Since its inception in 1970s Paris, Sephora has been a disruptive force within the beauty industry. Today, the retailer has 1,750 stores in 30 countries and is turning out revenues upwards of $4 billion.

From its very birth, “this new stand-alone beauty and fragrance store was a real shock for store operators throughout the world,” notes Forbes. “The department stores believed they had the only retail format capable of effectively selling premium beauty and fragrance products. They were wrong.”

Acquired by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy in 1997, the first Sephora store opened in New York in 1998. Today there are close to 706 stores in the US, including 386 boutiques inside JCPenney stores, a key element that has kept the ailing department store from drowning. Breaking the barrier of entry, Sephora applied that iconoclastic spirit to wooing a new, younger consumer than those frequenting department stores, with modern brands and a cross-sell of products by in-store sales associates who primp and paint customer’s faces from their choice of products, arranged alphabetically.Continue reading...

Microsoft signs patent deal with Foxconn to get cut of Android production. 

Dove uses forensic sketch artist to "beautify" women.

Tesco expected to announce the sale or closure of 199 of its Fresh & Easy stores in the US.

American Apparel comes under fire again for "offensive" ads in UK.

Apple has been ordered to remove obscene content from its App Store by Chinese government officials.

Bank of America struggles for growth.

BBC Worldwide partners with Foxtel to build BBC brand in Australia.Continue reading...

Sex sells, right? Well, Louis Vuitton apparently thinks so as its clothing is the star of a new (NSFW) short film that features a few of its top models acting the parts of prostitutes in the dark streets of Paris.

A naked woman in the backseat of a car, a half-dressed woman swaying down an alley, a woman undressing in front of a car’s headlights and a slew of come-hither looks fill up the new film that was produced by the U.K.'s Love Magazine and directed by James Lima.

Watch the NSFW video after the jump.Continue reading...

Alibaba names next CEO.

Denny's cancels franchise deal in China.

Google shows off sample apps for Project Glass a SXSW.

American Airlines and U.S. Airways prepare for merger bumps.

Apple and Samsung values soar.

Barney's New York rebrands Co-op stores as regular Barney's.

BlackBerry stock jumps on Lenovo takeover interest rumor.

BMW to build sub-brand for China.

Boeing sees investigators focus narrowly on batteries in Dreamliner probe.

China's Spring Airlines adds cars to in-flight sales offering.Continue reading...

In PepsiCo's short film, Bring Happiness Home, a ragtag bunch of Chinese travelers trying to get home for Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) comes together thanks to Pepsi and Lay's. The film has logged more than 100 million views in its first week of release online, and is among many recently produced pieces that suggest 2013 could be an explosive year for branded content in China.

But it's not just potato chips and fizzy drinks that have found success in short film branded content in China recently. Cartier, Louis Vuitton and even the nation of Australia put together hits. And China's branded content business is just getting started.

The nation is a key market for product and marketing innovation for the company. Contributing to the success of Pepsi's Bring Happiness Home are established stars like Zhou Xun (周迅), Louis Koo (古天乐), Show Luo (罗志祥), Zhang Guo Li (张国立) and Angela Chang (张韶涵). In fact, star talent is often the common denominator in China's blooming branded content scene. Continue reading...

Louis Vuitton recaps its 2012 digital efforts, including live-streaming, Instagramming, photo-blogging, interacting and engaging in a chic video that serves as a runway for its mobile, social and online forays (watch below). The description: "As an innovative and creative fashion brand at the forefront of digital, Louis Vuitton aims to produce qualitative and diversified content, highlighting the different aspects of the House, its values, heritage and the Art of Travel."Continue reading...

Air New Zealand in-flight video promotes Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" in latest marketing tie-in for the movie.

ABC News files motion to dismiss "pink slime" suit.

Apple signals Tim Cook era with management shakeup, reports R&D spending up 40% in 2012 (although it was still outspent by Microsoft), plans to open up to 35 stores next year, confirms iPad mini built-in speakers.

Honda targets Japanese women with pink "She's" car.

Barclays faces two new U.S. probes.

Caesars packs up casino in Macau.

Campbell hires new CMO to reach Millennials.Continue reading...

Chanel teased its upcoming N°5 campaign starring Brad Pitt on its Facebook page today, pointing to its YouTube channel which has added a trio of teasers featuring the actor's voice: "Where?" ("Are you going somewhere? Where?"), "Why?" ("Do you feel lucky?" Why?") and "Mystery?" ("What's the mystery?")

Touting the Twitter hashtag #CHANELN5, the star's commercial is due to be released on October 15th, 12.01am Paris time. A print campaign featuring Pitt, who's reportedly earning $7 million for his services, will follow in early November, according to WWD.

Pitt's campaign will mark the first male celebrity endorsement for the perfume, which has previously featured actresses Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Tautou and Nicole Kidman — but not partner Angelina Jolie, who is more endorsement-shy but was reportedly paid about $10 million for a rare campaign, for Louis Vuitton, last year. [Update: Watch Pitt's Chanel commercial here]