After last week's nearly brandless #1 film, Gnomeo and Juliet, Brandcameo is expecting another animated weekend thanks to Rango. From the looks of it, Rango will continue the months-long trend of animated children's films with virtually no product placement. But the Johnny Depp kids' vehicle isn't the only new film this weekend. One comedy is taking aim at Goldman Sachs.Continue reading...

Alfa Romeo lures European auto giants. 

AOL said to acquire Outside.In, a hyperlocal media network.

Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Nelly Furtado caught up in Gaddafi scandal.

BP denies bonuses to three top executives over oil spill. 

Burberry designer lauded for tech savvy by Vogue.

Chevrolet readies experiential events for SXSW. 

Chrysler recalls a quarter-million vehicles, while spider prompts Mazda recall.Continue reading...

Adidas forecasts better year. 

Allstate sues Merrill Lynch over mortage-backed securities.

Apple will today unveil second generation iPad — which may lead to a tablet price war — as brand aims to shed elitist label.

Bentley, Bugatti and Maserati compete for top end with new models at Geneva Auto Show.

CBS has almost sold out March Madness ad time as it promotes broadcast-sharing scheme with TBS. 

Chick-fil-A eyes new products and markets.Continue reading...

Everybody loves a rebranding story, and the transformation of APX Alarm to Vivint is a good one, as shown in the above video.

Formerly known as APX Alarm Security Solutions, Inc., it's one of the top four home security companies in North America. So why rebrand to Vivint? For a start, to establish itself in the burgeoning smart home space.

That's a big reason why Goldman Sachs is backing Vivint to the tune of $565 million, of which about $5 million will be spent on the rebranding campaign, which covers Facebook, Twitter, and new digital presence and more to come.Continue reading...

Egypt's defiant president Mubarak sacks cabinet as US threatens to cut off aid. Delta and other global carriers have suspended flights, while web, mobile and SMS services continue to block residents from the world.

Bill Clinton unites PepsiCo and Coca-Cola heads at Davos, where Pepsi's Indra Nooyi explained why Russia is key to her strategy.

BMW to bring back four-cylinder engines to US.

Chevron profit jumped 72% in the fourth quarter.

Daimler pays 125th anniversary bonus to all 260,000 employees.

Facebook's value tops Amazon, trails only Google on the web.Continue reading...

American Apparel keeps pushing limits with latest campaign. 

Apple's iPad on track to sell 15M units in first year.

BP encounters shareholder resistance in Rosneft deal. 

Candie’s replaces Britney Spears with a new face: Vanessa Hudgens.

Ford is poised to report its most profitable year since 2000. 

GM anticipates quicker-than-expected ownership exit by U.S. taxpayers. 

Goldman Sachs concerned about global over-regulation of banks.Continue reading...

Amazon launches this-side-of-spam simple email service.

American Apparel files $5 million suit over 'exploding' nail polish bottles.

Blackwater (now Xe) suit tossed 7 years after "grisly deaths."

Goldman Sachs: better at marketing than managing assets?

Horizon Air retires brand in favor of Alaska Air.

JCPenney is closing 25 stores and select operations.

Madonna's Material Girl juniors collection for Macy's replaces Taylor Momsen with Kelly Osbourne.

Neutrogena hires Kristen Bell to endorse brand.

North Face backs U.S. Freeskiing brand with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.

Taco Bell refutes "where's the beef?" lawsuit.

Twitter is blocked during protests in Egypt.

Amazon's one-day deal with LivingSocial blows Gap's Groupon deal out of the water.

AOL (whose content strategy is profiled in this week's New Yorker) launches iPad-exclusive Editions digital magazine.

Esquire promotion with struggling Barnes & Noble brings model Brooklyn Decker virtually (via an iPhone app) to stores.

Goldman Sachs quarterly profit drops 53%.

Jimmy Choo to launch men's line (online only) in July.

McDonald's signs on as lead sponsor of the NHL.

Michael Jackson to be immortalized as French perfume.Continue reading...