• A deal to buy the business is in place and the process is thought to be at the due diligence stage.

• Kingfisher has handed MEC its consolidated £45 million media planning and buying business for its B&Q, TradePoint and Screwfix brands.

• Innocent, the smoothies manufacturer and serial advertising account reviewer, has put its £6 million creative business up for pitch.

LOS ANGELES, Nov 15, 2012 – The DNA Foundation today announced a new name and refined mission for its organization. DNA will now be known as THORN: Digital Defenders of Children. The foundation will focus on the role technology plays in crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children - including the buying and selling of children for sex around the world, soliciting sex with children, and the proliferation of child pornography across the Internet. THORN's goal is clear - to disrupt and deflate predatory behavior in the fight to end child sexual exploitation.

“For the past three years we have focused our work broadly on combating child sex trafficking. It has become crystal clear in our efforts that technology plays an increasingly large role in this crime and in the sexual exploitation of children overall,” said Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Co-Founders, THORN. “We believe that the technology-driven aspect of these crimes demands its own attention and investment.”

The statistics are staggering. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), reports that the number of child pornography files reported for victim identification has exploded from 450,000 digital images and videos in 2004 to over 17 million in 2011. THORN is working to make the Internet a more hostile environment for those who seek to exploit children.

According to Sergeant Byron Fassett, Dallas Police Department, “We are increasingly rescuing child sex trafficking victims who are either recruited through online channels or bought and sold over the Internet. THORN is addressing a real need within the area of child exploitation.”

THORN's work focuses primarily on four areas: research, deterrence, innovation and industry initiatives. The foundation will continue to work closely with law enforcement, other NGOs, the private sector and its own “Technology Task Force” to create tools, policies and programs that will work to bring an end to these illicit activities and protect children.

THORN Technology Task Force We know that predators now use technology to exploit children, so THORN is determined to turn the tables and use technology to protect children and deter predators. To do that, the foundation has created the THORN Technology Task Force – a group of more than 25 tech companies that collaborate on technological initiatives to fight child sexual exploitation. Companies include Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Symantec, SV Angel, Blekko, BlueCava, Connotate, Conversion Voodoo, DataXu, Hang, Irdeto, Mozilla, SalesForce Foundation, Digital Reasoning, Palantir and others.

“THORN works tirelessly to develop technological solutions to end child sexual exploitation,” said Joe Sullivan, Facebook Chief Security Officer. “Facebook is proud to partner with THORN and the entire Tech Task Force to end the exploitation of children. Developing innovative and robust solutions to keep children safe is critical.”

THORN has also partnered with San Francisco advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners – on a pro bono basis – for brand consulting, strategy, research and creative development.

For more information on THORN, please visit www.wearethorn.org, follow us on Twitter @THORN and Facebook.com/WeAreThorn

New York, NY – November 13, 2012: New York Festivals International Advertising Awards® announced its Call for Entries for the 2013 competition honoring the “World’s Best Advertising®.” Based on feedback from the 2012 Executive Jury, NYF totally restructured the International Advertising Awards competitions and categories to reflect the current work being produced globally.

The International Advertising Awards competition receives entries from 70 countries and recognizes work in all media in the following competitions: Avant-Garde, Branded Entertainment, Creative Marketing Effectiveness, Design, Digital, Direct & Collateral, Film, Integrated, Outdoor, Print, Public & Media Relations, Public Service, Radio and Student.
In 2012, for the second year in a row, New York Festivals assembled an elite group of Worldwide Chief Creative Officers from the world’s most prominent ad agencies to participate on the liveExecutive Jury, moderated by Donald Gunn, the founder of the The Gunn Report, and Michael Conrad, president of the Berlin School of Creative Leadership. These high level creative officers gathered in one room to judge the final rounds of the NYF International Advertising Awards.

The Executive Jury evaluates each shortlisted entry selected by the online Grand Jury. The Grand Jury, comprised of 374 International Creative Directors, is the most diverse jury of any advertising competition in the world, and will select the ads that earn a place on the shortlist generated from the first two rounds of judging. The Executive Jury, comprised of 28 Worldwide Chief Creative Officers, will select ads from the shortlist during live judging sessions taking place in New York City April 27th – May 30th, 2013. This process ensures that each entry achieving Finalist status is given the hands-on attention it deserves. The 2013 Executive Jury and Grand Jury will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2013 New York Show, NYF’s 2-day series of events, will begin on May 1st and will feature creative panel discussions, keynote speakers, networking events, the 2012 Executive Jury Press Conference, exhibits, and the May 2nd International Advertising Awards ceremony. All New York Show events and the 2013 awards gala will take place at the New York Public Library’s Beaux-Arts landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman building located at 455 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Entries submitted before December 16th will receive a 10% discount on entry fees. The 2013 competition Entry Deadline is January 27th, all entries submitted after January 27th will be subject to a 15% late fee.

For more information on the 2013 competitions go to: Rules & Regulations or to enter go to Log In.

All press inquiries are welcome and should be directed to Gayle Mandel: [email protected] Ph: 1 212 643 4800

International Awards Group, founded in 1957, organizes advertising and programming competitions for the following brands: AME Awards® for the World’s Best Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness™; Midas Awards® for the World’s Best Financial Advertising™; The Global Awards® for the World’s Best Healthcare Advertising™; New York Festivals® for the World’s Best Advertising™; New York Festivals® for the World’s Best TV & Films™; and New York Festivals® for the World’s Best Radio Programs™. Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to http://internationalawardsgroup.com/