The NFL has strict rules on branded stadium signage. Several brands have outflanked those restrictions via broadcast partnerships. A study for QSR by Repucom shows that at least 17 restaurant brands, including 10 quick serves and fast casuals, competed for NFL viewers' eyeballs in 2011 through these TV partnerships. Using image recognition technology, Repucom tracked every second of the brands' broadcast exposure during the 2011 NFL season, from the pre-season to the Super Bowl. The study only examined advertising during game play, not advertising during commercial breaks. It found that, in 2011, Wendy's had the highest overall quality index, with a "media value" of nearly $3.1 million. Subway ($2.2 million), McDonald's ($2.1 million), Domino's ($978,734), and Pizza Hut ($920,811) rounded out the top five. Read the whole story...

Vuclip, the world's largest independent mobile video destination, did a mobile survey on purchasing preferences in India. The most desirable auto brand was Maruti Suzuki, followed rather distantly by Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Ford and Tata. Among luxury brands, BMW leads with Bentley, Audi and Mercedes Benz following. Read the whole story...

Ford Europe and General Motors' Opel were pretty quiet at the Paris Auto Show on Thursday. No surprise, the economy is in a shambles there, and both automakers are losing euros there big time. GM Europe's Opel/Vauxhall is expected to lose more than $1 billion this year, and it doesn't have a permanent CEO. The company unveiled the Adam car without much fanfare. Ford Europe is also on course to lose more than $1 billion this year. It canceled its press conference, although at the Amsterdam show, Ford CEO Alan Mulally unveiled an ambitious new product plan, including exporting the Mustang. Read the whole story...

Heineken NV gained full control of Asia Pacific Breweries (APB), maker of several popular beers -- including Tiger -- and operator of 30 breweries in 14 countries. Heineken already owned 56% of APB and purchased the remaining stake to ward off a party linked to Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. Tiger is sold at retail and lots of restaurants in the U.S. (where food is spicy and beer can be a relief.) Read the whole story...

At the Paris Auto Show, Daimler, Renault and Nissan announced another big expansion of their global alliance, with everything possible but a full-out merger. The partners have rapidly added a wide range of new projects since first revealing a limited series of joint ventures in 2010. The latest move will see Daimler, Renault and Nissan jointly developing a new generation of compact engines while also sharing transmissions. Meanwhile, Daimler could announce an even more expansive program before year-end that would have it share in a new assembly complex Nissan has already announced for Mexico. Read the whole story...

The battle for front-lit e-readers is heating up. Kindle Paperwhite is out, but Target and Walmart are offering Barnes & Noble's own illuminated e-reader, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, with a $20 price cut, down to $119. That price puts the reader on par with the entry-level Paperwhite (no 3G, with ads). Read the whole story...

The scariest advertising-as-horror show ever -- and one clearly written by an agency creative -- was "How to Succeed in Advertising." Here's a new one, though. "Branded" premiered on Sept. 7, but I didn't know about it because my mind has been controlled to completely miss its existence. The sci-fi film, which could have been written by Marshall McLuhan or the guy who wrote Subliminal Advertising back in the '70s, is about total mind control through consumer brands. Wait, that's not science fiction! Well, if you add really incredible computer graphics, it is. Read the whole story...