Advertising Roundup: French Cellphone Ad Ban; Geoff Seymour Dies; Lamar Stock Heavily Traded; Fedex Budget Tanks; More ...

(MoneyWatch)  France wants ban on cellphone ads for kids -- It's not to make them pay attention to their homework or even to ensure that they stop texting while riding their bicycles along scenic French roadways. The proposed law was motivated by legislators' concerns about the effects of cellphone usage on kids' developing bodies. [Source: LA Times]

First Brit creative to receive ?£100K salary dies -- Geoff Seymour, man who wrote U.K.'s Hovis ads (the ones with the Yorkshire boy riding a bike down a cobbled hill), is no more. [Source: Brand Republic]

Lamar subject of put and call trades -- Complicated movements in stock of billboard provider. Stock is wa-a-ay down from its highs. [Source: Seeking Alpha]

FedEx announces 25 percent cut in ad budget, no one notices -- Mike Glenn, FedEx executive vice-president for market development revealed the cuts on the official company blog on December 29, but the media missed it until today.[Source: Brand Republic]

Graham Leaves SRKC/Y&R to lead Anomaly -- Paul Graham, the managing partner of Saint, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R's digital shop, has quit to launch Anomaly in the UK. [Source: Brand Republic]

Martin Sorrell Calls WPP to battle stations -- 250 staffers gather in Greece to discuss how the internet is eating their business. [Source: BusinessWeek]

GroupM forecast for India sees slowing growth -- Asian tiger getting old and mangy, boffins predict. [Source: Business Standard]

Saatchi & Saatchi launches anti-smoking campaign -- Saatchi & Saatchi X has a New Year resolution for smokers with the launch of its new outdoor campaign for the stop smoking charity QUIT. In a bid to move away from the clichéd fear factor often used in anti-smoking advertising, the new campaign aims to promote hope. [Source: Brand Republic]

Court upholds LA's new billboard ban -- Tuesday the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a setback to out-of-home advertisers in Los Angeles with its decision to uphold the city's 2002 ban on new outdoor advertising. Specifically, the court found that the ban did not violate the First Amendment right to free speech, reversing the decision of lower courts. [Source: MediaPost]

Lowe man launches new shop with silly name -- Domenico Vitale, former chief strategy officer at Lowe in New York, is launching a collective of strategic and creative talent known as People Ideas & Culture. The New York-based operation will offer clients access to a pool of talent in advertising, fashion, music, content and Web creation, blogging, events and public relations. Some of it will be in-house, but PI&C will also tap outsiders when needed. [Source: Adweek]

James Sokolove is biggest spender among lawyers on advertising -- Massachusetts lawyer James Sokolove is the biggest-spending legal advertiser, but he no longer tries any cases. Sokolove spent more than $20 million advertising his firm in 2007, but he refers all of his cases to other lawyers and takes a percentage of the recovery. [Source: ABA Journal]