Syfy and Dodge are taking TV and gaming to new bandwidth with an exclusive dual-screen brand partnership. The branded entertainment will tie together Syfy's new series Defiance and Dodge's auto lineup.

Dodge’s Charger and Dart are featured in the television show debuting April 15 while the Dodge Challenger stars in the online video game which launched April 2 on PS3, Xbox and PCs. 

Two Dodge Chargers, with exterior modifications befitting a futuristic storyline, are the hero vehicles driven by main character Nolan (Grant Bowler), Defiance’s "law-keeper," and by the sixth episode, they become main characters in the story. "While 'Defiance' is set in the year 2046, the featured Dodge Charger stays true to its DNA,” said Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO Dodge Brand in a press release. “It has timeless performance and technological capabilities needed to survive in a futuristic world, while the Challenger video game integration allows enthusiasts to interact with the iconic muscle car in ways they might not have imagined possible."Continue reading...

Branded content is the hot new thing. Prada is the latest to the game with a short film directed by indie darling Wes Anderson and starring French actress Léa Seydoux.

Anderson is best known for charming films filled with twee sensibilities such as Rushmore, The Life Aquatic, Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums. But Anderson is actually an old branded content auteur.

For the short film Prada Candy L’Eau promoting the brand's new Prada Candy fragrance, Anderson shared directing duties with Roman Coppola, son of directing icon Francis Ford. It's not the first teaming of the pair; Coppola joined Anderson in 2010 for a Stella Artois spot that feels oddly familiar to the new Prada film. Check it out below and see how it rates against other Wes Branderson projects.Continue reading...

Does Prada know Cadillac is marketing itself on the fashion brand's coattails?

Our apologies, but we need to revisit the terrible new Cadillac China commercial because subsequent watchings have revealed that GM has really hired two spokes-"people" for its brand. One is an (apparently mute) Hollywood A-lister; the other is an Italian luxury goods brand.Continue reading...

Nike quickly backs away from Oscar Pistorius.

Volkswagen putting plug-in hybrid into production.

Google unveils touch-screen laptop.

Apple sees hedge-fund manager press his case against it.

Avon weighs exits from more countries.

Billabong posts record loss.

Boeing CEO stays in background to work on Dreamliner problem.

Citigroup toughens rules for executive bonuses.

Facebook COO bombs glass ceiling with new book.Continue reading...

Boeing faces looming strike vote following Dreamliner tumult.

GE seeks inventions via social campaign.

Burberry lauded for London Fashion Week digital experience.

Amazon acts on controversy over German TV show about its workers.

Audi blocks use of GQ3 vehicle name by Qoros of China.

BP faces next bout of Gulf spill liability.

Cracker Barrel can't shake off activist shareholder.

Danone cuts 900 jobs in Europe.

Ferrari plans to price new supercar starting at 1 million euros.Continue reading...

As many high-end brands show off their latest designs at New York Fashion Week, Greenpeace has a big message for the fashion world at large: It's time to clean up your act.

The latest from Greenpeace’s global Detox campaign is its “Fashion Duel,” with Italian actress Valeria Golino leading the charge for the industry to make environmental stewardship a priority in their operations.

The "duel" sets out to rate 15 Italian and French high-end luxury brands on three areas of the global supply chain — leather, pulp and paper and toxic water pollution — and highlights their differences in policy on toxic water pollution and deforestation.Continue reading...

Prada has launched its first mobile app, an extension of a visual partnership with fashion illustrator Richard Haines — a major digital move for the Italian fashion label, one that it describes as the culmination of "a multi-platform project combining hand-made artistry and cutting-edge technology."Continue reading...

A once-in-a-decade occurrence in China, the overlap of Chinese National Day and the Mid-Autumn Lunar Festival, is giving Chinese consumers a rare eight-day period with no work or family obligations. As a result, Chinese tourists are traveling in China and flocking to other areas, including Hong Kong (now in mourning following a ferry crash that killed 38 holiday revelers) and Europe.

While less than three percent of the Chinese have a passport, that number is rising 20 percent each year, according to Reuters. That means the current travel period is likely to be dwarfed by long-term prospects for Chinese tourism. It's true that China's economy has slowed along with the domestic appetite for luxury, but a segment of the population is decidedly well-heeled, and they still love to travel and shop.

It's certainly not stopping brands from pushing ahead in China — Louis Vuitton recently opened a flagship in Shanghai, and Ralph Lauren just opened five stores in China in the past two weeks, as David Lauren, the brand's EVP of Advertising, Marketing & Corporate Communications, told the New York Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin in a discussion at the Interbrand/New York Stock Exchange 2012 Executive Marketing Summit on Tuesday.Continue reading...