Arthur Frommer buys back travel book brand from Google, which acquired it with big plans last August.

Facebook readies for rumored phone event today.

Apple's futuristic campus project runs late and $2 billion overbudget.

BlackBerry turns mobile website into "test drive" of new Z10 phone, kills off BBM music service.

CVS and Rite-Aid target allergy season.

ConAgra boosts ad spending as commodity costs drop.

Detroit Electric launches Tesla rival.Continue reading...

JCPenney slashes CEO Ron Johnson's pay, woos fashionistas with store-in-store bijoux bars.

Facebook dispute over Timeline trademark will go to jury trial; faces questions about new smartphone.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk will personally guarantee car buyback values as company introduces leasing.

A&W introduces Mini Polar Swirls via Vine.

Angelina Jolie opens school in Afghanistan funded by her jewelry collection.

Apple begins production of refreshed iPhone this quarter.Continue reading...

Oscar Pistorius was a man once known for being the fastest double-leg amputee on the planet. Now that the so-called Blade Runner has been charged with murder for the shooting death of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp early Valentine’s Day morning, his sponsors, who pay out about $2 million to Pistorius annually, are moving just as quickly as Pistorius to figure out how to deal with the sudden PR nightmare.

Nike’s attachment to Pistorius was compounded by the fact that an ad featuring the Olympian used the tagline, “I’m the bullet in the chamber.” It was pulled from Pistorius’s website on Thursday, Ad Age reports. The victim's tweets before her murder also created a social media nightmare for anyone or any company attached to the paralympic athlete.

"Nike extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families concerned following this tragic incident," his sponsor said in a statement. "As it is a police matter, Nike will not comment further at this time." Two other sponsors, Oakley and BP Global, both used the word “shocked” in their statements on the issue. Thierry Mugler fragrances had nothing to say other than it was waiting to see what happens with the investigation.

British Telecom, better known as BT, also went the “appalled” route with its statement: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy. Given the ongoing legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."Continue reading...

The hottest video in rotation is currently Lady Gaga's Judas. With as much style as it lacks sense — it's a muddled religious metaphor; all you need to know is she's a Harley-loving Mary Magdalene, as her new album cover tipped off fans — it's characteristically Gaga.

Plus, unlike recent videos of fellow pop divas Britney Spears and J.Lo, it appears Gaga has eschewed the overt product placement of last year's Telephone — apart from the Harley Davidson bikes that open the video, and the Schott Perfecto leather motorcycle jackets — for brand cameos that would be more recognizable to fashion cognoscenti.

As the Haus of Gaga's creative director/stylist Nicola Formichetti notes on his Tumblr, the video's fashion credits include Thierry Mugler, vintage Christian Lacroix, Alexander McQueen shoes and a Versace bracelet that was a gift from her Japanese fans.

Judas also contains one prominent product placement that might surprise fans of the songbird who sports a peace sign tattoo on her wrist. Continue reading...

Apple hopes to come up with more hits without Steve Jobs.

Boeing will begin delivering the 787 Dreamliner in Q3.

Chrysler boosts Jeep's marketing mileage.

Citigroup to name John Havens as president and COO. 

Coca-Cola, Danone and Nike rank high among consumers in emerging markets in Credit Suisse study.

Fox premieres revamped American Idol, featuring rocker Steven Tyler, tonight.Continue reading...

Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal is approved (with one FCC commissioner, Michael Copps, opposed). Conditions for the deal, expected to close by Feb. 1, include that Comcast must give up its management role at Hulu, and abide by anti-favoritism clause — a victory for Bloomberg TV and other networks that compete with Comcast and NBCU's channels. Comcast, separately, just invested $10M in Snagfilms, an ad-supported documentary site that owns INDIEwire, and led a $9M financing round in e-publishing consultancy Perfect Market.

Apple announces record quarterly earnings of $6B, with 7 million iPads sold during the Christmas quarter. The iPhone is now the UK's "most desirable" brand.

Citigroup "disappoints" despite quarterly profit of $1.3 billion.Continue reading...

Clarins' Thierry Mugler perfume is betting there is an “invisible bond between women.” Womanity.com, the brand's website which launches today, invites consumers to generate ideas that will emerge as new products and populate store shelves.

The global campaign and online media platform center on a mosaic of tiles that will host community content – photos, videos, poems, and editorial articles. According to Ferdinando Verderi, creative director at WPP shop Johannes Leonardo, "The ambitions are very large. The brand is ready to become whatever the users want." And that could be anything from a new scent to jewelry, accessories, or clothing line.Continue reading...