Apple "friends" Facebook, adds features and cozies up to car brands to stay ahead of Google.

Disney and Netflix clash over DVD rental windows.

Google-branded Nexus tablet rumored.

BMW and Audi rivalry intensified in May as BMW courts bloggers.

Bacardi debuts new flavored rums in "breakthrough" bottles.

comScore releases much-discussed analysis of marketing on Facebook.

Domino's hits $1-billion-plus in digital sales.

Evian pursues one-touch online ordering.

L'Oreal decentralizes marketing globally.Continue reading...

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...

Alfa Romeo delays full return to US.

Amazon introduces digital textbook rentals.

American Airlines splits order between Airbus and Boeing.

Apple directors ponder succession.

BMW grows cautious on developed markets.

Borders succumbs to digital era as Barnes & Noble focuses on e-books.

Campbell expands lower-sodium soup options.Continue reading...

The online world has brought us the wonder of instant free global knowledge, but with it has come the reality that "free" really isn't. Often, advertising is the price the consumer pays for unfettered access to a vast wealth of information.

Now, it seems, that same principle is being tested with pretty much the last ad-free medium available — books. Publishers and authors have long resisted placing ads in printed books, but with the e-book market rapidly growing in acceptance, the publishing model not only might change; it is changing.Continue reading...

Android is booming thanks to Asia.

Boeing boosts jet prices, drops short-range carrier.
 
Boston Scientific abandons sale of pain-management unit.  

Brett Favre sits out Vikings vs. Giants game, ends streak at 297 NFL games. 

Comcast tests combo web/TV service.

Costco rebuffed by U.S. Supreme Court in challenge against Swatch's Omega watch brand.Continue reading...

Dunkin' Donuts aims to increase competition with energy drink brands. [Boston Herald]

Dodge looks for manly men with a beard-growing contest. [BrandFreak]

The Nook is finally available in Barnes & Noble stores. [PC Mag]

Hormel's "Life Better Served" campaign shows brand depth. [Brandweek]

With North American sales down, Coca-Cola hopes to raise appeal overseas. [DailyFinance]

Facebook's Doppelganger Week is a huge success. [Time]Continue reading...