Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Reports: Microsoft Ding-Dongs Dellby Thom Forbes

Microsoft, whose Windows operating system and applications are part of Dell's DNA, is said to be mulling a multibillion-dollar investment in the leveraged buyout of the company being engineered by founder Michael Dell, with private equity firm Silver Lake Partners taking the lead. ...Read the whole story

  • beverages Coke Previews 2013 Super Bowl Campaign by Karlene Lukovitz

    The creative premise of the campaign, from Weiden + Kennedy, is that three groups of people are lost in the desert -- "cowboys," "showgirls" and "badlanders." All spot a mirage of a thirst-quenching Coke in the distance, and commence to compete to reach it first. ...Read the whole story

  • electronics Apple Continues To Have Brand Cachet by Aaron Baar

    According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Apple's iOS-powered devices remained the country's top-selling smartphone platform for the 12-week period ending Dec. 23. The devices had a 51.2% market share for the period, compared with Android-powered phones' 44.8%. ...Read the whole story

  • financial services Esurance Launches Facebook Contest by Tanya Gazdik Irwin

    Esurance has launched a contest on Facebook as part of its South by Southwest 2013 sponsorship. The SXSW "Dream Gig" contest, hosted on the Esurance Facebook page, invites lovers of social media, film, tech, and music to apply to join the Esurance team. ...Read the whole story

  • sports To Release Or Not To Release Before Game Day by Carrie Cummings

    "The Super Bowl has become like those old carnival barkers competing for your attention," says JP Aguirre, communication strategy director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, whose ad for Doritos will air this year. "After a while, your message can be drowned out." ...Read the whole story

  • book review The Marketer's Bookshelf: P&G's Secrets; Fast-Growing Brands; The Curse of Incumbents by Sarah Mahoney

    In some ways, it's a shame that A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin kick off their excellent "Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works" with the oft-told tale of Oil of Olay, and the story of how P&G transformed the once-struggling "Oil of Old Lady" into a dominant force. ...Read the whole story

  • Advertisers Bail After TMZ Airs Murder Video by Steve McClellan

    Change.org, the online petition site, says that 25 advertisers have pulled ads from TMZ's Web site after the celebrity gossip news organization posted video of a Los Angeles student's alleged brutal murder outside a nightclub. ...Read the whole story

Feasting On Facebook by Drew Neisser

A few months ago, Facebook elevated a dozen Preferred Marketing Developers into an elite new class -- Strategic PMDs. As they see it, Zuckerberg and Company continue to enhance THE social network for both users and ...More