Twitter, now 7 years-old, is gearing up to iterate the twitterverse of 400 million monthly visitors, 200 million monthly active users and one billion tweets every two and a half days into serious business. 

Twitter is projected to earn over $582 million in global ad revenue this year, $950 million next year and $1.33 billion in 2015, according to eMarketer. "The upward revision comes as advertisers have shown more interest in spending money on mobile advertisements on Twitter, and as recent audience figures from multiple research sources analysed by eMarketer have suggested Twitter's reach is improving," said eMarketer. 

"Twitter will earn $308.9 million in mobile ad revenue in 2013—which is more than the company earned in total, from any ad type, in 2012, when it made $138.4 million from mobile ads," they added.Continue reading...

Aston-Martin sells stake to Italian private-equity firm.

Citigroup sees CMO depart for Gilt.

YouTube relaunches site to feature original channels.

Coca-Cola relaunches Glaceau Vitimanwater in the UK.

Daily Beast considers charging for web content as Washington Post also plans paywall.

Delta faces California suit over app.

Ford finds opportunities in "social shifting."

Google to rein in free Google Apps.Continue reading...

It's understandable that the record-breaking sum that BP will be paying out — $4.5 billion in fines and other payments — as a result of the Department of Justice settlement over the 2012 Deepwater Horizon accident, oil spill and response raised eyebrows. While two employees are being charged wth manslaughter, the company also pled guilty to 14 criminal charges in connection with the cataclysmic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago, and admitted to criminal conduct and deliberately misreporting the impact of the spill.

It's a record-breaking sum, but as a reader noted on our story, it's "a drop in the barrel" for the oil and gas giant. Even the fact that the DOJ investigation is ongoing, and BP will be subject to additional including federal civil claims and claims for damages to natural resources and fines under the Clean Water Act, with potential fines of up to $21 billion, the brand is more than prepared to absorb the financial hit.

The bigger question is how much, if at all, things have changed in the corporate culture that led to the accident, and led to harsh criticism over its handling of the accident. As Tom Zara, Interbrand's global Corporate Citizenship practice leader, comments, the DOJ penalty is directed at the "ethical bone structure" that led to the disaster, and the loss of 11 lives. "Notoriety of criminality isn’t the death knell of a brand, but corruption of culture will kill the brand."

The Justice Department press release detailing BP's guilty plea doesn't mince words on that front:Continue reading...

The Associated Press is reporting that "BP has agreed to pay the largest criminal penalty in U.S. history, totaling billions of dollars, for the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico" that killed 11 workers in 2010. Bloomberg also reports: "The company will plead guilty to obstruction of justice for lying to Congress. Two of the company’s employees face manslaughter charges over deaths in the explosion of the oil well, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss the deal which has not been made public. The amount wasn’t disclosed." The BBC is putting the figure at between $3 billion and $5 billion, and hears that up to four BP staff may be arrested.

Update: The settlement for the DOJ's Deepwater Horizon oil spill fraud case levies $4.5 billion in penalties against the company, including $1.26 billion for 14 criminal charges, and eliminates any further criminal and Securities and Exchange Commission (but not civil) charges against the company. As part of the deal, BP "has agreed to plead guilty to 11 felony counts of Misconduct or Neglect of Ships Officers relating to the loss of 11 lives; one misdemeanor count under the Clean Water Act; one misdemeanor count under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; and one felony count of obstruction of Congress." It's also agreeing to pay $525 million in civil penalties through 2015 to settle claims by the SEC over the company's reporting on the oil flow rate into the Gulf of Mexico in the days following the accident. The deal is still subject to US federal court approval.

The Justice Department press release confirms that BP's two highest-ranking supervisors are being charged with manslaughter while a former senior executive is being charged with obstruction of Congress:Continue reading...

AARP sues over reverse mortgages. 

Adidas opens women's concept store in Seoul.

Asahi hits roadblock in Australia push.

BMW to expand lineups of EVs and hybrids.

Daimler and Rolls-Royce launch bid for Tognum.

Dynegy faces Chapter 11.Continue reading...

Apple opposes proposal on CEO succession planning, and reports iPhone in-app purchases almost equal to download revenue.

Billboard & Nielsen SoundScan list Taylor Swift as the top-selling and most-played artist of 2010.

FDA warns public of continued extortion scam by FDA impersonators.

Ford unveils Focus Electric with MyFord Mobile smartphone integration.

Emmanuelle Alt takes over as editor at French Vogue.Continue reading...

Google may stop complying with Chinese Internet censorship requests and shut down operations due to cyber attack. [NY Times]

Conan O'Brien rejects 12:05 timeslot, prepared to leave NBC. [NY Times]

Toyota to introduce two new Scion vehicles in 2010. [WSJ]

Nintendo Wii game console to stream Netflix movies. [NY Times]

Football sponsors launch digital initiatives in preparation for the summer World Cup. [WSJ]

Ferrero abandons Cadbury bid. [Times of London]Continue reading...

RIM posts strong sales, Palm's figures dip. [WSJ]

Firestone tires rekindles its relationship with Major League Baseball. [NY Times]

Infant deaths are linked to Simplicity brand cribs. [NY Times]

Buoyed by a stronger brand and efficiency, Coke raises 2009 earnings estimate. [WaPo]

Chrysler expects brand image makeover to take two years. [WSJ]

The PGA Tour estimates Tigergate will cost the association $220M. [Warc]Continue reading...