Call him Hugh L'Oreal. Actor and comedian Hugh Laurie is the new L'Oreal Paris Men Expert 'spokesmodel," a title he now shares with Gerard Butler and Patrick Dempsey. Cyril Chapup, the Global Brand President of L'Oreal Paris, said in a statement: "Hugh Laurie is the perfect example of a modern man — genuine, uninhibited, strong and willing to pursue his passions to the end. We are very excited that he is the spokesperson for these new liberated men!"

BP now says Rosneft deal is really dead.

Citigroup confirms data breach.

Exxon unveils major oil and gas find in the Gulf of Mexico.

Financial Times circumvents Apple sales system with app.

L’Oreal heiress saga continues.

Nokia sees departure of chief technology officer.Continue reading...

Allstate and other insurers brace for disaster claims.

Amazon finds a fierce bidder in Liberty Media's John Malone.

Armani bucks trend, vows to stay private.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America embrace social media.

British Airways among European airlines impacted by Iceland volcanic ash.

Camel Snus target smoke-restricted NYC.

Coach finds buyers returning to priciest bags.Continue reading...

Air Canada launches new regional brand to replace Jazz.

Amazon vs. Apple "app store" spat continues, while Apple moves to trademark "startup."

Apple iPad 2 finally goes on sale in Japan this week, plus 11 other countries.

Barclay's posts disappointing results.

BP's Russian saga continues as net profit rises, Gulf clean-up costs continue.

Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf ace crash tests.Continue reading...

Amazon misses Q1 earnings estimate. 

American Apparel gets $15M investment.

Apple's white iPhone 4 hits Best Buy on Wednesday.

Arizona Sun Devils ditch logo in rebranding.

AT&T CTO John Donovan talks up its cloud services.

CBS News anchor Katie Couric confirms to People she's stepping down.Continue reading...

Hispanics accounted for half the growth of the total U.S. population in the last decade, and they are expected to exceed 50 million in number, according to the most recent wave of census data.

That's why "Hispanic consumers are a very, very important target," according to Marc Speichert, chief marketing officer at L'Oreal USA. "We see it as a growth opportunity for the future," Speichert tells the New York Times.

One way L'Oreal USA is reaching Hispanic consumers is through a promotional tie-in with Telemundo, a television network known for broadcasting telenovelas.Continue reading...

AOL's Arianna Huffington and Tim Armstrong announced today that on April 5th they and their staff will kick off their shoes in support of TOMS Shoes.Continue reading...

Super Bowl XLV goes to the Green Bay Packers over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25. Game advertisers including Chrysler, Volkswagen, PepsiCo, Best Buy, CareerBuilder and Bridgestone also win, scoring well with consumers, while WSJ finds "many ads fail to score." Americana reigned supreme on the world’s biggest marketing stage, and Detroit — whose native son Eminem also staged a comeback, appearing in two ads. Meanwhile, Groupon faces questions of whether its first Super Bowl debut crossed a line and thwarted its cause-related marketing goals. And restaurant chains ponder the impact of having sat out Super Bowl advertising this year.

AOL is acquiring Huffington Post for $315 million.  

AutoNation seeks more U.S.-brand dealerships.

Disney raises eyebrows by marketing to newborns.Continue reading...