Ad Industry Roundup: ValueClick; Publicis; Tremor/ExpoTV; Gray TV

– ValueClick Hit With Another Shareholder Suit: Shareholders of lead gen ad firm ValueClick have accused the company of violating the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Federal Trade Commission Guidelines and have filed a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Already the subject of an inquiry by the FTC, as well as several other similar shareholder suits, ValueClick says these suits are “ripe for a pretty vigorous defense.” Lead gen has increasingly become noted for some questionable practices, such as offering web surfers a chance to win an iPod or a store gift certificate in return for releasing some personal information that is then sold to marketers.

– Publicis Creates Dedicated Mobile Arm With Phonevalley Acquisition: Ad holding company Publicis Groupe has bought fellow Parisian Phonevalley, a mobile marketing and communications agency.Financial terms were not disclosed. Phonevalley organizes SMS, MMS and WAP marketing campaigns for such companies as Paramount, Virgin, Sony, and Universal. The purchase comes on the heels of Publicis’ recent acquisitions of China