American Airlines wins court order barring Sabre from hiding flight and fare information.

Barneys rumors pan out, as creative director Simon Doonan steps down to become 'ambassador.'

Campbell's soup returns to UK after two-year break.

CNN simplifies on-air look.

Facebook rolls out new profile design to all users.

Groupon raises record-breaking $950 million in venture capital.Continue reading...

Think product placement in prime time TV and films is bad? Try some from daytime soaps like Days of Our Lives. While you're trying that, why not also try some Wanchai Ferry "Chinese food!" (above)Continue reading...

As if price-conscious shoppers needed more convincing, a new study published in the October issue of Consumer Reports magazine states "store brand products can compete with their name-brand counterparts and save shoppers more than a thousand dollars a year on grocery bills." According to Tod Marks, senior projects editor for the magazine, "The study reaffirms that store brands are worth a try."

Five supermarket chains were evaluated and prices for private-label or store-brand vs name-brand items were compared for 30 everyday items. Consumer Reports found the average savings with store brands was 30%, while its researchers found nutrition similar for most of the tested products.

Yet, shoppers need coaxing to trust some store brands — many, ironically, created by big name brands.Continue reading...

After grabbing myself a slice at World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza, I wanted to find all the news that was fit to print, and was surprised by a New York Times piece on the sharp increase in brands suing each other over false claims.

So far, 2009 has seen 82 formal complaints over ad claims, according to The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, on track to exceed last year’s record of 84 challenges, up almost 40% from four years ago.

While the "studies show" tactic of demonstrating one brand's superiority over competitors is an ad cliché, those ads typically have used "other leading brands" as their contrast. Now, increasingly ruthless competition has seen brands outright naming, and denouncing, competitors. These lawsuits include DirectTV's claim about Charter Communication's service. Or AT&T's complaint, after Verizon Wireless attacked their spotty coverage with their mocking tagline, "There's a map for that."Continue reading...

Call me a naive idealist, but those Chunky soup commercials featuring NFL players lost their flavor when I found out that Eagles QB Donovan McNabb's "mother," who co-starred in several ads, was actually portrayed by actress Marcella Lowery.

So I'm pleased to read in the New York Times that the Campbell's Soup Company is focusing its newest campaign on the classic working man rather than the gridiron giant. Though the soup brand tries to whet the appetites of the mainly manly variety – think shipyard workers, not accountants – the ads wisely will target the women in their lives who are usually the ones buying the food. "Your man works hard," seems to be the idea, "so doesn't he deserve a hearty (yet convenient) meal?" Continue reading...