Digital marketing and search agency iCrossing has entered a partnership with China-based search marketing company Beijing Gridsum Technology Co. Ltd. The businesses will jointly develop and manage search marketing campaigns for global brands across Asian markets.

Mercent, a provider of online marketing technology and services for retail merchants, has announced the launch of catalog merchandising and order integration software for high-volume eBay sellers, integrated directly with eBay Large Merchant Services, a new set of applications on the eBay platform currently in public beta.

After the breakup with Wieden & Kennedy — in which the agency dumped the brand, rather than vice versa — Starbucks has selected Omnicom agency BBDO New York as its agency of record. The decision followed a competitive review.

ExampleMotion.com, a new San Francisco-based file sharing Web site for the legal industry, has selected Mulberry Marketing Communications to handle all of its marketing efforts.

Publicis Groupe has acquired Tribal, a São Paulo-based digital agency that offers brand planning, interactive campaign development and advanced marketing technologies.

Payment processing service ProPay recently launched its MicroSecure Card Reader, targeted toward direct sellers. The card reader encrypts the credit or debit card information at the time of swipe and stores it in coded form for later processing.

Database marketing agency Merkle has announced that the Arthritis Foundation, the largest private nonprofit organization devoted to arthritis research, has renewed its marketing contract. Merkle will continue to provide database management, strategic advice, printing, mailing response and list support and fundraising insight among other services for the Atlanta-based Arthritis Foundation.

Omnicom'sAgency.comhas filed a $19.5 million lawsuit against digital and search agency iCrossing, claiming it stole several of Agency.com's key clients and top executives when CEO Donald Scales left Agency.com for iCrossing.

Johnson & Johnson has tapped Interpublic Group of Companies and WPP Group to handle its pharmaceutical business. The decision was made after a formal request-for-proposal process.

Facing a country in financial turmoil and consumers who are increasingly keeping their wal­lets closed, several major retailers announced aggressive holiday marketing programs last week that start earlier than previous years. For months, industry watchdogs have predicted that this would be a highly promotional holiday season at retail because of the tough economy.