How much is that doggy bed in the window? Shopkick knows.

The mobile application, which melds in-store and mobile retail, rewards consumers for just walking in, with further deals for scanning partner brand products at more than 250,000 stores across the U.S. 

Launching a year ago this month (it officially turns one on August 17th), its users have surpassed 6.5 million product scans as 12 new major brand partners sign on: CoverGirl, Disney, General Mills, Levi’s, Libman, Mead Johnson, Meguiar’s, Mr. Clean, Olay, Revlon, Tilex and Trident.Continue reading...

Aetna rises despite drop in demand for medical care.

Boeing beats estimates, boosts outlook.

Borders woes parsed in post-mortems.

Delta Airlines cuts capacity on rising fuel costs.

Disney and Marvel team for Captain America game, while Disney looks to shore up Bollywood business with UTV ownership.

Dow Chemical quarterly profit up 74%.

Dunkin' Brands CEO says IPO a byproduct of "unbelievable buzz."Continue reading...

Apple loses chief patent lawyer.

Arnold Schwarzenegger signs up for first post-scandal movie role.

BBC tests Facebook credits for Doctor Who rentals.

Cisco may eliminate up to 10,000 jobs, analyst says, while the company prepares to unveil upgraded switching.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group presses trademark case against part of its legacy.

Dunkin’ Donuts parent seeks to raise $461 million in IPO.

ESPN picks up Friday Night Lights.Continue reading...

How leading industry brands are performing in social media customer service comes under the microscope in a new study released by market researcher Alterian — specifically, how effectively 12 brands are using social media to resolve customers' issues and the impact on their marketing efforts.

Microsoft was the top performer in the report — titled "Social Media Report Cards: Measuring Brand Engagement" — across all industries, achieving the highest overall score for social media customer service. 

Alterian's researchers examined brand leaders in six industries: travel, banking, cable, mobile, gaming and consumer electronics, and concluded that higher scores went to brands showing “a correlation between rapid customer service response times and positive consumer sentiment on social media.”Continue reading...

Apple plans iPhone fix as new iPhone rumors abound.

AT&T targets African-Americans in “Rethink” campaign.

Facebook deepens ties with Microsoft via Skype video chat integration.

Five Guys and other better-burger chains influence Americans to eat more burgers.

Google turns to TV advertising in India.

HP enlists young celebrities to help sell TouchPad.

Huffington Post launches in the UK.

Infiniti creates year-long art show in Europe.Continue reading...

One of the first things marketers learn (or should learn) in business school is that it's far cheaper to keep a customer than gain a new customer — just ask AT&T, Verizon or any cable/satellite operator about their subscriber acquisition costs and retention marketing strategies for an earful on that topic.

That's why recent results of separate surveys have two of branding's rockstars pleased as pie. 

They're sleek. They're iconically brushed matte silver. And they both begin with the letter "A" — the grade they're getting from some very satisfied customers.Continue reading...

Walgreens’ New York-centric Duane Reade division is throwing a red carpet opening tonight for its flagship store on Wall Street. That's right — a VIP bash to celebrate opening a new drugstore in a city that has one (it seems) on every other corner.

Duane Reade, which has been remodeling its stores, has been putting on a show to promote its new locations, including Broadway-style dancers and tuxedoed street teams. But this opening will top them all.

The 22,000-sq.-ft. new location will be open 24/7, in The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street, an iconic address that once upon a time was a bank hall known as the "Crown Jewel of Wall Street" and touted as the tallest building in the world.

40 Wall Street, which opens its doors to the public at 7am on Wednesday, is the chain’s most ambitious, glittering and elaborate store to date, geared to its moneyed, rushed, picky and well-heeled neighborhood clientele.

The elite amenities on offer certainly 'Trump' DR's other Manhattan locations to date.Continue reading...

HP is promoting its just-released TouchPad tablet with a series of commercials starring British comic Russell Brand. Watch them below.Continue reading...