In keeping with James Franco and Anne Hathaway's winking debut on Sunday night as the younger, hipper hosts of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, brands that will be advertising during Sunday night's Super Bowl of cinema will also reach out to younger, digitally savvy audiences.

The biggest tactic, of course: incorporating social media into their campaigns. It makes sense: in terms of ratings, reach, buzz and impact, including watercooler chatter the morning after, the Oscars is still one of the biggest TV and cultural events of the year. And many of those viewers will be plugged-in while watching — even more so than during the Super Bowl.Continue reading...

The It Gets Better video campaign is the brainchild of writer Dan Savage. His goal: encourage everyday folks and celebrities alike to upload videos on YouTube sharing their thoughts and experiences in messaging directed at LGBT youth at threat of cyber-bullying and suicide, and point them to resources such as The Trevor Project.

The movement has attracted more major endorsements in the past 24 hours, including Google staffers (above) and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Today has also been dubbed Spirit Day, with people (such as Canada's Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff) donning purple literally and virtually, including turning social profile pics purple, to show support for the cause.Continue reading...

"I need to be the change I want to see. I need to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem."

With those words, iconic gossip blogger Perez Hilton vows to take the high road and not insult the celebrities he covers on his flagship site, perezhilton.com. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen: the king of mean says that nice is the new snark. Is it really possible the Web is becoming a kinder and gentler place as personal branding comes of a certain age?Continue reading...

Wal-Mart  is focusing on smaller-format stores, bringing back "Action Alley" — wide aisles filled with palettes of discounted merchandise — and offering same-day pickup for online purchases in an effort to jumpstart sluggish U.S. sales.

Apple shares pass $300 for first time on promise of iPad, China expansion.

Bing is adding a social layer to its search results, with a little help from Facebook.

Bit.ly now generates QR codes in addition to short URLs.

Domino's unveils first new pizza since reformulating its recipe.Continue reading...

Generally, a strong, popular brand can weather a bad mention in the press. Even a second bit of bad press should be no big deal. However, three, four, or five are cause for alarm. And family dining and entertainment establishment Chuck E. Cheese's should be alarmed.

The Chuck E. Cheese's brand name has been turning up in the news with rather disturbing frequency, and each report evokes more of images "jail time" rather than "fun time." Here is a list of some of the reports from the last few months:Continue reading...

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but spoofing a brand can result in a lawsuit.

The North Face has filed suit in St. Louis accusing a teenager of piracy because he was marketing a line of clothing under the brand name The South Butt. The defendant is arguing that his (not profitable) endeavor falls under the protections of satire.

Many of the world's most prominent brands are satirized in similar fashion on a regular basis, often by substituting irreverent language within the brand's trademark colors and logos. Ford, for example, becomes "Fart." Pizza Hut becomes "Pimp Hut." And McDonald's gets branded as "Marijuana."Continue reading...

The problem with hitching your brand-wagon to a single star is that sometimes that star falls off his or her own wagon (see: Smith, Anna Nicole and TrimSpa). Such is the case with the chain's Jared "The Subway Diet" Fogle.

On December 1, candid photos of the Subway spokesman were picked up from an obscure message board and begin trickling up. By the end of the day, leading US gossip site Perez Hilton was featuring Subway's diet guru and icon looking... very heavy. Chunky, some might say. The schadenfreude of the websites that published the pictures was thick. If Subway brand managers are not in damage control mode at this very minute, they are in deep trouble.

Jared, who claimed to have lost 245 pounds eating Subway sandwiches, has been a Subway spokesman for years now: last year, the brand celebrated its 10th anniversary with him. Subway continues to rely heavily on him as it pitches its offerings as healthier than the competition. This year Jared has appeared with NFL stars such as Reggie Bush and Brady Quinn.Continue reading...

Steve Jobs attends Apple conference and addresses issues facing his health and the brand [NYT]; Apple reveals upgrades, but no new technology [LA Times].

GM sells majority of its interest in Opel and Vauxhall to Canada's Magna International. [London Times]

Warner Bros. restructures DC Comics to take on competition. [LA Times]

Fashion designer Derek Lam takes his style and vision to New York Fashion Week. [WSJ]

Alcohol brands in Britain consider abuse vs. consumption. [London Times]

(More headlines: Jameson, NFL touchdowns, House of Frasier.) Continue reading...