T-Mobile kills off wireless contract, readies to launch LTE network.

Gordon Brothers Europe agrees to buy struggling Blockbuster UK, saving 2,000 jobs and brand. 

W Hotels plans to double Asia presence over the next five years.

AstraZeneca settles Crestor patent suit.

Apple, Microsoft defend pricing policies in Australia.

Britain's BAE Systems wins five-year, $780 million US military contract.

BMW looks to Mini Paceman to challenge growing Fiat market.

Bridgestone launches new tire line to reignite Firestone brand.Continue reading...

Microsoft announces the departure of Windows chief (and Ballmer's heir apparent) in wake of Windows 8 launch.

LG breaks through with new smartphone.

Hostess Brands starts closing plants as workers strike.

Acura brings Dr. Phil and Suze Orman into its Christmas promo campaign.

Apple finally gives in on employee perks.

Bojangles recruits American Idol winner Scotty McCreery for campaign.

Cadillac shows design chops in China.

Callaway Golf drives buzz on Twitter for new high-tech driver.Continue reading...

Gawker asks, "Will CNN ruin Anthony Bourdain?" but maybe we should be asking, "Will Anthony Bourdain ruin CNN?" (Kidding: big fans, Tony!)

Yes, the ratings-challenged cable network that Ted Turner built CNN has wooed the chef-turned-media personality and author Anthony Bourdain from the Travel Channel, where his current programming will run through the end of the year. Beginning early 2013, Bourdain's new weekend program “will be shot on location and examine cultures from around the world through their food and dining and travel rituals.” 

At a time when CNN’s ratings are at historic lows, the hiring of the oft-profane Bourdain is part of a new weekend programming strategy.Continue reading...

Pinterest, the virtual pin board at the crossroads of social and style, covered here in December when the buzz was reaching fever pitch, has burgeoned into a marketplace for consumer brands, offering a visual and demonstrable platform for engagement.

A wide range of major brands are using Pinterest to engage fans through social curation and as an online focus group to see what clicks with consumers, including:Continue reading...

Scripps Networks owns some of the most powerful brands on cable television with HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel and DIY. All of the cooking shows on these networks have thus far avoided the temptation of dabbling in product placement. After all, in the first half of the year, Food Network pulled in $283.2 million in advertising while HGTV earned $300.2 million in the same time period, according to Kantar Media. 

However, the company’s Cooking Channel, which launched last year, is still trying to figure out how to make dough on the scale of its sister networks. Kantar reports that the channel brought in $12.3 million in the first half of the year. Enter product placement.

Ad Age reports that the network's business side sees a plum opportunity with a series titled From the Kitchens Of, which doesn’t have a set air time and is broadcast sporadically, not only visits the kitchens of corporations including Pillsbury but also features each company’s products within its show and recipes. For that right, the advertiser foots half the costs of producing the episode, Ad Age reports.

"We wanted to be able to offer advertisers something different than" Food Network, stated Jeff Stettin, VP of ad sales for Cooking Channel. "We feel that with a network that was just starting out, we could take a little bit more risk."

Other brands that have been involved the first season’s 10 episodes include Clorox, Sara Lee, Kellogg, and Sears’ Kenmore, Ad Age notes, with all series one sponsors already signing on for a 13-episode second season run.

CheapTickets.com today rolls out an ad campaign in keeping with its brand mantra: “The Less You Pay, the Better it Feels."

Its “We’re Too Cheap to Advertise” contest invites anybody to produce and upload a 30-second spot germane to cheap travel between now and July 13. The winner gets $50,000 worth of free travel and the reward of seeing their spot air on the Travel Channel – currently in 95 million U.S. homes – before Labor Day.

"Who better to create a commercial that illustrates just how great it feels to book a quality vacation for less on CheapTickets? We've found that our customers are the best advocates for our brand and this is an opportunity to unleash their passion for cheap travel," says Deborah Italiano, the site's VP of brand marketing.Continue reading...

In a “more is more” strategy designed to keep customers from cutting their cable service, Comcast Corp. announced this week that subscribers can now watch several cable TV shows and movies over the Internet – a defensive move into the online video industry.

As the first cable TV operator to offer cable content online at no additional charge, Comcast’s new service, Fancast Xfinity TV, is initially offered only to those who subscribe to both of the company’s TV and Internet services. Customers must also download a viewing program, available through Fancast.com, before watching any shows.

“It’s our goal to allow a customer who buys a package of content from Comcast to access that content on any screen at any time,” said Amy Banse, president of Comcast’s interactive-media unit, during a demonstration of the service to reporters. “We think this is yet another step in that direction."Continue reading...