That's Team USA gymnast (and five-time Olympic medalist) Nastia Liukin, above, doing the splits with the special London 2012 Summer Olympics edition Dora the Explorer doll. Mattel's Fisher-Price will sell the interactive Fantastic Gymnastics Dora doll starting in August for $50. What makes the latest doll from the Nickelodeon hit series interactive? Consumers can download the free, Fantastic Gymnastics Dora augmented reality app on retail shelves or download from Apple's App Store.Continue reading...

With such brands as Tide, Charmin, and Bounty in its massive brand family of consumer packaged goods, Procter & Gamble has long focused its marketing push toward the mothers of the world. Even now, in a world where the stay-at-home-dad population is growing and U.S. women are heading toward out-earning their husbands, P&G still pays tribute to mom in much of its marketing.

Its current global campaign, called "Thank You Mom," celebrates the mothers of Olympic athletes, and P&G will take some of those women to the Games in London this summer. While we can all agree that moms rock, P&G is smartly taking a break so it can focus on dads, even for a bit. With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, P&G’s Gillette brand launched dad-centric TV ads during the England-France Euro 2012 tie game on Monday.

Gillette's pre-Father's Day U.S. campaign pitch for the spot at top:

Gillette is searching for the greatest fatherly advice ever. Visit us on Facebook, or use #HeresToDad on Twitter between June 7 and 17 to share your dad's words of wisdom. This commercial celebrates Dads everywhere, by recognizing the man behind the athlete...the man behind all of us. "Here's to Dad. The Best a Man Can Get."Continue reading...

The description on this video by Omega, offical timekeeper of 25 Olympic Games, says it all: "It's been 80 years since OMEGA first timed an Olympic Games, and as Official Timekeeper for London 2012, OMEGA will once again bear witness to Olympic glory. It has also been 50 years since the Rolling Stones became a band and 31 years since "Start Me Up" first entered the charts! To mark these occasions, OMEGA has released an extended Olympic Games-themed television commercial (a short version has also been released). The footage features the Rolling Stones' classic hit "Start Me Up", remixed especially for the commercial by producer Don Was. The on-screen footage features Chinese diver Qiu Bo, U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin, British heptathlete Jessica Ennis, U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay, South African swimmer Chad Le Clos and U.S. pole vaulter Jenn Suhr — all Olympic hopefuls and OMEGA brand ambassadors. The focus is on the athletes' routines and concentration in the pivotal minutes and seconds before competition, a moment in time for each athlete that can set the tone for a potentially life-changing performance. Join the conversation on Twitter by using #StartMeUp and by following OMEGA on http://twitter.com/omegawatches" ("Start Me Up" was only used once before in a commercial, for Microsoft's Windows 95 launch.)

Below, watch the Omega London 2012 Countdown Clock in London's Trafalgar Square: 

"The OMEGA Countdown Clock starts ticking in Trafalgar Square, London. Swiss watchmaker OMEGA is the Official Timekeeper for the London Olympics 2012 and the OMEGA countdown clock will show the days, hours, minutes and seconds remaining to the start of the Opening Ceremony. OMEGA sport watches are favoured wherever timekeeping is essential and the Swiss watchmaker duly has a long history of involvement with the Olympic Games. The video shows some of the evening's events and features interviews with the Olympic host city's mayor, Boris Johnson, and sports personalities who were on hand to celebrate."