Major media spending on Guitar Hero totaled nearly $13 million last year, according to Nielsen. That figure does not include online spending. Crispin had handled the business since 2008, and the shift eliminates the MDC Partners shop from Activision's... Full Article at Brandweek

YORK (AdAge.com) -- Activision Blizzard has yanked creative duties for its "Guitar Hero" franchise from MDC Partners' Crispin Porter & Bogusky, tapping Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat/Day to market the games going forward. The decision was made late last... Full Article at Advertising Age

Groth, who is overseeing the company's experiential efforts. (Groth was a co-founder and vice chairman of Omnicom's Radiate Group.) Financial terms were not disclosed. See also: "MDC Posts Q4 Organic Gain" Seeking to expand its experiential marketing... Full Article at AdWeek

The sponsors are the Condé Nast Publications division of Advance Publications, the Hearst Magazines unit of the Hearst Corporation, the Meredith Corporation, the Time Inc. division of Time Warner and Wenner Media. Jill Meiser, chief operating officer... Full Article at The New York Times

Bartle Bogle is majority-owned by its partners, but Publicis Groupe has a 49% stake, rendering the shop ineligible for the award under the new definition. A Global Twist Some might not see the Axe man as complicated. But for its newest global fragrance Full Article at Economic Times

Group's Tierney in Philadelphia, the incumbent on the creative business. Tierney, however, is not defending. Three New York agencies have advanced to the final round of the review of creative duties on Boiron's estimated $12-15 million ad account,... Full Article at AdWeek