Activision goes bigger with Skylanders line extension and marketing effort.

AIG pays $1.7 billion for ING Malaysia.

ANA conference poised to set attendance record.

Android robot is a hit with 3-D printers.

Audi and BMW starting to leave behind Mercedes-Benz in global premium-auto race.

BAE in play for U.S. buyers as report says EADS merger failed because of discord among participating European governments.

BP moves closer to overall settlement of Gulf spill as Louisiana blames company for perma-sheen.Continue reading...

It's been 20 years since Evelyn Lauder created the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, and brands continue to support the work in a variety of initiatives. Indeed, this year's Delta pink plane is adding Lauder's signature, as seen above, to honor the woman and her brands' contributions to fighting breast cancer.

2012 also marks Ford Motor Company's 18th year of involvement having dedicated more than $115 million to the cause so far, and this year’s Ford Warriors in Pink campaign offers a limited-edition T-shirt inspired by film and television actor James Denton. For every shirt sold, 100% of net proceeds go to the Pink Fund, an organization that provides short-term financial aid to people during treatment. "The last thing someone with breast cancer needs to worry about is how they are going to pay their bills," says Denton.

Go Daddy is ‘driving’ awareness with Danica Patrick donning pink gear for the GoDaddy.com No. 7 Chevrolet in Friday’s NASCAR Nationwide race in Charlotte. “It’s time to kick breast cancer’s butt,” Patrick commented. “So many women and their families have been impacted by breast cancer … if we all work together, we can definitely help find a cure sooner, rather than later.”Continue reading...

Progressive is auctioning off the white gown worn on the red carpet in the brand's magazine advertising by Flo (aka comedian Stephanie Courtney) for charity. The custom-made dress, featuring 1,000 hand-placed crystals by designer Candice Held, is being auctioned on eBay to raise money for Dress for Success through October 4.

Acer postpones launch of Alibaba-powered phone.

Apple fights to keep iPhone cool in China as larger screen of iPhone 5 sparks developer rush and NFC omission puzzles observers.

Beef Products faces high hurdle in "pink slime" lawsuit against ABC News.

Brand USA tourism push sets sights on India.

Burger Lounge and Counter Burger offer non-traditional meats.

Disney takes film write-down.

Dr Pepper gets flack on Facebook after posting evolutionary graphic.Continue reading...

WePay, as the above video illustrates, offers a simple formula that lets merchants accept online payments and donations through its just-released WePay Payment Buttons.

“Our main customers are individuals and small businesses looking for a quick and easy way to collect money online. We found that other payment buttons were not doing the trick,” WePay CEO Bill Clerico told Venture Beat.

Founded in 2008, WePay has raised $19.2 million and boasts hundreds of millions of dollars in annual payments. Their accessible grab-embed-stick process offers payment buttons including “Buy Now,” “Donate,” and “Register.” The pricing structure is 2.9 percent and 30 cents per transaction for credit cards, and 1 percent plus 30 cents for bank payments.Continue reading...

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble no more on eBay after August 30th.

Sales of all potions, psychic readings, voodoo dolls and “powerful money and wealth” spells will no longer be sold by eBay.com, the online auction and shopping website founded in 1995, one of the most noted success stories of the original dot-com era and a multi-billion dollar global business.

Gone, gone, gone will be a “magical demon destroyer potion” ($51), “Windfall Money Riches Fortune Gambling Good Luck Spell” ($8.99), a “djinn genie potion” ($14.97), “powerful spell of vampire transformation” ($15.68), and the “powerful female succubus lover spell” ($24.99).

Any attempts (no matter their sphere of origin or personage) to sell items of this nature will be blocked, and by September 1, eBay.com will return to selling flatware, toys, garden supplies, and the other pedestrian paraphernalia of this planet. Continue reading...

Amazon and eBay eye same-day delivery as Amazon site traffic soars.

App.net woos digerati and raises funds for paid social network.

Apple calls final witnesses in contentious Samsung trial as brand's fans seen losing their edge.

Baidu among Barrons' top 10 Chinese brands.

Barclays chairman promises change.

Bermuda readies new branding campaign.

Costco sees deluge of cross-border Canadian shoppers.Continue reading...

American Airlines faces record safety penalty, tests hotel baggage delivery service.

Amazon sees pay-off from locker service, looks to acquire more patents.

Apple shelves "Genius" TV campaign, puts former designer on the stand against Samsung and plans to beef up security.

AT&T sees 20,000 employees go on strike.

Bank of America brings discounts to bank statements.

Chiquita seeks new CEO as Undercover Boss star exits.

Chrysler’s Dodge pulls out of NASCAR.Continue reading...