AOL Buys Adap.tv, Mag Circ Down Again, Guinness Does NFC

A Happy Tim Armstrong

- AOL has agreed to buy Adap.tv for $405 million allowing AOL to expand its video advertising offerings.

- Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen -- whose company has 35-plus broadcast stations off the air in a fee dispute -- expects more blackouts, with programmers continuing to raise prices for carriage rights.

- According to the Alliance for Audited Media, formerly the Audit Bureau of Circulations, total magazine circulation fell 1% from 292.9 million in the six-month period ending June 2012 to 289.9 million in the six-month period ending June 2013.

- OMG! L'Oreal model Cheryl Cole is appearing in a skincare campaign...wait for it...without wearing foundation

- Five things venture capitalists don't get about advertising!

- Guinness is rolling out an NFC (near field communications) campaign in the UK which will enable consumers to tap their smartphones against a Guiness harp located at Stongate Pubs to win a complimentary pint of Guiness.

- Boeing was vindicated by the British Advertising Standards Authority following an ad it ran promoting the cost advantages of the 747-8 as compared to the Airbus A380. Check out the ad Airbus ran as a rebuttal though. Very cool Pinocchio theme.

- Yawn. Even more brands do the Vine dance. This time it's GE which will run a #6SecondScienceFair August 8-15.

- Ogilvy Chicago laid off 1-2% of its staff yesterday which, according to AgencySpy, amounts to 1-20 people.