Wikileaks spoofed Mastercard's "Priceless" campaign this week. Watch the spot below, along with new perfume commercials featuring Scarlett Johansson and Christina Aguilera, plus place branding with a twist and more.Continue reading...

OK, so the 83rd Annual Academy Awards was a bit of a snoozefest, with Colin Firth and Natalie Portman winning the best thespian categories (as expected) and The King's Speech sweeping the night.

On the commercial front, while the Oscars may not have "the Super Bowl for women" that some thought in terms of the caliber of the ads, there were some new campaigns — but also a lot of repetition and reprisals of Super Bowl spots.

What did you think of the commercials, if you caught them during the telecast on ABC? To jog your memory:Continue reading...

Rokk Vodka Teams Up With GLAAD

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced a yearlong partnership with Rokk vodka in which the Swedish brand will act as the presenting partner of the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards as well as have a strong presence  at the CineGLAAD panels at the Sundance Film Festival and at GLAAD's 25th anniversary events.

Rokk's first marketing efforts when it launched in the U.S. last year were aimed at the gay community in New York City, while it recently got into branded entertainment with its Lonely Island spoof ad (above) featuring SNL's Andy Samberg, so it seems it should be a partnership that everyone can be glad about.Continue reading...

Altria, R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard face tougher tobacco marketing rules in US.

Apple launches app store for Mac software.

Bank of America categorizes clients, adds fees.

Boeing loses major 747 order due to delays.

BP spill inquiry to report that disaster "likely" to recur; and hears that microbes may have mitigated methane damage in the Gulf.

CNN books Oprah as first guest for Piers Morgan's post-Larry King debut on Jan. 17; Madonna still banned as "boring."Continue reading...

The "Power 100," an annual survey of the world's leading drink brands, has just released its 2010 ranking. Topping the list once again is Smirnoff, ahead of second place Johnnie Walker and third place Bacardi.

Last year was particularly difficult for premium spirits as consumer demand for pricey liquor and wine brands shifted to less expensive alternatives. In a clear sign of the times, champagne brands Dom Perignon, Lanson, Nicolas Deuillatte and Taittinger fell out of the Power 100.

Wines generally didn't fare all that well in the new ranking. Only two wine brands, Gallo and Concha y Toro, were listed in the top 20. Seven U.S. wine brands and five Australian labels made the Power 100, but only one European wine was on the list: Spain's Torres Wine.

Nine brands were added to the Power 100 for the first time this year, including Svedka, the Swedish vodka, which debuted at number 46.Continue reading...