The Chrysler brand and Carhartt this week launched a limited-edition "Imported From Detroit" work wear collection that pays homage to the spirit of the Motor City, and serves as yet another reminder of the effectiveness of Chrysler's turnaround branding campaign sparked by the 2011 Super Bowl commercial featuring Eminem.

Debuting at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, the collection includes shirts, jackets and pants that are individually hand-numbered, 100-percent Made-in-America, and reflect iconic Carhartt styles with exclusive design detailing such as blacked-out hardware and leather brand labels.

"The pairing of the Chrysler brand and Carhartt is another example of how we are continuing to champion the energy created from the 'Imported From Detroit' campaign," stated Saad Chehab, president and CEO of the Chrysler brand. "Carhartt shares Chrysler's respect and appreciation for hard-working Americans."Continue reading...

Martha Stewart is hitching her personal brand to the patriotic push behind Made in USA brands. This fall she's launching what she hopes will become the first annual American Made Awards, a celebration of American artists, artisans and entrepreneurs. Inaugural sponsors are Avery Dennison and The UPS Store. 

"Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is the embodiment of my passion for food, design, crafts, gardening and so much more,” she commented in a press release.

“It is also the realization of an entrepreneurial dream. I am excited to recognize the work of other creative entrepreneurs and it is my hope that American Made will become an annual initiative for the brand that will continue to nurture honorees, support their passions and expand their businesses, setting an inspiring example for the MSLO audience and beyond."Continue reading...

Google made tech news headlines with the recent introduction of three new products, two of which round out its new Nexus product line, a brand that puts Google squarely in the hardware business — and in Apple's crosshairs.

The slick, sleek website for Nexus seems to have that cool, clean sophistication we've come to know and love from Apple. All three of the products found there rival Apple products: the Galaxy Nexus phone, which is co-branded Google and Samsung (iPhone), Nexus 7 tablet (iPad), and the Nexus Q streaming media player (watch out, Apple TV).

But the buzz around Nexus Q has reached beyond technology alone. It has raised an intriguing issue that could be seen as either a deeper competitive strategy that pits "Made in USA" against "Made in China", or perhaps, nothing more than an expedient product solution.Continue reading...

On the eve of Google revealing its expanded Nexus family of devices and eagle-eyed observers spotted that its Nexus Q Android-powered Magic 8 Ball streaming media player is being made in the USA, The New York Times published a piece more or less suggesting Apple builds the cost of dead workers into its products.

Two days after the Grey Lady published "In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad," — subtly implying that Apple was directly responsible for a deadly explosion in a Chengdu plant — it ran another big piece: "Google Tries Something Retro: Made in the U.S.A."

The new Cold War between America and China over manufacturing will be fought by proxy brands Google and Apple. We already know whose side the New York Times is on. In the meantime, Google may have just pulled the Made-in-America wool over everyone's eyes.Continue reading...

Chrysler was clearly onto something when it launched its breakthrough "Imported from Detroit" campaign. Sales spiked, leading the company to launch phase 2. Explaining the positioning, Chrysler CMO Olivier Francois told brandchannel, “American coolness is essential to our strategy, because that’s exactly what imports do not have, and some other American [luxury] brands don’t have as well.” 

Chrysler isn't the only one latching on to the rising "Made in USA" star. In March, we reported on the website, MadeInUSAForever.com which was bootstrapped by Todd Lipscomb. He told CNN, "I saw this terrible need in our nation for a real alternative to buy American made products. ... It's a virtuous circle of economic activity that's caused by buying American made." Lipscomb has seen his website business grow at over 40% per year.

Many other brands are following suit, according to Bloomberg. Joseph Abboud, the maker of menswear, proudly displays a "Made in USA" moniker on its website. Brooks Brothers waves a "Made in America" banner and boasts of its factories in the US. Mark Kate and Ashley Olsen's fashion brand, The Row, promotes its American-made line.Continue reading...

Ford Fiesta and Chevy Cruze help fuel Detroit's comeback. 

Hangover 2, despite lousy reviews, is on track to be most lucrative comedy ever.  

Heineken extends UEFA Champions League sponsorship.  

Oscar Mayer, Ball Park hotdog wars heat up.

Hulu plans to add commercials.

Lockheed Martin falls prey to cyberattack.Continue reading...

Dodge puts new spin on the "pro driver, closed course" blink-and-you'll-miss-it fine print of car commercials, above.

Black MacBook costs more than the white MacBook garners "Manhattan Apple Store Accused of Discriminating Against Black Men" headline.

Apple, meanwhile, sues teen who made white iPhone conversion kit.Continue reading...

It's a marketing strategy that's never really gone out of style: Nationalism.

From Harley-Davidson to Laotian beer, "Made in (Your Locale Here)" has always appealed to politically-engaged consumers. That is especially true today.

In the post-Cold War, battles were fought by whipping out one's nuclear arsenal and measuring it. Today, size still matters, but it's all about the size of GDP. Nations don't mean to annihilate a competitor's front line, they mean to annihilate its bottom line. So, it comes as no surprise that a new Harris Poll finds that USA! USA! USA! is as much propaganda as pocketbook.Continue reading...