Adobe confirms its CTO Kevin Lynch has left the company for a job at Apple. 

Chipotle is risking its brand by venturing into the public debate about gay rights, LGBT community says #ThanksChipotle.

NBC to NYT: Jimmy Fallon is expected to succeed Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" by fall 2014 as NBC struggles with weak ratings.

Aeropostale targets millenials with new in-store #tech. 

Aldi and Whole Foods to boycott genetically modified salmon.

Apple's plan for augmented reality amidst another lawsuit on patent infringement.

Barclays announces massive bonuses on UK budget day.

BlackBerry denies report that BB10 failed UK government security test. 

Global airline profits are flying high.

Harvard researchers have linked sugary drinks to 180,000 deaths a year worldwide.Continue reading...

ABC sells out ads for Oscars.

AOL is constantly innovating but toward what end remains unclear.

American Airlines and U.S. Airways move closer to merger as U.S. Airways rises to top of customer-loyalty survey. 

Banana Republic hooks up with Match.com for Valentine's mixers.

Boeing prepares redesign of troubled Dreamliner batteries.

Campbell Soup enlists celebrity chef in heart-health campaign.

Chipotle plans mid-year price increase.Continue reading...

Calvin Klein and Speed Stick reveal teasers for Super Bowl debut, while Beyonce's halftime show also offers a sneak peek in our latest Super Bowl brand round-up.

BlackBerry undercuts debut of new BlackBerry 10 with news of more delays.

Deutsche Bank swings to loss as it cleans up its business.

AutoNation to put its own name on most dealerships.

Bazooka Candy is rebranding for a new generation of gum chewers.

Boeing plays down effects of Dreamliner grounding.

Chipotle starts selling organic hoodies.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...

Airbus sees orders fall as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is grounded in U.S., Japan, Europe and India.

GM woos Facebook to return to paid ads, remains cautious on 2013, defends Opel restructuring and eyes cheaper Chevy Volt.

Blockbuster faces U.K. closure after no buyers emerge.

American Airlines swings to profit and sees “good trajectory” for this year.

Apple rattles Wall Street with sharp stock-price drop.

AT&T looks to Europe for mergers.

Audi aims for 200,000 U.S. sales “sooner” rather than “later.”Continue reading...

Boeing's troubled 787 Dreamliner grounded in Japan.

JPMorgan cuts Jamie Dimon's pay, tops estimates with profit.

Dell falls from PC king to buyout fodder.

Apollo Group to offer course on innovation.

Audi bows out of sponsoring inaugural this time around.

Boeing sees Dreamliner make another emergency landing, in Japan.

Bristol-Myers Squibb plans to discuss settling Hepatitis C claims.Continue reading...

Apparently not content with creating a sales rebound, and testing Chipotle's hold on quality ingredients and McDonald's stranglehold on breakfast, Taco Bell now is venturing out with new products in another huge part of the quick-food business: snacks.

Taco Bell is introducing a new desserts menu that includes a churro, the "Mexican doughnut" that is dusted in cinnamon sugar and served warm, and triangle-shaped chocolate-chip-cookie and ice cream sandwiches, to go with its caramel apple empanada.

Also new on the menu: XXL Steak Nachos, which feature lots of steak, cheese and other predictable ingredients on restaurant-size nacho chips. Also upcoming are "loaded grillers," which are nachos, chicken or a loaded baked potato, all wrapped in a tortilla. And just for good measure, the Yum! Brands-owned chain is testing a double-steak quesadilla through its more upscale Cantina Bell menu as well as a smothered burrito.Continue reading...

Turns out that consumers around the world can't and don't just keep simply trading down in their eating habits as incomes and economies keep slowing or remain sluggish. Many just stop going out to eat altogether. Exhibit A: McDonald's just reported its first monthly decline in same-store sales from year-to-year, for October, since 2003, when the company in general was struggling.

This result — a 1.8-percent dip in global revenue at "same-store" restaurants open at least 13 months — reflects broadly on the state of the global economy, because if there's one thing that unites us as a species, it's eating cheap and fast food. Yet even though it's been promoting lower-priced menu items, McDonald's relevant revenues in October fell by 2.2 percent in both the United States and Europe, and by 2.4 percent in the region encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

It isn't clear how much of the bad number may reflect some kind of general slump in the fast-food proposition, in any market. But the European result isn't that surprising because the continent is sliding into recession again because of eurozone woes and consumers' loss of confidence that politicians and bankers can fix them. Cooling in China is one big reason for the drop in the Asian region.

So the U.S. results might raise the most eyebrows at McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. Three potential factors include McDonald's lack of recent "new product news" in the U.S., "an uptick in competition in the U.S.," and a drag from Hurricane Sandy, said Sterne Agee analyst Lynne Collier. Speaking of that competition, Wendy's reported higher revenues at "same" stores but lower profits mostly for accounting reasons. Its third-quarter increase of 2.7 percent in revenue at restaurants open at least 15 months — the sixth straight quarter of such growth — was welcome in view of the chain's concerted efforts to move a bit upscale with higher-quality ingredients and menu items.Continue reading...