Twitter releases Google-inspired transparency report, showing US in the lead for user data requests, as site loses NYC legal battle over privacy of user data.

Microsoft writes off $6.2 billion spent on aQuantive, "slows" Internet hopes.

AMC Networks stock rises on AT&T settlement.

Anderson Cooper, CNN's biggest star (finally, bullied?), comes out of the closet.

Apple loses bid to block HTC smartphones from the U.S.

Barclays scandal that cost chairman his title may spread as CEO remains "defiant."

Best Buy considers in-store competitor price-streaming.Continue reading...

The 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is out and it demonstrates the kind of consistency that a fast food behemoth like McDonald's can't be too happy about. 

The ACSI's new ranking puts the burger-meister dead last in the "Limited-Service Restaurants" category, with a satisfaction rating of 73 percent. That puts McDonald's just below rival Burger King (75 percent), but considerably below Wendy's (78 percent). Pizza delivery company Papa John's was rated #1 in the limited service category with a satisfaction rating of 83 percent, an increase of 5.1 percent from the previous year. Interestingly, the company in this category with the largest drop in customer satisfaction from last year was Starbucks. Often touted for its customer service, the coffee house fell from 80 percent in 2011 to 76 percent in 2012. 

Unfortunately, the lowly ranking should come as no big surprise for McDonald's management; the company has ranked last in the ACSI since 1995. In fact, its current rating of 73 percent is a percent higher than last year, and 73 percent is the highest rating ever achieved by McDonald's on the ACSI.Continue reading...

TD takes top spot on Interbrand's new Best Canadian Brands ranking.

JCPenney continues claw-back of new business model, plans to use term "sale" again.

Sara Lee renames North American business Hillshire Brands and narrows focus to meat.

Apple uses more celebrities in marketing; what does that say about new products?

Justin Bieber debuts another fragrance concept called Girlfriend.

Burger King expands in Russia.

Clear Channel shifts royalty deal for music artists including Taylor Swift's label.Continue reading...

Just when you thought there was not another possible way for Taco Bell to combine cheese, ground beef, beans and corn chips, the renascent chain has introduced the Beefy Nacho Burrito. Not only that, but they're doing it for 99 cents — and with a marketing tie-in with Major League Baseball.

Taco Bell is now rolling out its latest menu item nationwide, featuring "seasoned beef, warm nacho cheese, cool sour cream and [new] queso strips, all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla." For those of you who have lost count over the years of the many different ways in which Taco Bell can combine such basic ingredients, the innovation here, the company said in a release, is that the company "has found a way to put nachos into a burrito."Continue reading...

Someday, the moves being made by Taco Bell brand stewards may be considered in business schools as a textbook case of how to turn things around. For now, they're at least bringing some smiles to executives of Yum! Brands — and to Taco Bell aficionados everywhere.

It seems that the introduction of the widely awaited Doritos Locos Taco, as well as a breakfast rollout on the West Coast, boosted the company's fortunes considerably during the first quarter, with Taco Bell same-store sales up a remarkable 6 percent during the period compared with a 2-percent drop in the fourth quarter.

The brand had been dragging cheese lately because of a certain boredom with its products by its teen-male cohort; a faux scandal over the content of its beef filling didn't help matters.Continue reading...

American Airlines sees unions support merger with US Airways.

CW rankles TV stations by rushing shows to web.

Chipotle pays attention to ingredients and boosts profits.

Cracker Barrel makes more moves to streamline.

Foursquare eyes June for launch of new advertising platform.

GE out-earns analysts' expectations on gains in energy business.

Hulu unveils four original series.

News Corp. faces dozens more hacking lawsuits.Continue reading...

Google this week posted a fascinating video on YouTube showing Steve Mahan, who is blind, driving to Taco Bell on his own, using Google’s pioneering self-driving technology. (It is captioned for the deaf, and audio-described for the blind.)

Google points out Mahan drove this car as an experiment on a “carefully programmed route.” Still, it is a brilliant and necessary application of a technology that was developed with the goal of making driving safer for everyone, eliminate traffic jams, and bring people to their destinations without getting lost. Just as the automobile changed the world at the beginning of the 20th century and introduced the so-called automobile culture, self-driving cars will impact how we live our lives in the 21st century.Continue reading...

What do you get when the second largest quick-service sandwich chain in the U.S. goes Plink? The opportunity for customers at 3,500 Arby’s restaurants to earn 10 Facebook Credits for every $5 spent.

Plink, the online-to-offline social media-based loyalty program already counts Taco Bell, Outback Steakhouse, 7-Eleven, Red Robin, Quiznos, and Dunkin’ Donuts as affiliates. Now you can add the Atlanta-based Arby’s Restaurant Group, purveyor of the classic Roast Beef and Beef ‘n Cheddar sandwiches, Curly Fries and Jamocha Shakes, to the Plink roster.

“Facebook Credits is the missing ingredient that’s been needed to connect social media to offline sales,” stated Peter Vogel, co-founder of Plink, in January. “Now with the ‘glue’ of Facebook Credits our national restaurant and offline retailer partners have a way to tap into the nearly 800 million users on Facebook, motivate them to become loyal customers, and reward them.”Continue reading...