Apple now worth 5x more than in 2006, and nearly 2x as much as Google.

Citi expands socially responsible investing.

Fortune Brands rise on spirit sales.

Gap ousts designer Patrick Robinson, cuts outlook.

Google looks indoors for growth.

Gucci releases charitable bag for Mother's Day.Continue reading...

With the third season of MTV's Jersey Shore now wrapped, and the fourth season in Italy not quite in sight, parodies of the show that made stars of Snooki, The Situation and JWoww and added "GTL" to the lexicon, have begun to arise.  

One recent parody burning up YouTube aired last week on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show on ABC. It stars Martin Short, Martin Short, Martin Short, and Martin Short, as the comic actor spoofs each cast member in turn. The video, a mock “red band trailer,” is (of course) called Jersey Short.   

This isn’t the first video to spoof the show, or even the first to appear on Jimmy Kimmel. And to add to the fun, MTV is now parodying the series with its own knock-off.Continue reading...

With a three-city launch today at the press preview for the New York Auto Show, at the Shanghai Auto Show and at Volkswagen's global HQ in Berlin, VW revealed its highly anticipated new Beetle. 

Today's unveiling, marking only the second redesign of the vehicle in its 73-year history (who could forget the 1989, more feminine bud vase version?) The 2012 Beetle is sportier, fuel-efficient and more "masculine" in design, although VW's US vice president of marketing, Tim Ellis, prefers to position it as "gender-neutral."

"We’re not about to abandon a very strong base, our female segment," he told brandchannel at today's New York press event. "The idea here is to broaden the appeal of the car, not to switch focus ... with the Super Bowl, let’s face it, football is more masculine, but on the other hand, a lot of women watch the Super Bowl — it’s very disproportionate for sporting events, it has a large female viewership. So we want to still leverage the joyfulness, the energy and the vitality behind the car, but with a more masculine expression."Continue reading...

Having lost its battle with the World Wildlife Federation in 2002 over the acronym WWF, World Wrestling Entertainment is now formally rebranding to WWE "to expand beyond the ring as an entertainment company with a new TV network, scripted and reality shows and animated programs," reports the Associated Press.

"We will always be loyal to our core business that made WWE a globally known entity, however, the future of WWE will be the addition of new entertainment content opportunities beyond the ring," said Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon in a statement. That includes pursuing "acquisitions and outsourcing of parts of its core business, such as TV and film production, live event production and licensing its content to third parties."

To that end, its reality show, a search for "the next WWE superstar" called Tough Enough (above), just debuted on the USA Network following three seasons on MTV; while its WWE Studios division has a slate of theatrical movies coming out, including That's What I Am on April 29, starring Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and WWE wrestler Randy Orton:

Time Warner Cable and Viacom take iPad streaming dispute to court.

China's Tencent among interested buyers for Myspace.

Google tests game-mechanics strategies with Recyclebank.

Google and US Justice Dept. also near deal on ITA acquisition.

Bing's iPad app aims to make browsing beautiful. 

Bronx Zoo picks name for celebrity cobra; fauxbra not impressed.

ESPN launches TV Everywhere iPhone and iPad App with US cable operators.Continue reading...

After teasing the 2012 Beetle on Oprah's year-end giveaway and then with a Super Bowl spot (and memorable YouTube interactive), Volkwagen announced April 18th as the global reveal for the next generation Beetle.

The event will be simulcast online from three cities on three continents (New York, Shanghai and Berlin) in partnership with MTV, in a musical kick-off aimed at the under-40 crowd.Continue reading...

As Google quietly ramps up Disco, its still-in-beta group texting app, GroupMe is hoping to establish itself as the top-of-mind brand for group messaging.

It's also trying to create a business model. Today it announced its latest feature: a tab that promotes musical artists, concerts, events, and TV programs through a "Featured Groups" tab in its main menu, which leads to branded groups and sponsored partnerships.

The news will certainly be welcomed by brands looking to get a piece of the group messaging buzz.

Think of it like "sponsored tweets" on Twitter.

GroupMe users can simply click on the tab to tap into conversations, and can start a chat about any of the five brands (all entertainment-based, so far) on board: two cable TV networks, with Oxygen promoting its Bad Girls Club series and MTV promoting America's Best Dance Crew; Bon Jovi; and the Bonnaroo and Coachella music festivals. 

For concerts and musicians, updates on show dates, giveaways, and a chance to chat with celebrity artists are on offer. "Bon Jovi could jump right in and answer questions for you," GroupMe co-CEO Jared Hecht told Fortune.

"These are essentially brand experiences that give users a great time. It's a really cool way for brands to engage real life groups of friends that are already talking about the brand anyway."Continue reading...

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama took to Facebook this week, not just as the President and First Lady of the United States, but as parents.

They released the above PSA on the White House's Facebook page to invite Facebookers to attend a first of its kind event — the March 10th White House conference on bullying, and particularly cyberbullying and digital bullying.

Check out the meeting, along with answers to questions posted on Facebook, below.Continue reading...