P&G sees results boosted by sale of snacks division as its Tide brand turns to Betty White for advertising help.

Sony attributes weak financials to PlayStation sales slump.

Chick-fil-A braces for GLAAD's Friday "kiss-in" protest.

ABC and Good Morning America finally overtake NBC and The Today Show in key demographic.

ADM profits slide on higher corn costs.

Amtrak losses examined by Congress.

Apple requests sanction for Samsung as court battle heats up.

AT&T to acquire NextWave Wireless.

Beyonce plans to direct and star in film about her life.Continue reading...

The American Association of Retired Persons today announced NFL legend Dan Marino as its new AARP Men's Life Ambassador.

According to a press release, "Marino will share his point of view and expertise on a variety of men's interests including health, fitness, sports, lifestyle, entrepreneurship and community service, using AARP's website as his primary means of speaking directly to men 50+ about issues important to them." Additionally, Marino has committed to making personal appearances and speaking at events in order to connect with AARP's more than 37 million members through online chats and social media.

Other AARP celebrity spokespeople include a zombie-fighting Betty White, media spokesperson Jane Pauley, and AARP fitness ambassador Martina Navratilova.

The TV ratings for Super Bowl XLVI enjoyed a bump from last year's game, making it the most-watched telecast ever. Depite a riveting game, most pundits believe the advertising wasn't particularly riveting on Sunday, despite such hits as the Doritos' "Sling Baby" Crash the Super Bowl fan fave. 

Did brand marketers do themselves a disservice by giving away much (if not all) of their TV commercials before the game? This question surely will be examined closely in the days and weeks to come as marketers deliberate on the real value of spending $3.5 million or more for those 30 second ad units during the Big Game. Still, it's also possible that marketers won't care about the size of the ratings increase for the game because they got so much promotional mileage from the attention to their ads beforehand, on mobile, Twitter (witness the profusion of hashtags in commercials) and Facebook during, and ongoing debate and discussion this week.

There are other questions that not only brand marketers but the TV networks and the NFL will be grappling with long before Super Bowl XLVII:Continue reading...

Breaking: There is a new Microsoft Excel champion, British teen Rebecca Rickwood. And yes, there is a Microsoft Excel "championship."

TV product placement-spotting: Betty White hypes Skype for iPad in TVLand's Hot in Cleveland; while over on NBC, Chuck product places Bing in... Chuck.Continue reading...

Continuing the innovative usage of YouTube by brand marketers, the advergame above claims to be first to use 3D sound. More details here.

Is Apple's "Buddy Finder" patent application a stealth dating service for iPhone users?Continue reading...

AARP rolls out new Betty White spots as organization ends opposition to cutting Social Security benefits.

Alibaba revamps consumer business.

BJ's Wholesale gets a serious bidder.

BP's former CEO Tony Hayward sees payday in new venture IPO.

Capital One to pay $9B for ING Direct, subject to regulatory approval.

Casey Anthony case dubbed "social media trial of the century."

Chrysler faces high expectations for 300.Continue reading...

As the new face of the AARP, comedian Betty White is helping attract new members and increase renewals with "a chance to meet Betty" and a mock (and self-mocking) PBS-style membership drive commercial for the organization's "Get Over It!" campaign; watch her in action below.Continue reading...

Betty White is taking full advantage of her late-in-life career resurgence, but it's not just about her comic persona. In addition to developing a reality series for NBC, where she made her comeback on Saturday Night Live, she's continuing her association as a spokesperson for The Lifeline Program (which calls her "Lifeline's Darling") for more than five years.

In addition to appearing in commercials for Lifeline, which helps people looking to sell their life insurance policies, she's the anchor for the newly launched "Betty's Corner" social media section of the brand's website, which aims to personalize its messaging (homey touches include "handwritten notes" from White) for existing customers and other consumers with questions about so-called "life settlements."