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The ad industry's self-regulatory group Digital Advertising Alliance now supports the idea that consumers should be able to opt out of all online behavioral advertising through a browser-based do-not-track header, the group's lawyer, Stuart Ingis, said on Wednesday.

Verizon's planned alliance with three cable companies will undermine competition and harm consumers, advocacy groups argue in petitions filed with the Federal Communications Commission.

Come April, several online advertising heavyweights are planning to host several upfront events, or what they’re calling Digital Content NewFronts. AOL, Digitas, Google/YouTube, Hulu, Microsoft Advertising and Yahoo are all participating, with a combined mission of shaping a new and practical marketplace for connecting digital content with brand marketers and their media and marketing agencies.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau will also actively participate with DCNF, hosting collateral events and forums at the IAB Ad Lab from April 19-May 2. During the same period, each founding partner will host an independent event in New York City -- the details can be found here. The IAB will be welcoming companies from across the digital ecosystem in an effort to establish DNFC as an inclusive, industry-wide event. Additional events and programming will be announced in the next two to three weeks, and will be updated regularly on the Digital Content NewFronts official Web site.

Traditional metrics to measure searches don't work well with tools like Google Instant and Yahoo Search Direct, or with emerging technologies like voice and gesture. Until now, the industry has relied on data firms like comScore, but Shashi Seth, senior vice president of search products at Yahoo, believes the problem represents deeper issues and the responsibility should be with execs at the largest engines.

In 2013, eMarketer anticipates that Google's U.S. display revenues will grow 45.3% to $3.68 billion, while Facebook's will grow 27.6% to $3.29 billion. eMarketer principal analyst David Hallerman attributes Google's astonishing success to a thriving mobile display business, YouTube's expanding role as a venue for premium display inventory, and strong growth from the company's DoubleClick ad network.

Myriad Group AG, which powers rich mobile social and Web experiences on any connected device, has launched Myriad Intelligence Hub, a consumer insight analytics engine, to serve mobile.

idomoo Ltd. has debuted idomoo VaaS, which combines video with relevant, individualized data. idomoo says its service delivers affordable engagement with customers via personalized video, citing higher conversion rates, higher average revenue per user and retention, and reduced call center costs. Idomoo is currently working with companies including Generali, Porto Seguro, Harel Insurance and European triple-play provider UPC.

Android-based operating system glasses with a 3G or 4G data connection might be on the list of must-haves for techies by some time midyear. Reports put Google behind the project, but it's unclear whether Motorola Mobility patents contribute to the hardware device or the exploratory focus. Will these devices give online advertising another screen or expand the ability to collect data?

For social media advertising to become truly integrated and a powerful part of marketers' successes, it's time to move beyond limited "social campaigns" and begin integrating social data.

Alumni from Google, Cisco and Facebook will officially launch a digital search marketing company and suite of platforms Wednesday supported by cloud computing. BloomReach's goal is to improve user experience and drive people back to branded Web sites.

Aegis Group continues to beef up its digital agency portfolio, announcing an agreement this morning to acquire Roundarch for $125 million-plus. Aegis did not describe the terms of the deal, but said that price as an "initial consideration" and that based on future profit-based incentives, the total value could rise to as much as $360 million.

Pereira & O'Dell has been retained by Henkel Consumer Goods, North America, as its agency of record for laundry and home care brands including Purex, Renuzit and Soft Scrub.

In a bizarre string of events that began with a Manhattan car accident and ended with one of its victims pitching a conference full of online metrics industry leaders, a new trade organization was born to focus on the so-called "analytics economy." The organization, ARO (sounds like arrow) stands for the Analytics Research Organization, and is intended to fill a void not being covered by existing ad industry research organizations.

R/GA has been named global digital agency of record for Unilever's Rexona deodorant brand portfolio, which includes Degree, Rexona and Sure. R/GA was also named a roster agency for other Unilever consumer brands including Impulse.

Social brand marketing platform SocialVibe has promoted Todd Tappin to CEO, replacing Jay Samit, who left the company. Tappin original joined SocialVibe in June 2010 as COO and CFO. Before that, he was a managing director at private equity firm The Gores Group, and previously was founding CFO of Overture.

Raj Aggarwal, CEO of mobile app analytics firm Localytics, wrapped up OMMA Metrics with insights into mobile app trends and metrics. Android and iOS have outstripped other app platforms in growth, with the latter still the dominant player. Android tablets are converging around 7-inch screen size regardless of manufacturer -- a positive situation for developers.

Google has been hit with two potential class-action privacy lawsuits stemming from reports that the company circumvented a feature in the Safari browser that blocks companies from setting tracking cookies. Both cases were filed on Friday, shortly after "The Wall Street Journal" reported that Google and three other companies were setting tracking cookies on Safari users.

As retailers increasingly embrace mobile to boost foot traffic and drive m-commerce, mobile advertising is expanding as well. To capitalize on that trend, mobile ad network Jumptap has partnered with hyperlocal data provider PlaceIQ and appointed a director of retail to oversee ad efforts in the category.

As retailers increasingly embrace mobile to boost foot traffic and drive m-commerce, mobile advertising is expanding as well. To capitalize on that trend, mobile ad network Jumptap has partnered with hyper-local data provider PlaceIQ and appointed a director of retail to oversee ad efforts in the category.

Marketers face collective challenges when deciding on data metrics, brand tracking and how to employ new technology. One problem is that marketers don't know what sort of data they're looking for, said Andrew Edwards, CEO of Technology Leaders, a Web and multichannel analytics firm.