Advertising Roundup: WPP Acquires 2 Shops; Absolut on TV; Schulman Leaves Saatchi; More

(MoneyWatch)  WPP buys interactive shop in Italy -- WPP wholly owned global media investment management arm, GroupM is acquiring a 90-per cent stake in H-art Srl, a full service interactive agency in Italy. [Source: Domain-B]

WPP buys stake in Vietnam's Smart Media -- Vietnam's Smart Media Joint Stock Co. will sell a 20% stake to WPP PLC (WPPGY) in a deal to be signed Wednesday, Smart Media general director Nguyen Tuan Anh said Monday. Hanoi-based Smart Media JSC, which has a registered capital of VND120 billion ($7.1 million), is among the country's biggest communications firms. [Source: EsayBourse]

Dentsu and Hakuhodo cut outlook -- Japan's top advertising firms Dentsu Inc and Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc cut annual profit estimates on Monday as economic worries forced their clients to tighten spending and a tumbling stock market led to devaluation losses. [Source: Reuters] Absolut advertises on network TV -- Absolut has taken the "bold" step of breaking the voluntary ban of spirits advertising on broadcast TV. In the third hour of the Grammys, affiliates in 14 of the top DMAs were slated to run a 30-second TV spot called "Hugs." It marked the first time a commercial for a distilled-spirits product would appear on any CBS-owned local broadcast stations. [Source: Adweek] Visa taps Publicis Dialog -- Visa has appointed Publicis Dialog to a pan-European direct marketing brief for its credit and debit card business. The agency won the account after a pitch against the Visa roster agencies Inferno and Saatchi & Saatchi X. [Source: Brand Republic] ValueClick makes Europe promotions -- ValueClick Europe has bolstered its senior team with the promotions of Matthew Beck to Publisher and Operations Director, and Elliott Clayton to UK Sales Manager for ValueClick Media UK. [Source: eConsultancy] Schulman leaves Saatchis -- Paul Schulman, the longtime managing director of creative at Saatchi & Saatchi here, is leaving to reunite with Tony Granger at Young & Rubicam. Granger, the global chief creative officer at WPP Group's Y&R, has hired Schulman for the new position of global director of creative operations. He starts March 2. [Source: Adweek]