SAP moves into cloud computing as brand projects $10B boost from banking software.

Coca-Cola plans to invest $2 billion in Florida orange groves.

Disney second quarter soars 32% on theme parks, ESPN ad sales as company withdraws trademark application for Dia de los Muertos.

Alibaba IPO anticipation grows on revenue surge.

American Airlines launches Klout-based promo.

AOL profits boosted by advertising.

AT&T presses case in lower bandwidth spectrum case.

Bitcoin startups begin to attract real cash.

Burger King makes bold move with delivery expansion.Continue reading...

HuffPost called it "when product placement goes wrong." Bloomberg called it "a curious cameo." Slashgear said it "makes us giggle." Another declared it Spider-Man fans' biggest gripe.

But more than anything, Bing's product placement in the new #1 movie at the box office, The Amazing Spider-Man, is turning out to be an amazing missed opportunity for Microsoft to defend itself and its search engine.Continue reading...

In a bid to outdo last year's April Fool's Day jokes, a few April Foolin' Around branded fake gags today include:

• Richard Branson's next adventure, Virgin Volcanic, will take the intrepid billionaire to the center of the earth with Tom Hanks;

• in addition to really advanced search and Google TV Click, perennial prankster Google brings its self-driving car to NASCAR racing (above) and, below, announces Morse Code-based Gmail Tap (double your typing speed!) with LL Cool J, plus 8-bit Google Maps for the neglected Nintendo Entertainment System, and more:Continue reading...

It's been exactly a year since we wondered about how the U.S. film remake of hit The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo would handle all the original book's Apple product placement, especially considering Sony Pictures was handling the production.

Now, a newly released image from the film gives us the answer. Looks like Sony got its way.Continue reading...

With The Help holding on to the top spot again, there is little to be said about Hollywood product placement at the US box office (click here to read our product placement overview of The Help). So let's look to Bollywood, where the film Bodyguard just set domestic records for opening day.

The Indian film also happens to be packed with loads of non-Indian product placement.Continue reading...

Any old alcohol brand can sponsor a sports event or an arena, but Captain Morgan spiced rum has found a more unique opportunity: the underwater exploration of a ship thought to belong to Admiral Sir Henry Morgan – the rum brand’s notorious namesake – that sunk off the coast of Panama in 1671 along with four other ships.

The announcement that Morgan’s flagship, the Satisfaction, had been found by a team of divers and archaeologists led by Texas State University was made earlier this month, while Captain Morgan parent Diageo sent out its own press release announcing its sponsorship of the project. But Captain Morgan offered a grant to the archaeologists last September, after the team recovered six iron cannons from a nearby site also believed to be from one of Morgan's ships and additional funding was needed to explore the surrounding sites.Continue reading...

The capitalization on 1980s nostalgia has no equal this year like the live-action version of The Smurfs.

But the original world of the Smurfs was a fantastical land free of consumer concerns. (In fact, conspiracy theorists have suggested its commune focus is nearly Communist, or worse.) So, what better way to inject a little green in all that blue than bring the gang to New York City?Continue reading...

Our loyal readers (Hi Mom!) know all about Captain America's tie-ins with Dunkin' Donuts and Norton Anti-Virus. They've been riveted by the search for Captain America's leather jackets. They've ridden along on Captain America's Harley-Davidson deal.

Now, as Captain America: The First Avenger heads into its opening weekend — poised, it seems, to unseat the mighty Harry Potter juggernaut — we bring you more news of how Marvel has powered up brands for the Captain's Comic-Con timed big-screen debut ... and a little somethin' somethin' about who's been cozying up to Friends with Benefits on its first weekend date with moviegoers. Continue reading...