Burger King will stop using suppliers who put chickens and pigs in cages, by 2017. According to a report this week from the Humane Society of the United States, "Crammed Into Cages," other leading food companies, including Subway, Wolfgang Puck, and Unilever (Hellmann's mayonnaise and other products), have committed to transition to 100% cage-free eggs. Read the whole story...

This fascinating blog post by Jacob Braude explains how a certain neural pathway comprising "mirror neurons" has big implications for marketing. He writes that researchers discovered that active networks of neurons that fire when you kick your foot will do precisely the same thing when you just hear the word "kick." In a separate study, researchers revealed that the word "cinnamon" activates the same part of your brain that turns on when you actually smell cinnamon. "You understand the word by simulating the actual experience in your unconscious--just like you are doing right now. Can you almost smell the cinnamon? That's simulation." Does this have applications to television, print, digital and other forms of marketing? Braude explores this with numerous examples of how this "experiential code" can affect sentiment about messages and offers. Read the whole story...

Check out this new TV spot for the United States of America. By JWT, it is the first comprehensive tourism marketing campaign for the U.S. aimed at overseas visitors. The 60-second ad attempts to capture the size, complexity and diversity of the U.S. set to original music by Roseanne Cash, who plays under the Brooklyn Bridge with an international backup group playing instruments from all over the world. Read the whole story...

North Dakota's tourism industry grew by $927 million after the launch of an advertising campaign, "North Dakota Legendary," highlighting the state's legendary figures and potential for adventure, according to the state's tourism director, Sara Otte Coleman. Read the whole story...

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who passed for 420 touchdowns during his career, recently passed 50 and now is the "men's life ambassador" marketing spokesman for AARP, the non-profit group that works on behalf of 37 million people who have passed the half-century mark. Read the whole story...

The EnduraCool Instant Cooling Towel is being described as a towel made from a proprietary fabric that "delivers fast, long-lasting cooling effects to enhance performance and combat overheating for all athletes at all levels of play." The EnduraCool towel absorbs water and, when activated by snapping or stretching it, cools the towel down to 59 degrees. The product made it from R&D to market via the combined efforts of Dwight Howard, Sergio Garcia, Georges St-Pierre and Williams, who all will be involved in marketing efforts. Read the whole story...