In this era of Super Bowl commercial sneak peeks—making coy marketers like Chrysler stand out in comparison—on YouTube and social media ahead of the Big Game, at least one brand has already bowed to complaints.

Taco Bell pulled a commercial criticizing Super Bowl party guests who arrive bearing veggie trays following complaints that the spot, well, bashes vegetables. The spot, which supported the brand’s Taco 12 Pack, ran during the college football’s Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and in general rotation. The quick-serve restaurant brand (now whetting fans appetites for Cool Ranch Doritos Tacos) is not, however, pulling its official Super Bowl spot, "Viva Young," above. 

The brand's Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer, Brian Niccol, defends the online pre-Game Day reveal, stating: “By releasing 'Viva Young' online before the Super Bowl, we’re rewarding our biggest fans and bringing them inside the brand. We want to share the spot with our Team Members, franchisees and online fans first so they’re in the know before Super Bowl Sunday, so we can engage with them in social and digital spaces.”

Volkswagen, meanwhile, is defying critics who feel its early Super Bowl spot, featuring a faked Jamaican accent, is racist and should be pulled—even though Jamaica's minister of tourism apparently loves it:Continue reading...

Many of our questions about Super Bowl advertising storylines are already answered days ahead of the Big Game itself.

Few of the ads will still have us hanging on the edges of our couches, waiting to see how the commercial ends and wondering how all the strands of the plot or the joke or the jolt will be resolved.

Is that a good thing? Brand after brand is betting it is. Here are some recent developments:Continue reading...

Boeing sees Dreamliner pass a battery inspection in Japan but planes are still grounded, and company faces possiblity of a $5-billion writedown.

Barnes & Noble plans to close as many as one-third of its retail stores over next several years.

Daimler, Ford and Nisssan ink deal on fuel-cell cars.

ABC sees advertisers such as Hyundai and University of Phoenix connect with network for Oscars telecast.

Apple shares may not be as important as IBM stock in terms of a market bellwether.

CBS scores nearly $4 million for average Super Bowl spot.

Cracker Barrel rolls out plan to expand into groceries.Continue reading...

More and more, the Super Bowl is becoming the Auto Bowl.

Up from just a handful of car brands a few years ago, Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3 will feature no fewer than eight auto brands advertised by six different companies: Audi, Chrysler, Lincoln, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen.

"A lot of us are there," Steve Shannon, CMO for Hyundai Motor America, told The New York Times, because "it sells cars." Specifically, the game, its walk-up and aftermath have become an unparalleled platform for launching or previewing new products, refining brand positioning, or both.

Audi of America plans to crowdsource the end of its Super Bowl spot by offering three different endings to a prom-night story on its YouTube channel. Lent an Audi S6 by his father, a boy exudes self-confidence as he drives to the dance, struts in, spies the prom queen and gives her a dramatic kiss. Then the prom king approaches him and... the rest will be determined by viewers who weigh in.Continue reading...

AIG decides against joining federal lawsuit.

Boeing tries to defuse fears about Dreamliner.

Yum! Brands apologizes for KFC chicken probe in China.

ArcelorMittal plans to issue stock to cut debt of world's largest steelmaker.

Chrysler sees push from UAW for IPO.

Coca-Cola files claim in China against false fungicide rumors.

Dish Network looks at spectrum as prize in Clearwire gambit as FCC opens doors.

Ford doubles dividend with business humming.Continue reading...

Super Bowl XLVII is getting closer, so more heavyweight brands are making the required heavyweight commitment to advertise during the Big Game on CBS on February 3.

The network said today that all of the available spots are sold out at around $4 million per 30 seconds, with the latest returning brands including Chrysler from last year and Taco Bell from three years ago.

Budweiser plans to debut Budweiser Black Crown, an amber lager with higher alcohol content, with a 30-second spot during the game. Anheuser-Busch InBev introduced Bud Light Platinum during last year's game, while Black Crown was developed via last year's Project 12 regional brewmaster challenge.

Taco Bell had a very good year with a snap-back in sales on the strength of new produccts such as Doritos Locos Tacos, and so the Yum!-owned brand has confirmed it's suiting up for the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010. The chain's 60-second spot will "support the brand’s 'LIVE MÁS' tagline and spirit."

Doritos, meanwhile, tapped actress Ali Landry, who rose to fame during her 2008 Super Bowl commercial debut with the brand, to announce the five finalists for its fan-voted "Crash the Super Bowl" creative commercial challenge.Continue reading...

Al Jazeera buys Current TV from Al Gore, prompting Time Warner Cable to drop channel.

Hormel Foods branches out as it buys Skippy peanut butter brand from Unilever.

Toyota declares a rebirth.

5-Hour Energy sees ad claims rebutted (again).

AB InBev plans to launch stronger U.S. version of Budweiser this year.

Amazon wins dismissal of App Store false-ad claim by Apple.

Apple "bet" energizes AT&T.

China recovery confidence spurs Hong Kong luxury sales.Continue reading...

Kia names first non-Korean as president and integrates Google Maps.

Avis to acquires Zipcar brand for $500 million.

Nivea woos investors as CEO admits Rihanna was the wrong brand ambassador and brand returns to NYC's Times Square as New Year's Eve event sponsor.

Amazon apologizes for Christmas Eve outage.

American Girl's 2013 Girl of the Year doll addresses U.S. arts education cuts.

Apple sees its store in Paris robbed.

BBC Worldwide appoints chief brands officer.Continue reading...