified sources would not confirm which divisions or agencies would be affected by the cuts—which could ultimately affect 3,500 workers—but BBDO is expected to take a…

After reporting that Omnicom Group’s Q2 net income and worldwide revenue both rose 11 percent—release is here (PDF)—the ad holding company’s CEO John Wren told listeners to the company’s earnings call that the company was finally ready to get serious about acquisitions. —Bad economy, better prices: Wren’s pronouncement, devoid of…

Linden Lab, the parent company of Second Life, has appointed a big name CEO: Mark Kingdon, till now the CEO of Omnicom digital agency Organic, is stepping down to come on as the CEO of Linden. Kingdon will succeed founder Philip Rosedale, the founder who gave up his CEO role…

NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) has reformed its Digital Studio, which was shifted from the corporate side to the network side last year. The unit, which is charged with producing and discovering branded programming for its various digital properties, is partnering with Omnicom Media Group Digital on aligning its programming with…

It’s fitting that Matt Spiegel, who took on the role of CEO of Omnicom Media Group Digital last week, has been focused on search and analytics for the last few years as head of Resolution Media. As he explained in an interview with paidContent a few days after his April…

Matt Spiegel, the CEO of Omnicom search marketer Resolution Media, has been tapped to succeed Sean Finnegan as CEO of Omnicom Media Group Digital, the ad holding company’s in-house interactive shop, AdAge reported. Finnegan announced that he was leaving the post in January to become chief media officer of in-text…

Jon Raj has been tapped as chief digital officer of Omnicom Group’s media agency OMD USA, MediaPost reported. The hiring of Raj, who was VP of advertising and emerging media platforms at credit card company Visa, is part of a larger digital restructuring taking place at the agency since the…

Omnicom Group has taken a stake in New Zealand’s Shift, a digital marketing and web design company. Terms were not disclosed. Apart from expressing a desire to export some of Shift’s “kiwi know-how,” the investment represents the growing importance of the Asia Pacific region to the major ad holding companies.…

Roughly six months after he became CEO of Omnicom’s in-house interactive shop OMG Digital, Sean Finnegan is leaving for the job of chief media officer of in-text advertising start-up Vibrant Media, AdAge reports. At Vibrant, he will lead marketing, business development and product innovation. That’s a sharp contrast to heading…

Omnicom CEO John Wren feels right about sitting out the current interactive digital M&A frenzy until prices become more in line with reality. Even then, Wren told attendees at the UBS Global Media & Communications Conference not to expect a spending spree from the company. Wren is still concentrating on…