Chrysler recalls more than 214,000 vehicles.

JCPenney acting CMO Sergio Zyman canvasses adland for marketing help as Macy's/Martha Stewart trial rolls on.

GM returns to Facebook advertising with mobile test for Chevy Sonic as it provokes unionists in Korea with talk about pullout, and Facebook widens data targeting for advertisers.

Aereo finds broadcasters circling the wagons against its streaming model.

Apple and Yahoo discuss deeper iPhone partnership, WSJ says.

Beech-Nut teams with Goya to launch Hispanic baby food line.

Behr launches social media program to market paint.

Cablevision Systems gives more responsibilities to wife of CEO.

Cannes Lions Festival adds jury on Branded Content and Entertainment.

Chili's begins marketing pizza nationwide.

Facebook has yet to monetize billion-dollar Instagram acquisition.

Fiat becomes more reliant on US and Asia for growth.

Fisker Automotive prepares to file under Chapter 11 soon.

Frontier Airlines may be on the block, WSJ says.Continue reading...

When you’re a celeb athlete, being the best in the world at something isn’t good enough. You’ve got to build your brand. After all, those playing days are only going to last so long and the good life shouldn’t just end because you’re dealing with whatever stresses your body has taken on during your athletic career.

Venus Williams is getting back into the act. She had launched a clothing line for Steve & Barry’s years ago but that retailer went into liquidation in 2008. Now she’s back.

As Women’s Wear Daily notes, she has “partnered with brands including Ralph Lauren and Gilt Group” in the past, and is now relaunching her personally designed apparel collection EleVen, which is, no surprise, geared for on and off the court.Continue reading...

Bank of America is pushed by regulators on contingency plans, as more than a dozen suits against big US banks are expected to be filed in the coming days over bad mortgages.

AstraZeneca fails to beat Pfizer in match of anti-cholesterol drugs Crestor and Lipitor.

BP raid in Russia is suspended.

Baidu, China Mobile and ICBC rank among top brands in China, survey says.

Campbell's profit takes a hit on declining US soup sales.

China Telecom plans UK mobile service before London 2012 Olympics.Continue reading...

Daily Deal sites are among the fastest growing online vertical. Leaders like Groupon, LivingSocial and Gilt Groupe dominate a category that has attracted $1.6 billion of VC investment this year so far, according to the most recent 2011 Daily Deal Investment Index.

“Globally, there are more than 3,000 total daily deal companies, including more than 1,000 in China, more than 900 in Europe, and more than 600 in South America," according to dailydealmedia.com.

Groupon expects August U.S. sales to rise 12% over last month, with marketing expenses down 20% and declining, as the brand’s focus moves from subscriber acquisition to securing paid customers. Its CEO, Andrew Mason, recently addressed rumors surrounding an imminent IPO: “When I read some of the press this weekend, I realized a rational person could read this stuff and wrongly conclude that we’re in trouble. The irony is hopefully clear: We’ve never been stronger.”

Mason accused competitor LivingSocial.com of “buying gift certificates from national retailers and reselling them to users to give the appearance of a 50 percent off deal,” to which LivingSocial spokesman Brendan Lewis replied: “No Groupon executives have access to our internal revenue or financial numbers, and thus any claims made by such executives should be met with deep skepticism.”Continue reading...

As Dow closes down 634 points, the S&P downgrade of U.S. probed by Congress.

AIG sues Bank of America and its subsidiaries, Merrill Lynch and Countrywide.

BlackBerry cringes at association with U.K. riots, as violence continues to escalate.

Spotify reportedly has 1.4 million U.S. users, and now valued at $1.1 billion.

BMW leads global luxury auto brand sales through July, followed by Audi.

CenturyLink brand launches in former Qwest markets.Continue reading...

U.S. House is expected to pass debt ceiling bill tonight, with the Senate set to vote Tuesday.

Amazon launches AmazonLocal daily deals in Groupon's hometown of Chicago; launches MyHabit app to compete with Gilt Groupe; beefs up streaming offering to compete with Hulu by adding Universal titles; and looks to expand Kindle library.

Apple iPhone 5 now rumored for October; Apple TV lets users buy TV shows with streaming update; and Apple blocks Samsung tablet release in Australia.

Twitter confirms "significant" ($800M?) funding round led by Russia's DST Global; adds Dutch and Indonesian local sites; and opens NYC office.

Adobe bows to Apple and builds Flash alternative.

Airbnb looks to defuse user security concerns by offering $50,000 guarantee to homeowners.

Allstate to shut banking unit, posts $620M in losses on tornado claims.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...

Forget entertainer — Lady Gaga may be the savviest marketer we’ve ever seen. 

Just named the world’s most powerful celebrity by Forbes, she’s continuing her marketing blitz to ingrain her upcoming album release for Born This Way on the world's collective brain.

As if taking over the world's biggest social game isn't enough, she's partnering with the world’s biggest coffee purveyor, Starbucks, and partnering with flash sales giant Gilt Groupe to flog her new album. Can nothing stop her?Continue reading...