Airbus order blocked by China.

Apple sues Samsung for patent infringement.

Chrysler looks to expand China salesforce.

Cisco increases original content.

Facebook redesign keeps ads visible as ad sales head says brands are overly obsessed with fans.

India's Force Motors unveils new logo and first SUV.

Ford changes fonts, adds voice-controlled apps to make driving easier.Continue reading...

Volkswagen Canada wants your name in lights – as co-creator of the next spot for its "Drive Until" campaign promoting the Volkswagen Golf, in a bid to create "the People's ad" for the "People's car."

The first two ads ("chapters") in the Drive Until campaign are already on-air (watch below), showing a thirty-something man embarking on two major milestones: a marriage proposal ("Courage") and getting to the church on time — for his wedding, as shown in "Time."

The third ad in the storyline is up for grabs, and fans of the brand are being invited to participate in the script, cast, music – and receive onscreen credit, of course.Continue reading...

Can a global marketing campaign turn a packaging material that most people take for granted into something that stands out — indeed, don't even "see" but see through?

Owens-Illinois intends to find out.

O-I, the world's largest glass container manufacturer, has been making iconic glass containers since 1903, counting among its clients Anheuser-Busch InBev, Coca-Cola, Heinz, and PepsiCo.

The company has just launched a global marketing push with a new logo and tagline "Glass Is Life," all highlighted on a new website as the anchor of an integrated campaign.

The media plan includes print ads (in 12 countries and seven languages) and supported by Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, where inspirational interviews play up the importance of glass.Continue reading...

Brand marketers are getting smarter about understanding Hispanics. 

We recently looked at L'Oreal's major initiative in reaching out to the US Hispanic market.

This week, a first of its kind joint consumer insight community focusing on the Hispanic multicultural market was launched as a joint project of Communispace, an Omnicom-owned pioneer of online customer insight communities for leading brands, and Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) Multicultural, a full-service media specialist company.

The community will help provide respective clients with rich insights into the fastest growing consumer group in the US.Continue reading...

Dove is standing tall for men. Really tall. Magic Johnson is the latest recruit for Dove Men+Care, the Unilever-owned brand’s campaign featuring male athletes.

Launching March 14 during the NCAA March Madness championship tournament, the spot will echo other athletes' "Journey to Comfort" spots (such as Joe Girardi's, above) with the introduction: “My name is Magic Johnson, and I’m definitely comfortable in my own skin.”Continue reading...

Chuck Porter’s company, MDC Partners’ Million-Dollar Challenge, encouraged would-be entrepreneurs and “people with dreams” to submit plans for marketing communications agencies in exchange for $1million and a 51% share of the new venture.

It was announced last summer (above), and now there's a winner: Kip Voytek, who will use the $1 million prize for a national institute for education in digital arts and sciences.Continue reading...

Apple's new app store subscription policy gets pushback from Rhapsody.

Bauer and Conde Nast seek new UK revenue opportunities.

Bernie Madoff's first prison interview claims banks "must have known."

Borders files for bankruptcy.

Coca-Cola disputes NPR's secret recipe claim.

Costco squabbles with Coca-Cola over pricing.Continue reading...

AIG agrees to $2.2B sale of Taiwan unit.

AMD’s ouster of CEO Dirk Meyer attributed to mobile strategy.

Airbus lines up biggest order ever, boosting A320 upgrade.

Ann Taylor selects actress Katie Holmes as its new “face.”

Apple and Verizon deal (which "took years" to reach) sparks iPhone users to mull switching from AT&T.

BYD rises as Warren Buffett’s pick in the Chinese auto derby.Continue reading...