In the world of brand extensions, fashion brands have a relatively easy path from clothing to fashion accessories. It is not uncommon, for example, to see brand names that may have started their lives associated with fine clothing become equally known for handbags, jewelry and perfume.

Yet another fashion brand is taking that route: Sperry Top-Sider is forging a relationship with Geneva Watches. Geneva will launch a line of Sperry fashion and sports watches in the spring of 2013.

Geneva Watch Group CEO Jeff Gregg says there is a "resurgence in American heritage brands among the Gen Y and Millennial consumers" and Sperry will help Geneva "expand our reach to this important group." The watch collection bearing the Sperry Top-Sider name will include vintage design elements drawing inspiration from the "Authentic Original" boat shoe silhouette and from the dashboard gauge-tech of vintage motor boats. Continue reading...

AIG reports a profit.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says company has more money than it needs and moves to appease shareholders as Proview brings China iPad trademark spat to US.

Best Western launches Facebook hotel reservations.

BP Gulf spill settlement looms.

Burger King eyes India's fast food market.

Cadbury Dairy Milk promotes fair trade chocolate in UK campaign.

Chevy-Ford rivalry heats up via NASCAR.

Chrysler and Carhartt discuss clothing collaboration.

Clorox CEO targets healthcare brands for acquisition.Continue reading...

The annual indie-film extravaganza known as the Sundance Film Festival got underway Thursday night in Park City, Utah, and the New York Times noticed something there that had been missing at recent fests: many corporate sponsors.

Eight brands are officially sponsoring this year's festival, which launched as an offshoot of Robert Redford's Sundance Institute in 1978: Adobe, GE, Sprint, Yahoo!, Bertolli, Grey Goose, Time Warner, and Hilton. Last year, the festival had two — Honda and Trident — and neither of them are back.Continue reading...

Kenneth Cole is known for his outspoken, often political, sometimes controversial and always pun-filled ad campaigns that he writes himself. He also composes his own messages on Twitter (identifying it's him with "-KC") and on Facebook.

This morning he faced a backlash for jumping on Twitter's #Cairo hashtag with a tweet that not only shilled for his brand, but created a bit.ly URL using KCairo (a play on KC and Cairo) pointing to his new collection. 

Cole's now-deleted tweet: “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo -KC”

The uproar that followed prompted this follow-up tweet to apologize: “Re Egypt tweet: we weren’t intending to make light of a serious situation. We understand the sensitivity of this historic moment -KC”

He also posted a Facebook apology: "I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate. Kenneth Cole, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer"

It’s not the first time Cole has made questionably timed comments.Continue reading...

“I am Barbara Bush, and I am a New Yorker for marriage equality. New York is about fairness and equality. And everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love.”

With these words, the daughter of George W. Bush today broke with her father's presidential platform. Her 22-second PSA is part of a new campaign by the Human Rights Coalition, a national gay rights organization.

According to the New York Times, HRC "plans to show it Saturday at its annual gala in New York City. Advocates said it would show elected officials and voters that, in many cases, young people are not following in their parents’ ideological footsteps." “No matter what party they belong to, young Americans believe in basic fairness and equality,” said HRC's Brian Ellner to the Times. 

Other New York-based celebrities calling on the state of New York to legalize gay marriage in the campaign include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, Whoopi Goldberg, Kenneth Cole, Fran Drescher, Mayor Bloomberg, Moby, Julianne Moore, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (an activist and the widow of Arthur Ashe), and singer/actress Daphne Rubin-Vega.

Airlines' 2010 profit projected to soar, according to adjusted IATA outlook.

Apple finally makes its iPhone 4 smartphone available in China.

Asda, the British arm of Wal-Mart, is spending $155 million relaunching its private-label line.

BMW brings Apple's iPad to the back seat of X3.

Chrysler unveiled new Jeep models and plans to dealers, including a pickup.

CSS unveiled a new global brand identity.

DirecTV may lower prices of NFL Sunday Ticket to boost customer base.

Google sparks a new privacy code in Germany over the capabilities of its Street View.Continue reading...

Airstream pitches younger, creative affluents on RV-ing.

Apple is wooing publishers to develop iPad versions of their titles.

ARM, a British semiconductor firm, holds a command position in the crucial technology of low-power chips.

Barnes & Noble’s takeover struggle centers on e-books.

BP finally seals the well in the Gulf of Mexico, but the effects of the disaster will linger for years.

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A new digital turf war is being waged between traditional ad agencies and media companies.

Conde Nast is now offering its creative services unit, CND Studios, as an agency for Conde Nast clients and/or any client, no matter where the ad buy is being made. In fact, Conde recently created content for Kenneth Cole’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel (such as the spot above).

Hearst Corp. is reportedly closing a deal to buy the digital marketing firm iCrossing, one of the last remaining independent agencies with search expertise.

The reason, reports AdAge: publishers are increasingly being asked by advertisers to build and tailor digital ads that don’t conform to traditional display ad standards. But do advertisers want one-stop shopping?Continue reading...