The NFL has moved on to preparations for this spring's draft. CBS is licking its wounds a bit after game ratings fell short of the 2012 Super Bowl. Beyonce has moved on to begin her new world tour. Even the city of New Orleans is trying to move on from Super Bowl XLVII, taking credit for throwing a great party while deflecting blame for the power outage that left half the stadium in the dark for more than a half hour during the third quarter of the game.

And the brands that famously advertised on CBS during the Super Bowl? Many are still trying to leverage the marketing platforms they launched in association with the game, while others are still defending themselves. And all are trying to figure out what they did right or wrong, memorable or forgettable, to apply to the next go-round: Super Bowl XLVIII on Fox.

Among the biggest group of advertisers, car companies, Lincoln, Hyundai and Toyota have been generating some of the most impressive follow-up interest from consumers, based on the findings of analysts of online traffic. Samsung's ad featuring comedians Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen discussing the conventions of Super Bowl ads (above) now tops viral interest, according to some measures, squeezing past Toyota's pre-game lead in online buzz among Super Bowl advertisers.Continue reading...

A Latino advocacy group's sendup of "God Made a Farmer" adds images of Latinos to the mix. Is Ram listening?

The Ram brand has seen a boost following its Super Bowl ad. Autotrader.com reported a 55 percent increase in search activity for Ram, the trucks division of Chrysler's Dodge; the official YouTube video of the ad had registered more than 6 million views by Wednesday morning, along with more than 12,000 comments. "God Made a Farmer" seems to be this year's "Imported From Detroit."

Ram's site dedicated to the campaign, which declares 2013 the "Year of the Farmer," expands well beyond the Paul Harvey-narrated ad with a section on the late radio broadcaster himself, and information on Future Farmers of America and campaign partner Farms.com (which made a 2011 ad almost identical to Ram's). The site also pledges Ram will make donations to FFA and to "assist in local hunger and educational programs" each time the "Farmer" video is watched or shared, or when a social media badge depicting farmer life is shared.

But the campaign could easily lose its power if Ram doesn't capitalize on it — probably in unplanned ways.Continue reading...

Chrysler's Super Bowl ad for its Dodge Ram truck, which features a lengthy paen to farmers by the late radio commentator Paul Harvey over gripping photos of their lives, has been received warmly across the twitterverse.

Above, Chrysler's well-received 2011 Super Bowl ad, "Imported From Detroit," featuring Eminem.

Chrysler's  earnings report today made it apparent that its sales and financial recovery remains well on track, though there are new snags in its product plans due to fiat's drag on the combined company.

Chrysler posted prelimary net income of $1.7 billion for 2012, up nearly tenfold from the year-earlier $183 million and exceeding the guidance that it issued previously. The gains came largely on the strength of an 18 percent gain in worldwide vehicle sales, most of it realized in a U.S. market that has re-embraced Chrysler brands and products. Chrysler U.S. sales have increased by more than 50 percent since 2010, and its U.S. market share climbed two percentage points, to 11.4 percent, last year. 

"While we are pleased to have achieved strong financial results in 2012, the enterprise we are crafting is not complete," CEO Sergio Marchionne said Wednesday in a release.Continue reading...

Dodge Dart got beaten up a bit at the Detroit Auto Show, and partially by the company's own boss. Outspoken Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said that the launch of the important nameplate hasn't "gone as well as I wanted" and acknowledged that sales of the car have been hurt so far by engine and transmission combinations that have left many buyers feeling the car is underpowered. 

But with a U.S. new-car market that prizes fuel economy in a package with decent amenities, Dart is still a new enough phenomenon that it's got a chance to compete better in a category crowded with worthy competitors including Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze. 

And here's a first step: Dodge has introduced "new rules" for buying a car with an innovative online Dodge Dart gift registry. The promotion combines crowdsourcing and pizzazz with millennial appeal, and aimed to be a game-changer for a car that sold only 25,000 units in its first calendar year.

The registry allows consumers to configure and customize a Dodge Dart and set a goal for the amount of money they need to fund it. It then itemizes components of a car — everything from seats to the engine — allowing friends, family or anyone else to sponsor them.Continue reading...

In bringing Alfa Romeo back to the U.S. market this year, Fiat has three big goals for the move: broadening the car lineup of its joint stable with Chrysler Group; trying to re-establish an Alfa brand that long ago was tarnished in America; and boosting output at its home-market manufacturing operations in Italy.

Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told Reuters at the Detoit Auto Show that Fiat plans to introduce an Alfa Romeo 4C sports car to the U.S. market late this year. Marchionne said that the biggest remaining obstacle is to "make sure we hit the powertrains dead on." Still, he told the news service, "We are finalizing the car now, so it should be" in the U.S. this year.

From an American perspective, Alfa Romeo is one of the wild cards that got thrown into the deck when Fiat acquired the carcass of Chrysler from the U.S. government in 2009. It exited the U.S. market about two decades ago with a tattered quality reputation. Now, Marchionne has built the marque into one that would have a shot even in today's highly competitive U.S. market.Continue reading...

Cadillac sees its ATS named North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show, while Ram celebrates naming of 1500 as truck/utility vehicle of the year.

Hostess strikes a deal to sell Wonder Bread and other brands plus production facilities to Flower Foods.

HP CEO Meg Whitman receives $15.4 million.

American Express travel cuts point to end of an era.

Apple cuts orders for iPhone parts.

Billabong receives another takeover bid. 

Deutsche Bank reportedly considers 20-percent bonus cuts in Europe.

GM's Chevrolet division relaunches Corvette brand.Continue reading...

Fiat faces more and more problems in the struggling European car market, so it's got to make more progress than company executives initially had hoped in the U.S. market — and faster than they'd planned.

So Fiat is turning up the voltage. In tandem with other Chrysler-owned brands, it is offering what it calls Conquest Bonus Cash as an incentive to U.S. buyers who own Volkswagens to switch. They'll give $1,000, through January 2, to any VW owner who buys one of their cars except for a handful of excepted models.

This isn't a usual tactic — the last time Chrysler did it was 2010, targeting Toyota. "We believe the Dodge Dart, for example, would appeal to current Volkswagen owners," Ralph Kisiel, a Chrysler spokesman, told brandchannel. Customers don't even have to give up their VW to qualify.Continue reading...