Converging with a major trend in branding, Diet Pepsi asked HGTV star designer Vern Yip to come up with a new limited-edition mini-can that will invite consumers to "Sip in Style" this spring. The soon-to-hit shelves can continues the brands' multi-platform "Love Every Sip" campaign that has starred Sofia Vergara in TV ads.

While arguably Yip comprises only a "light" instance of the phenomenon, Diet Pepsi's collaboration with him also adds to the growing number of partnerships between celebrities and brands to fill or originate "creative director" spots, including Alicia Keys and BlackBerry, Swizz Beatz and Reebok, Marc Jacobs and Diet Coke, Polaroid and Lady Gaga, Bud Light Platinum and Justin Timberlake and Intel and Will.i.am.Continue reading...

LVMH acquires storied French luxury brand Arnys.

Nokia to cut 10,000 jobs, sells Vertu luxury brand.

GM plans to close Opel factory in Germany.

Amazon and Google rush to wrap up new gTLD domain-name suffixes with ICANN.

Applebees sees franchisee's new marketing campaign diverge controversially from corporate brand.

Aung San Suu Kyi warns investors off Myanmar's state oil and gas firm on historic visit to Europe.

Coca-Cola renews sponsorship of BET's 106 & Park.

Facebook launches real-time bidding for "Marketplace" ads.

GE promotes new refrigerator in online-only video.Continue reading...

Scripps Networks owns some of the most powerful brands on cable television with HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel and DIY. All of the cooking shows on these networks have thus far avoided the temptation of dabbling in product placement. After all, in the first half of the year, Food Network pulled in $283.2 million in advertising while HGTV earned $300.2 million in the same time period, according to Kantar Media. 

However, the company’s Cooking Channel, which launched last year, is still trying to figure out how to make dough on the scale of its sister networks. Kantar reports that the channel brought in $12.3 million in the first half of the year. Enter product placement.

Ad Age reports that the network's business side sees a plum opportunity with a series titled From the Kitchens Of, which doesn’t have a set air time and is broadcast sporadically, not only visits the kitchens of corporations including Pillsbury but also features each company’s products within its show and recipes. For that right, the advertiser foots half the costs of producing the episode, Ad Age reports.

"We wanted to be able to offer advertisers something different than" Food Network, stated Jeff Stettin, VP of ad sales for Cooking Channel. "We feel that with a network that was just starting out, we could take a little bit more risk."

Other brands that have been involved the first season’s 10 episodes include Clorox, Sara Lee, Kellogg, and Sears’ Kenmore, Ad Age notes, with all series one sponsors already signing on for a 13-episode second season run.

American Apparel keeps pushing limits with latest campaign. 

Apple's iPad on track to sell 15M units in first year.

BP encounters shareholder resistance in Rosneft deal. 

Candie’s replaces Britney Spears with a new face: Vanessa Hudgens.

Ford is poised to report its most profitable year since 2000. 

GM anticipates quicker-than-expected ownership exit by U.S. taxpayers. 

Goldman Sachs concerned about global over-regulation of banks.Continue reading...

The Chevrolet brand is on something of a hunting expedition lately, rolling out three hunting-themed campaigns so far this month.

On Sept. 1, a series of spots for the Silverado rolled out, targeting US deer-hunters.

Last week, in a takeoff on the HGTV series House Hunters, Chevrolet launched the Car Hunters Challenge with "third-party independent research firm, GfK, to conduct drive clinics with customers who are shopping for a new vehicle."

Today sees the latest chapter in its hunting expedition: the Chevrolet Cruze putting Honda in its sights with the "Dear Civic" (Deer Civic?) spot above.Continue reading...

Sometimes in brand marketing, history repeats itself, and that seems to be the case with sweepstakes and contests. And the big prize these days, given the tough economy, seems to be cash, and a lot of it.

First prize in the SoBe Lifewater Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge pegged to the recent NCAA March Madness basketball tournament was a cool $9 million. The Reese's Loves You Back sweepstakes offers $2 million in cash prizes. NBC's Minute to Win It series awards up to $1 million cash. HGTV's annual Dream Home sweepstakes doles out $500,000 cash, plus a house and an SUV. The current version of the sweepstakes attracted a whopping 40 million-plus entries in about 45 days, notes the New York Times.

Sweepstakes and contests, of course, are nothing new.Continue reading...

Food Network's kid brother, the Cooking Channel, will go live on May 31. Hipper and funkier yet a tad more servicey than its parent, the all-cooking, all the time network will feature Food Network stalwarts including Emeril and Paula Deen, plus a new crop of celebrity chef wannabes.

Scripps' latest channel, which will replace the pre-recession-launched Fine Living Network, might be seen as an admission that Food Network has strayed from its initial mission, with cooking how-to shows replaced by lifestyle series and competitions.

But Scripps's "Chef" Executive Officer begs to differ.Continue reading...

Delta and Northwest Airlines cleared for merger. [WSJ]

Smart phone apps can send targeted coupons and promotions based on location. [SF Chronicle]

Volvo, Geely to cooperate, remain separate. [WSJ]

AT&T drops their sponsorship of Tiger Woods. [FT]

New milk recall plagues China. [WSJ]

Goldman Sachs reviews London operations, may quit the city. [Telegraph]Continue reading...