We're curious to hear how the target audience for Ford's new "urban" marketing campaign feels about this new "inner child" TV spot for the Focus; there are print, digital and radio components to the campaign, too. Suddenly, Focus Doug seems like a sensitive, new age guy. It also reminds us of this:Continue reading...

Amazon sued over instant search patent.

American Express powers Foursquare specials at SXSW, where Apple opens pop-up store for iPad 2 sales.

Angry Birds raises $42 million. 

AOL readies post-Huffington Post deal layoffs of 20% workforce reduction.

Bluefly tries social gaming.

Caesars plans Asia hotels, without gambling for now. 

Chrysler’s Twitter account accidentally drops the F-bomb, fires social media agency tweeter.Continue reading...

Aon plans to spend much of its big cash hoard to buy back shares.

Audi takes aim at toppling BMW.

Bank of America says home-loan business is recovering.

Barbie hits $3 billion in global annual sales as brand shutters China flagship.

Boeing gets a boost from China orders.

Cap’n Crunch gains guerrilla-fueled “success” in social media.

CBS, Warner Bros. and Charlie Sheen are at war, as Sheen apparently plans to sue post-firing.Continue reading...

Academy Awards command pricier ad market.

Apple’s Steve Jobs is still calling the shots from home, as news leaks of cheaper and more versatile iPhones.

Blockbuster is heading towards a sale.

Coca-Cola reports 4th quarter and fully-year 2010 results.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo grapple with negative research on diet soda and strokes.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is called on the carpet with Italian Prime Minister.Continue reading...

What do Schick, Subway, H&R Block, Taco Bell, Wrigley and GM have in common? They’ve all pulled their ads from MTV’s controversial series Skins after the Parents Television Council (PTC) called it “the most dangerous show” on TV and began targeting advertisers last week to jump ship.

During the second episode of the US remake of the racy British teen drama, movie studios picked up the slack. MTV ran ads during Monday's broadcast, including Sony's Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It, Screen Gems' thriller The Roommate, Warner Bros.' The Rite and Unknown, DreamWorks and Disney's I Am Number Four, and Universal's Sanctum 3D.

Why would movies support the controversial series while chewing gum and fast food brands are running scared?Continue reading...

Two weeks ago we pointed out that Hollywood is clearly still a little ashamed about its increasing coziness with product placement. The irony was a red band trailer for the film Friends with Benefits featuring plenty of raunch while blurring out labels on bottles of Stella Artois beer.

Now comes a similar trick in trailers for the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It. And this isn't even the first time this has happened with Sandler.Continue reading...

Almost nine months after the the massive oil spill in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, a White House panel faulted BP and contractors, and called for a dramatic overhaul of the way the U.S. regulates off shore drilling.

GM CMO Joel Ewanick signs 2012 Olympic ad deal with NBC, becoming one of only two automakers (with BMW) at the London summer Olympics.

Credit Suisse plans to launch a stock market for long-term investors.

ESPN to see more love from advertisers in 2011.

Facebook paid $8.5M to acquire fb.com from the American Farm Bureau.

Glock pistol sales jump in wake of Arizona massacre.Continue reading...

Alcoa shines as aluminum prices rise.

AMD ousts CEO Dirk Meyer.

American Airlines strikes back at Sabre.

Apple snaps up more patents than rivals.

AT&T prepares wireless plan in the event Verizon announces deal for iPhone today.

Bloomberg poaches Forbes list-maker to start rival annual tally of world's richest.Continue reading...