In an embarrassing reminder of the perils of creative license in an era of unprecedented transparency, Ford today had to apologize for a misogynistic set of online-only ads contemplated by its Ford of India unit and featuring the unlikely mashup of Paris Hilton, the Kardashians and Silvio Berlusconi.

The over-the-top visuals were created by JWT of India, which handles Ford advertising there, and were posted apparently for consumption by other professionals on a website called Ads of the World. The ads carry the tagline, “Leave your worries behind.” The existence of the ad prototypes was first pointed out by Business Insider, which called them “speculative renderings to show off” creativity.

In one drawing, Hilton is depicted in the front seat of a Ford Figo, with the Kardashian sisters bound and gagged in the rear and the hatchback open. A similar construction has former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi in the driver’s seat with a trio of crying women in the back—presumably a reference to charges that he has consorted with prostitutes. A third ad depicts Formula One driver Michael Schumacher abducting a male rival.Continue reading...

Burberry released the campaign for its Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, starring British actress Gabriella Wilde and musician Roo Panes. The black and white campaign, shot by fashion legend Mario Testino, uses London as the backdrop. "We wanted to play with everything that’s at the heart of the Burberry world – celebrating our brand and London through imagery, film, music, weather and our iconic outerwear, all in a very poetic and British way," explained Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey.

In other fashion/luxury news today:Continue reading...

Paris Hilton may be one of America’s most-disliked people, according to E-Poll Market Research, but some people are banking on eyeglass wearers in Asia still getting drawn in by her.

The word from brand licensing firm Beanstalk is that its client, Hilton, who is known for her stints on reality TV and big event red carpets as well as for a brutal interview with Barbara Walters on The View back in May, will launch an eyewear line in Asia in February.

Hilton, identified by Beanstalk as a “global style leader and fashion icon,” has signed a deal with OEM & Design Company “to develop an exclusive line of optical frames, sunglasses and colored contact lenses” with her name attached to them.Continue reading...

Do you think model/singer Melissa Molinaro looks like Kim Kardashian in the Old Navy spot above? And who cares? Apparently Kardashian does, enough to sue Old Navy, according to TMZ. The gossip site claims:

We're told Kim is especially furious that Old Navy has been tweeting to her page about the look-alike -- in an effort to gain even more publicity. One of those tweets read, "@CBSNEWS reports that Old Navy's Super CUTE star looks like @kimkardashian. #LOL. What do you think?" We're told Kim believes the copycat campaign has damaged her wallet somewhere in the range of $15 to $20 million.

The spot debuted in February and quickly drew comparisons to Kardashian. A month later, Molinaro — a Canadian-born aspiring entertainer who appeared on MTV's Making the Band — addressed accusations that the brand was looking to kash in by hiring her as a Kardashian Klone in an interview (watch below) with E! Online, which also called her "Kim Fauxdashian."Continue reading...

The next retail marketplace is online. No, not real-world goods purchased via the web, but virtual goods purchased online for your virtual life. It's a brave new world that Warner Bros TV is leaping into by releasing lines of "branded virtual goods" based on some of its programming.

The Time Warner-owned TV hit-maker just announced a partnership with Virtual Greats aimed at creating "custom branded boutiques for the initial launch of branded virtual goods from popular series The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars." So what the heck is a "branded virtual good?", you ask?Continue reading...

Airbus may develop longer-range plane to rival Boeing.

Apple tucks Newsstand into WWDC announcements.

AT&T's bid for T-Mobile is supported by Microsoft and Facebook.

Barack Obama's chief economist, Austan Goolsbee, resigns.

Bayer prostate-cancer drug shows promise.

BHP Billiton starts first US Gulf well since BP disaster.

BP tries to salvage Rosneft deal.Continue reading...

Need a T-shirt for your avatar? Or a movie poster for your avatar’s bedroom? Help is on the way.

Universal Pictures has signed a deal with Virtual Greats to create virtual goods for two of its films, Brian DePalma’s Scarface with Al Pacino and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The first batch of virtual goods will be found on Meez.com, a social entertainment destination for teens and young adults, according to a press release.

Virtual goods, by the way, are things bought in virtual communities or virtual games that cannot leave that environment. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most expensive virtual good ever sold was in the virtual Entropia Universe, where a space station called the Crystal Palace went for $330,000. Hey, the place came with four biodomes stuffed with aliens to hunt down along with a lovely bar to quaff virtual lagers.

Prices like that help explain the results that research firm In-Stat came up with last year when it predicted that $7.3 billion would be spent in virtual goods in 2010. So Universal wants a piece of that action and its first items will appear on Meez later this month. And more Universal virtual goods are surely to follow at Meez and on other sites.Continue reading...

Following the news that NASCAR driver Kyle Busch received a speeding ticket while test driving a new $350,000 Lexus, it didn't take long for a few cynics to ask whether or not the whole thing was set-up to draw attention to the automaker's new LFA model supercar.

Absurd as the notion is, Lexus has been very willingly embracing alternative marketing lately.Continue reading...