Our most-read blog posts of the week:

#1 The Avengers Product Placement Brandcameo Scorecard

#2 Ford Reintroduces Itself With No-Name, No-Logo "Go Further" Campaign

#3 The Michael J. Fox Foundation Embraces Its Future, and Fox, With Logo Redesign

#4 007's Skyfall Highlights Hollywood's Hottest Product Placement: China

#5 Hello World: Pinterest Goes Pinternational

#6 Ford Aims to "Go Further" Than Logo-Free Consumer Campaign

#7 Unilever CEO on Sustainability: 'Uncomfortable Targets' Necessary

#8 Kashi GMO Flap Stirs Debate on "Natural" and "Organic"

#9 Brands Boycott Village Voice's Backpage Over Sex Trafficking

#10 Ferrari Marks 20 Years in China with Skid Marks on Reputation

A few of America’s biggest shoe brands owned by the same company will be going their separate ways soon. A purchase price of $2 billion works wonders to make those kinds of things happen. Collective Brands Inc., which owns such footwear brands as Sperry Top-Sider and Keds as well as discount shoe retailer Payless ShoeSource, has agreed to be sold for $2 billion and divided into two companies.

As the Chicago Tribune reports, Collective will be a collective no more, with its brands divided between Wolverine Worldwide, Blum Capital and Golden Gate Capital, which all have a tough financial road ahead for these brands.Continue reading...

Our most-read blog posts of the week:

#1 Coca-Cola’s Million Dollar Hug

#2 How Brands are Pinning and Winning on Pinterest This Week

#3 Ikea Expands Into TV Sales, Increases Sustainable DIY Designs

#4 With Tupac's "Live" Performance, Are Dead Celebrity Tours Next?

#5 Marmite Spreads the Love for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

#6 Coca-Cola Taps Spotify to Open Musical Happiness via Facebook

#7 Ford's New Mustang Races into the Limelight to Chase Gen Y

#8 P&G Awards Virtual Gold Medal to Olympic Athletes' Moms

#9 Apple's Siri Matches Wits with Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson as T-Mobile Ditches the Pink [Updated]

#10 Cheeky Dollar Shave Club Nicks Rivals

Our most-read blog posts of the week from bald Barbie to Celebrity Wines and more:

#1 Barbie Brand Goes Bald and Political

#2 Coca-Cola Invests $2 Million to Help Break the Glass Ceiling

#3 London 2012 Watch: Tube Map Honors Olympic Legends

#4 Celebrity Wines Now Meaningless

#5 May the Force Tag With You: Brisk Connects Star Wars Fans to Xbox Kinect

#6 Google Forces Youtube Account Linking

#7 Auto Brands Show Off a Fleet of New Models to Curious New Yorkers

#8 Will Ikea 'Snap a Napper' Facebook Stunt Lead to Separate Beds?

#9 Ford's "Escape Routes" on NBC Brings Social TV to Branded Entertainment

#10 TKony 2012: A Civic Lesson in Marketing and Activism

Our most-read blog posts of the week:

#1 Starbucks Not the Only Brand Using Crushed Bugs for 'Natural' Coloring

#2 Trayvon Martin's Mother is Smart to Apply for Trademark for Her Son's Name

#3 Hitler In Advertising: Shockingly Unoriginal

#4 Nissan Piques (and Peeks) Curiosity for 2013 Models at New York Auto Show

#5 Skittles Becomes a Symbol of Trayvon Martin Shooting Protests

#6 Cornucopia of Hunger Games Products Ever in Retailers' Favor

#7 As Mad Men Returns, Misty-Eyed Mad Ave is Eager to Reminisce

#8 The Muppets Strike Back at Goldman Sachs

#9 Jamba Juice Shakes Up Brand

#10 Banking on Social Media: The Financial Services Brands That Get Social

Our most-read blog posts of the week:

#1 Skittles Becomes a Symbol of Trayvon Martin Shooting Protests

#2 Doritos Gets Jacked Up at SXSW

#3 Social Notworking: Read Interbrand's New Report on the Corporate Digital Divide

#4 Glock Misfires With Lifestyle Apparel Line

#5 Is Apple A Secret Rush Limbaugh Advertiser?

#6 Lionsgate Aces the Selling of “The Hunger Games”

#7 Hitler In Advertising: Shockingly Unoriginal

#8 Mondelēz, Mondelēz: Kraft Employees Name Soon to Be Spun Off Snacks Unit

#9 PepsiCo Spurs Digital-Marketing Innovation in Brazil and India

#10 Jeremy Lin and Volvo Tie the Knot

With the 2012 Major League Baseball season opening in less than a month, the Chicago White Sox are getting ready for Robin Ventura, former White Sox third baseman, as this will be his first year as manager of the team.

To help share his baseball philosophy on hard work, dedication and love for the game, Energy BBDO produced a set of spots which will be break on local television today (Mar. 19) to help drive ticket sales and enthusiasm ahead of Opening Day on April 6th.

The commercials (watch below) feature Ventura looking back at his remarkable past with the team, with old clips from White Sox games. In a second spot, he walks onto the field, while his voiceover highlights his passion for baseball and his team.

The tagline, simply: "Appreciate the Game."Continue reading...

Our most-read blog posts of the week, from Spanx to Taco Bell:

#1 Spanx Founder Sara Blakely: The Youngest Self-Made Rebel Billionaire

#2 Rainbow Connection: Apple's Tie-Dye Logo Peek Sparks Speculation

#3 American Express Promotes Twitter Sync at SXSW with Jay-Z

#4 Goldman Sacked: What Companies Can Learn From Goldman Sachs Exec NYT Resignation

#5 Linsanity Cooling, Jeremy Lin Eyes China Deals

#6 American Apparel Gets a Leg Up From George Soros

#7 Brands Tap Into NCAA March Madness

#8 Is Apple's New iPad Resolutionary Enough to Drive Sales?

#9 Huggies Makes Amends with Dads After Flunking Facebook 'Test'

#10 Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos Arrive with TV Spots, Augmented Reality Twitter