Above: Tracy Morgan in a teaser for Kraft's Super Bowl ad for its Mio water mix-ins.

There's no doubting the need or the stakes. That's why it isn't too surprising Research in Motion revealed on Friday that it will air a 30-second advertisement for its new BlackBerry 10 smartphone and operating system during the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.

BlackBerry's market share has dwindled, of course, in the wake of the onslaught by Apple, Google and Samsung on the smartphone market. Yet RIM executives have been maintaining that the 10 — with an all-new modus operandi and hardware — is not only the company's last chance, but also a game-changer. They're scheduled to reveal details on Wednesday.

"A Super Bowl commercial is a great opportunity to show the redesigned, re-engineered and reinvented BlackBerry to tens of millions of consumers on the largest advertising stage of the year," RIM CMO Frank Boulben said in a statement. The company already staged an ad takeover of the home page of the New York Times website in December.Continue reading...

The TV ratings for Super Bowl XLVI enjoyed a bump from last year's game, making it the most-watched telecast ever. Depite a riveting game, most pundits believe the advertising wasn't particularly riveting on Sunday, despite such hits as the Doritos' "Sling Baby" Crash the Super Bowl fan fave. 

Did brand marketers do themselves a disservice by giving away much (if not all) of their TV commercials before the game? This question surely will be examined closely in the days and weeks to come as marketers deliberate on the real value of spending $3.5 million or more for those 30 second ad units during the Big Game. Still, it's also possible that marketers won't care about the size of the ratings increase for the game because they got so much promotional mileage from the attention to their ads beforehand, on mobile, Twitter (witness the profusion of hashtags in commercials) and Facebook during, and ongoing debate and discussion this week.

There are other questions that not only brand marketers but the TV networks and the NFL will be grappling with long before Super Bowl XLVII:Continue reading...

ABC deals with sensitive issue of airing Marianne Gingrich interview before South Carolina GOP primary.

Aetna refreshes its "brand promise."

Apple is expected to unveil digital-textbook service today.

BP agrees to a $20-billion to $25-billion oil-spill deal with Department of Justice, report says.

Christian Louboutin celebrates 20 years of his red-soled shoes.

Citroen ad banned in the UK as seizure-inducing.

Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest, AEG and CAA partner on AXS cable network launch.Continue reading...

AMD tries to close gap in chip-power consumption with Intel.

Apple and Nokia settle patent litigation.

Avis brands consolidate across the Atlantic with acquisition.

Big Ass Fans turns a commodity and memorable name into a brand.

Citigroup hackers got in through company’s customer website.

Disney raises theme-park prices.

Ericsson to buy Telcordia software company.Continue reading...

Apple store employee moves to unionize.

Chipotle expansion plans hit by rising costs.

Citi defends delay in disclosing hacking.

Dell gives precedence to Chinese market for tablet roll-out.

Dole blitzes US cities to pump up banana sales.

Edmunds.com to launch Groupon-type channel for cars.

Ford is ordered to pay $2 billion to dealers in old pricing dispute.Continue reading...

Apple frustrates rivals who are trying to beat iPad’s price.

BBC announces agencies for branding and creative duties.

Disney's ABC Family channel spins gold in dramas.

Baby Gaga makers face possible legal action by Lady Gaga over breast-milk ice cream.  

Bank of America looks forward to “normal” performance. 

Barclays CEO gets huge bonus.

CBS hopes to conclude Charlie Sheen saga as Mark Cuban approaches him for HDNet project.Continue reading...

It used to be that the celebrity endorsement game was mainly played in an arena wired with TV, radio and print. Now, with Facebook and Twitter at brands' and celebrities' fingertips alike, the rules of that game have changed. Witness the uproar over paid tweets, as CNN highlights above.

It's a tricky area, which has created an opportunity for firms such as Ad.ly to help brands and celebs navigate the choppy seas of celebrity endorsement in a highly social, visible and transparent era.Continue reading...

The FCC calls off network neutrality talks as Google and Verizon deny a New York Times report that they're in "secret talks" about a unified tiered approach to online bandwidth management, although the FT hears that such an agreement is indeed imminent.

GM dangles a lifetime warranty for its Opel and Vauxhall brands to European car-buyers (the continent's first such offer) — "lifetime" meaning up to 100,000 miles, that is. GM CEO Ed Whitacre, meanwhile, says he welcomes an IPO to shake "Government Motors" nickname while Ford receives a new federal loan guarantee.

Add Lebanon to the list of countries contemplating a BlackBerry blackout over security concerns, with Saudi Arabia's ban taking effect tomorrow — although 11th hour talks are under way. Bloomberg reports that U.S. and Canadian government officials are now involved in Research in Motion's talks with skittish foreign governments, with the BBC noting that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will discuss the BlackoutBerry crisis with the UAE.

BP finished pumping cement into its damaged Gulf of Mexico oil well to seal it off.

News from Chevrolet, Adobe, Pfizer and more after the jump.Continue reading...