In launching its own music show on its own Internet-based television station, Mercedes-Benz is shifting attention away from individual cars, and instead drawing attention to the brand itself. Typically, car companies promote themselves by advertising their latest sedan or station wagon, but "Mixed Tape Music Magazine" is an attempt to reach out to youngsters with interests "beyond cars," Mercedes says. The monthly online show featuring video clips by artists such as Jennifer Lopez and Mark Ronson hopes to draw the "customers of tomorrow" and get them to associate the brand with being hip. The shift toward non-automotive themes comes amid …

Whether his client was an automobile manufacturer, a wine cooler or the committee to re-elect President Ronald Reagan, no one could put as graceful a spin on Americana as could Hal Riney, who died of cancer in his San Francisco home Monday at 75. He narrated many of the ads, and his gravelly voice is as memorable as the products he promoted. Some would say Riney is best remembered for creating the brand and image of General Motors' Saturn automobile division, establishing a memorable alternative to Detroit car culture in the process. Others would argue that he is equally famous …

Wendy's ads will appear on Ecast, a broadband "touch-screen media network" that provides digital music to 5,100 bars and restaurants located within one mile of one of the fast-feeder's franchises. The expectation is that late-night revelers will stumble on a Wendy's ad while browsing for a song to play. When touched, the ads expand into a full microsite, including directions to the nearest Wendy's. Research shows that half of Ecast's users stop on the way home to get something to eat. "But do you really need science to tell you that people go to bars, have a few drinks and …

India's Tata Motors this morning made the long-expected announcement that it is acquiring British automakers Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion. It says it will continue building the vehicles in the U.K., and doesn't anticipate any significant changes to the work force at Jaguar and Land Rover. Although the transaction has been rumored since July, it remains stunning to think of Ford selling its premium British brands to Tata, a specialist in inexpensive, small cars that wants to become a high-end player. Mike O'Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar under Ford, says he is encouraged that the …

A 2006 study that jolted the cancer world by claiming that 80% of lung cancer deaths could be prevented through widespread use of CT scans was underwritten almost entirely by $3.6 million in grants from the Vector Group, parent company of the Liggett Group, maker of Liggett Select, Eve, Grand Prix and Quest cigarettes. A review of tax records shows that the Vector-funded Foundation for Lung Cancer: Early Detection, Prevention & Treatment underwrote most of the study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. A Vector spokesman says the company "had no control or influence over the …