Look at the current M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) scene in U.S. business and you'll see signals, especially in the food industry, that big conglomerates are falling out of favor: 

• In June, Sara Lee jettisoned its famous name, splitting the company into two units: Hillshire Brands, focusing on mostly meat products, and D.E. Master Blenders 1753, a European maker of coffees and teas. 
• Last week, the country's largest dairy company, Dean Foods, said its Whitewave unit, which accounts for about 40 percent of Dean's operating income, would split from the company and file an IPO. Whitewave produces Horizon Organic milk and the Silk brand, which includes soy and almond milk, products that have been growing faster than Dean's regional milk brands.
• In October, the giant Kraft Foods will split the company in two, separating its U.S. business (Kraft Foods Group) from its international snack foods business (Mondelez International). 

Corporate breakups are on the rise, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, which reports that there were 19 U.S. corporate public company spinoffs in 2011 vs. 16 in 2010. Eleven spinoffs have already been finalized in 2012 and thirteen more have been announced. Continue reading...

Airbus designs new way to build planes and scraps sales target for A380.

Amazon tests a smartphone.

American Airlines opens door to merger with U.S. Airways.

Apple pulls game with Japanese Ninjas invading island chain.

Barclays former CEO Bob Diamon hits back at U.K. lawmakers over interest-rate scandal.

Drew Brees nears becoming highest-paid player in NFL history.

Expedia features real travelers' experiences in new campaign.

John Varvatos taps British musician Paul Weller as new face.Continue reading...

In a bid to outdo last year's April Fool's Day jokes, a few April Foolin' Around branded fake gags today include:

• Richard Branson's next adventure, Virgin Volcanic, will take the intrepid billionaire to the center of the earth with Tom Hanks;

• in addition to really advanced search and Google TV Click, perennial prankster Google brings its self-driving car to NASCAR racing (above) and, below, announces Morse Code-based Gmail Tap (double your typing speed!) with LL Cool J, plus 8-bit Google Maps for the neglected Nintendo Entertainment System, and more:Continue reading...

Afar.com, launched in 2010, is the digital extension of the travel magazine of the same name. As the above video explains, for founders Greg Sullivan and Joe Diaz, “experiential travel is a way of life,” and their brand nuance is getting "out of your comfort zone," delving beneath the surface to real places and real people.

It’s one example of how travel is trending as one of the hottest online verticals for disintermediation, with a slew of start-ups seeking differentiation in a crowded field.

Following the early crop of online booking sites – Hotels.com, Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline – a second wave of sites like Kayak made search the currency for iterating online travel. Now, leveraging social media is the Shangri-La for targeted trip advice, crowdsourcing experiences and recommendations from the most trusted sources – friends, and friends of friends.Continue reading...

Remember travel agents? You know, those nice people in little offices that you actually visited in person to book your vacation?

They've largely been replaced with such online travel services as Orbitz, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Travelocity, and Expedia. In fact, these online brands have become so commoditized that they're all beginning to look very much alike, offering similar services and prices. It might be why Hotels.com, which is owned by Expedia, threw an unusual Facebook party recently.

Now Expedia UK is making a concerted effort to differentiate itself from its competition with a new brand campaign that puts the focus on its people instead of prices or features of its trip offerings.Continue reading...

AOL considers paid content.

Ben & Jerry's kicks off food truck in San Francisco with free ice-cream.

Bloomberg pushes for a wider TV audience.

Cadbury's Naomi Campbell ad ruled not racist.

Cartier joins Burberry, Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands by launching Youku video channel in China.

Cisco turnaround takes longer than expected.

Coca-Cola accuses Goldman Sachs of manipulating prices.Continue reading...

Hotels.com is extending its Clay Yourself digital avatar campaign with a social entertainment experience to woo Facebookers to engage with the brand.

Billed as three wild nights and featuring b-list celebs, the mildly risque "Trip Your Face" experience combines elements of the OfficeMax Elf Yourself campaign, Perrier's digital tease with Dita Von Teese and ties into pre-Hangover 2 buzz, without being overtly related to that movie's plot or characters.

The Expedia-owned site's new Trip Your Face website is the hub for an interactive journey that starts when visitors select one of three destinations (New York, Paris or Las Vegas) and upload their Facebook photo plus profile photos of up to three friends to participate in the fun.Continue reading...

Citi says every single major automaker is a "sell" thanks to Japan supply/disruption issues as Honda faces US slowdown as parts-strapped Toyota cancels overtime at UK plants.

Audi to offer limited-edition “halo” cars to haunt BMW.

Dancing with the Stars faces heat over dancer's Playboy cover.

Dell increases investment in cloud computing.

Expedia plans to spin off TripAdvisor.

Genentech gets help from patients in Avastin fight.Continue reading...