Back in January, iconic shaving brand Barbasol launched its “Shave Like a Man” ad campaign, rolling out humorous commercials such as one that features a US soldier in World War II who proclaims that he’s proud to fight so his kids will be able to tweet someday. Another features an old-time baseball player who is in the middle of pitching 17 innings after a breakfast of chipped beef and Scotch. He pokes fun at today’s baseball fans who need to nap after watching the game. “If you’re not going to play like a man, can you at least shave like a man?” he asks.

It was the first new campaign from the 94-year-old brand in five years and it is apparently paying off. Jill Crumbacher, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Barbasol, told the Columbus Business Journal that the response to the ads “has been great and has generated more than 120,000 visits to the brand’s website.”Continue reading...

When you’re working for public broadcasting, it helps to have an entrepreneurial spirit.

So the producers of the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning TV drama Downton Abbey are going all out to bring in some extra revenue by expanding from DVD sales to creating a whole line of clothing, homeware, furniture, wallpaper, beauty products and stationery around the show that will go on sale later this year, according to CNBC.

After all, who couldn’t use an extra cape, cravat or pair of elbow-length gloves?Continue reading...

Hipsterrific U.S. beer brand Pabst Blue Ribbon and surfing powerhouse O’Neill could have had a legal battle, but the chill brands instead decided to pound it out and make some money together. 

O’Neill turned out a new surf look recently that caused someone in the Pabst legal department to give them a call to note that O’Neill was getting a little too close for comfort to the logo for Pabst, which is owned by the enterprising bunch at Metropoulos & Co., the company that just linked up with Apollo Global Management to buy the rights to Twinkies for $410 million.

But instead of a brouhaha, the two companies decided (no doubt over a cold one) to chill out and partner on a co-branded line of clothing.Continue reading...

You want to make Reddit sensation Grumpy Cat really grumpy? Try using her name on a product without prior authorization.

The owners of the cat that took social media by storm five months ago have filed for a trademark for the name "Grumpy Cat" as well as the cat’s likeness. After all, their little kitty, whose name is actually Tardar Sauce, has since gotten her own website, Facebook fan page, retail space, an appearance on the Today Show and her own commercial for Friskies cat food, according to SmallBizTrends.com.Continue reading...

How hot are British boy band du jour One Direction? They've got their own toothpaste, and they're taking over New York, with a 1D World holiday pop-up store located in a former Borders bookstore near Macy's and Herald Square. Located at 2 Penn Plaza, the entire pop-up shop is an ode to One Direction, wooing fans with bling and merchandise. And what bling and merch it is.Continue reading...

TV's and tablets aren't the only thing people are getting excited about when it comes to holiday shopping. Sports fans get ready — for special one-color Christmas Day NBA uniforms. The Christmas tree light-like apparel is being revealed in a TV commercial breaking tonight, and can be purchased now at NBAStore.com and other retailers. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook and Joe Johnson promote the "Big Color" uniforms in the commercial, created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Reminiscent of Kit Kat's basketball spot, it's all about the sounds of the basketballs, with the stars dribbling basketballs, eventually taking the sounds of holiday music. Take a closer look at the Christmas Day uniforms below.Continue reading...

The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and Starbucks would love to offer one-stop shopping so its caffeinated customers needn't bother with any other retailer. Why not pick up some gifts while refuelling during holiday shopping?

To help make that happen, the 41-year-old company collaborated with funkster designers Rodarte, the fashion label known for its hip clothing and Black Swan costumes, to create a few limited edition stocking stuffers for its North American holiday collection.

Rodarte has designed for Starbucks a tumbler as well as a tote bag, reusable up sleeve, and a Starbucks card. If it appears that the Starbucks logo is a bit blurry and pixelated, you don't need to get your eyes checked because it is — a daring choice for a brand that put so much energy and cash into its logo redesign almost two years ago.Continue reading...

Now that Disney has agreed to spend big bucks to own Lucasfilm and all of its Star Wars goodies, the corporation is losing little time working the big brand into its plans.

DisneyParks released an amusing video on Halloween showing Darth Vader and a couple of his stormtroopers hanging out at Disneyland: riding a Dumbo ride, buying some popcorn, enjoying the fireworks. It has since racked up more than 3.2 million views on YouTube.

It is passion like that that Disney is hoping will make for excellent return on investment for its big purchase. Even without the Star Wars brand in its back pocket, Disney just reported a pretty good fiscal year, going up 3% to $42 billion in revenue while its profits went up 18% to almost $5.7 billion, Variety reports.

"We're entering a phase-out of investment mode and transitioning into more compelling growth mode," Disney chairman-CEO Bob Iger told analysts. "We're seeing a ramping down of capital spending." He went on to say that the addition of Lucasfilm “will further fuel Disney's creative engine across our company to create additional value for our shareholders.” And attention holiday shoppes: Iger noted that Star Wars merchandise would be found soon in Disney stores and online. Continue reading...