It's been 20 years since Evelyn Lauder created the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, and brands continue to support the work in a variety of initiatives. Indeed, this year's Delta pink plane is adding Lauder's signature, as seen above, to honor the woman and her brands' contributions to fighting breast cancer.

2012 also marks Ford Motor Company's 18th year of involvement having dedicated more than $115 million to the cause so far, and this year’s Ford Warriors in Pink campaign offers a limited-edition T-shirt inspired by film and television actor James Denton. For every shirt sold, 100% of net proceeds go to the Pink Fund, an organization that provides short-term financial aid to people during treatment. "The last thing someone with breast cancer needs to worry about is how they are going to pay their bills," says Denton.

Go Daddy is ‘driving’ awareness with Danica Patrick donning pink gear for the GoDaddy.com No. 7 Chevrolet in Friday’s NASCAR Nationwide race in Charlotte. “It’s time to kick breast cancer’s butt,” Patrick commented. “So many women and their families have been impacted by breast cancer … if we all work together, we can definitely help find a cure sooner, rather than later.”Continue reading...

Fashion retailers that know how to read the market can survive, and even thrive, in tough economic times. The latest news from American Eagle Outfitters proves this point. The company announced this week that its fourth-quarter earnings were up from $33 million a year ago to $59 million this year. Sales for the quarter were $972 million this year versus $906 million for the fourth quarter last year.

At the same time, American Eagle announced yesterday that it is closing down its Martin + Osa brand, a chain of 28 stores, and an online store. The four-year-old brand just wasn't producing, so American Eagle said it would focus on its core brands – AE, aerie, and 77Kids – all of which have "a greater potential of creating long-term shareholder value," according to CEO Jim O'Donnell.Continue reading...

Oprah's self-help guru James Ray charged with manslaughter. [CNN]

Gambler wins, then loses millions to PartyGaming. [Daily Mail]

American Eagle creates a cosmetics line for its Aerie brand. [StyleList]

Gucci saves money, uses images from the 1960s in its new campaign. [WWD]

Monster negotiates to purchase Yahoo's HotJobs website. [NY Times]

Pfizer cuts back on costs for research-and-development. [WSJ]Continue reading...