Enjoy this "commercial" for Scorpion Beer, the "Official Beer of Armando Alvarez and Casa de mi Padre," the new Will Ferrell movie out March 16. The tagline: "When you're having more than 12." (That's right: Ferrell isn't just about Old Milwaukee.)

But before then, we have to get through Valentine's Day. This year, it seems the lone Valentine's Day entry, Sony's The Vow with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, isn't wasting any brand partnering opportunities. The "inspired by true events" weepy tale of an amnesiac wife and the husband who tries to rekindle the romance has a dozen official brand partners, worthy of a summer blockbuster movie about superheroes who transform into robots that end the world… in 3D … or something.Continue reading...

Volkwagen today released "The Dog Strikes Back," the full version of VW's 2012 Super Bowl commercial — or a commercial within a commercial, as it references the golden retriever from "The Force," its blockbuster 2011 Super Bowl ad featuring a mini Darth Vader and the Volkswagen Passat ... before seguing to a full-on Star Wars mode by pulling back to a recreation of the cantina scene and the real Darth Vader.

This year the brand is promoting the new Beetle, as VW America president and CEO Jonathan Browning commented to the Wall Street Journal: "We didn't just want to make a follow-on or a sequel, but looked at this and said what are some of the other themes around Super Bowl? It's all about athleticism, it's all about competing to the best level you can, and also for VW, it's all about how we're rebuilding the business here in the U.S."

As for tying back into Star Wars, Browning added, "We wanted to have that little twist at the end, and hinted at that in the teaser" — meaning "The Bark Side" canine chorus, which has been viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube, and which you can watch again below. VW's pushing out of that teaser — a home run for combining Star Wars with cute dogs — arguably opened the floodgates for the deluge of pre-Super Bowl ad reveals this year.Continue reading...

Moneyball actor Chris Pratt takes on a dream role in this teaser for Microsoft's Xbox 360's upcoming Kinect Star Wars game, where he goes battle with Darth Vader.

AMR reassures employees on pensions.

Amazon builds Fire tablet on Android without Google apps.

Anheuser-Busch president steps down.

Apple aims to shore up financial results.

Callaway tries to lure young golfers with Justin Timberlake involvement.

Chesapeake Energy pulls back on gas drilling amid glut.

Conde Nast may be cooking up another "shelter" magazine.

GM deals with Volt mini-mutiny as some Chevy dealers spurn allocations of the car.Continue reading...

Teased last night on Twitter and Facebook, Volkswagen released a sneak peek at its Super Bowl commercial, and it promises to be epic. It's another ode to Star Wars, recalling VW's 2011 "The Force" commercial featuring a mini Darth Vader for the Passat.

VW's description for this year's Super Bowl spot: A canine chorus barks a familiar tune. Keep an eye out for our 2012 Game Day commercial—it will all make sense. Love Star Wars and Volkswagen? Create an Intergalactic Invite to your Big Game party here: http://vw.com/star-wars-invite. Watch it below.Continue reading...

Looking for a burger to go with your Darth Maul Brisk soda? Get thee to Europe, where the Quick burger chain, which made headlines with a halal burger last year, is releasing a trio of burgers to tie into the upcoming 3D release of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in theaters.

As noted on the French Star Wars fan forum Mintinbox.net and picked up on Buzzfeed and A Hamburger Today, the limited edition burgers coming to France, Belgium and Luxembourg include a Sith-tastic reddish Dark Burger, a Yodalicious green Jedi Burger, and a disturbingly black-bunned Dark Vador (Darth Vader) Burger. At least the fine print on Quick's ads remind diners to remember their fruits and veggies.

Brisk officially launched its Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 3D cross-marketing today: a mobile app (dubbed Brisksaber and actively teased on its Facebook page) and a limited-edition drink featuring Star Wars villain Darth Maul, as promoted with a new commercial, above. The Brisksaber app, which can be downloaded at uncaptheapp.com, invites fans to "Turn your finger into a lightsaber!" Click below to check out the limited-edition packaging promoting the movie's theatrical release next month.Continue reading...

Last February, PepsiCo made waves for Brisk with a clay-animated Super Bowl commercial featuring Eminem. Now, as the New York Times reports, PepsiCo is piggybacking on the February 10th theatrical release of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3D to promote the Brisk line of iced tea and juice drinks.

This week the brand is introducing new packaging and a new mobile game app featuring Star Wars characters Yoda, R2-D2, Jar Jar Binks and Darth Maul in a bid to engage Brisk's target market of young adults, "particularly males," ages 18 to 29. The extension of its ongoing partnership with Lucasfilm marks the "largest multimedia advertising and marketing campaign that PepsiCo has ever waged for Brisk." Find out more, and check out screen grabs from the mobile game, below.Continue reading...