• Russell Wilson Tops Peyton Manning In $1B NFL Retail
    According to NFL Players Inc., quarterback Russell Wilson, who guided the Seattle Seahawks to victory in Super Bowl XLVIII, leads in merchandise bearing his name, likeness, or jersey number. He grabs Peyton Manning's spot. Manning, whose Denver Broncos lost to Seattle in the big game, is now No. 2 based on sales of all licensed products among more than 70 brands.
  • L'Oreal's Speichert Talks About CMO Organization
    Marc Speichert, global CMO of L'Oreal Group, oversaw a $9 billion advertising and promotions spend last year. He has also been restructuring the marketing organization to make it more nimble to address big changes in retail paradigms. Speichert talks about the "CMO organization" at L'Oreal, plus media and digital innovation, use of celebrities, and brand acquisitions.
  • Forever 21 Intros Value Concept
    Forever 21 will debut a new retail concept on May 3, at Azalea Shopping Center in South Gate, Calif. Called F21 Red, the format will offer fast-fashion and low prices. The new concept offers a wide selection starting at $1.80 for camisoles and $7.80 denim for women and girls. The men's selection will include T-shirts and tank tops for $3.80.
  • Taco Bell Develops Fast Casual Concept
    Taco Bell Corp. is launching a new fast-casual taco concept meant to bring in, shall we say, new customers. In other words, people who are more likely to go to a craft brew cafe than a Taco Bell. The new concept, U.S. Taco Co. and Urban Taproom, opens in Huntington Beach, Calif., this summer. On tap are 10 premium tacos, thick-cut fries and shakes. Future locations will also include a menu of craft beer and wine.
  • 'Happy,' Netflix, Google Win Webbys
    The Webby Awards for excellence on the Internet are awarded by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. This year's winners include Pharrell Williams, Jimmy Kimmel, Funny or Die and the Jamaican bobsledding team (for crowdfunding their trip to Sochi). Other winners are Medium, Google+, Vine, Netflix, Airbnb, Wired and Pocket.
  • Car Sales Pick Up in April
    Sales of new cars, trucks and crossovers are accelerating as the weather warms, per market indicators. J.D. Power & Associates estimates consumers will spend $33.5 billion purchasing new vehicles this month, a record for the month, topping the $30.5 billion motorists spent in April 2005. "Auto sales are hitting their stride as the spring selling season begins, and the pace has returned to the level expected at this stage of the recovery," said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at LMC Automotive.
  • Twitter To Rank Top Aussie TV Shows For Advertisers
    Nielsen announced on Monday a plan to launch its Twitter TV ratings service in Australia in the second half of 2014. Australia will be the third country to have access to the service, after the US and Italy. For each TV episode, Nielsen will tally the number of unique tweets, the number of unique tweeters and the number of eyeballs those tweets reach. Forty-four percent of of Australians online chat about TV shows on social media, per Nielsen.
  • Instagram Video Ads Are Coming
    The photo-sharing service Instagram is taking its time getting into sponsored videos. Early advertising partners with which it has experimented with the format include Levi's, Ben and Jerry's, Burberry, and Starwood. Said Jim Squires, Instagram's director of marketing, "Video will be a natural addition from an ad perspective." But he added that owner Facebook is taking its time with Instagram video ads, which, Squires said, is "still a ways out."
  • ALS Campaign To Honor Gehrig & Speech
    To honor the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's speech, and to coincide in May with ALS Awareness Month, the ALS Association will unveil a multi-platform awareness effort to include TV, print, Internet and social media; the Yankees will commemorate the event and MLB will undertake a league-wide celebration to support its on-going work to help fund research and raise public awareness.
  • Russell Wilson NFL's Top Licensed Sales Star
    Quarterback Russell Wilson leads the NFL player's roster in total overall licensed product sales for the past season. "His product is selling everywhere," said Steve Scebelo, NFLPI Vice President of Licensing & Business Development. He is set to earn only $662,434 this coming season.
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