Leonardo DiCaprio will take to the silver screen as Jay Gatsby on May 10 when the latest adaptation of the famed F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby, makes its debut in movie theaters in the US, but there are more than a few brands looking to ride the publicity for some consumer love of their own.

Hotels.com is aiming to help one couple “live like Gatsby” for a weekend (though one hopes it doesn’t include the man’s incredible loneliness, insensitivity to others, painful death, or nearly empty funeral as part of the proceedings). Wannabe Gatsby-ites can tweet @Hotelsdotcom between May 6 and May 9 about their favorite luxuries while traveling and include the hashtag #GreatGiveaway. The grand prize: a two-night stay at Boston’s Langham Hotel, which was originally built in 1922 as the Federal Reserve Bank.

For those who don’t win, Hotels.com is showcasing getaways on its site that would be fit for a luxurious Gatsby-like vacation, such as the art deco murals of The Inn at Great Neck on Long Island to the live jazz and themed cocktails of South Carolina’s The Willcox, among other swanky locales.Continue reading...

Above, Hitchcock H7N9 bird flu poster featuring Shanghai's skyline, via Weibo.

China is the second largest economy in the world and every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse)—but who's got the time?! Here's the week's reads that will make you look like a keen China observer in case you find yourself immersed in a cultural conversation.

This week:  What's haunting Weibo?... Chicken woes for KFC... North Korean beer... New Zealand product placement... Audi's new branded film... Car plates... Skinny Uniqlo goes bigger... Inflation... Diaosi Mike Sui... Fan Bingbing for booze... Disneyland... Jordan gets countersued... Chinese spending in Europe... Former Google China head picks a fight with a 13-year-old... and more.Continue reading...

Amazon removes resellers' iPads from sale in China, at Apple's request, as more cities block sales.

Apple tightens rules to protect iPhone users contacts from apps.

Peter Arnell and Omnicom settle their suit.

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint see SEC reject their view on net neutrality.

British Airways staff receive iPads for lowdown on VIP passengers.

CBS head Les Moonves anticipates $4 million per Super Bowl spot.

CNN severs remaining ties with Larry King.

Facebook to release Timeline for brands this month.

GM reports weaker than expected results, eliminates pensions for salaried workers.Continue reading...

British Airways will release its first global campaign in two years on its Facebook page on 9/21. Take a sneak peek at its upcoming commercial, emphasizing its heritage, above.

Below, watch the NFL's regular season kick-off promo,  McDonald's pet names, Aardman for Hotels.com 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...

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...

Hotels.com has been running claymation-based commercials (from Aardman Animation, no less) for a while now. Now it's inviting fans to get in on the fun with ClayYourself.com — a way to create your digital avatar for your Facebook or Twitter profile and render your facial characteristics and personality in clay. The best entries will compete to star in a future Hotels.com commercial.Continue reading...

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...