Fancy cars have long been integral to the one-upmanship among L.A.'s glitterati. But instead of Bentleys and Bugattis, Hollywood's must-have vehicles of the moment are green. And nothing conveys extreme exclusivity and earth-friendliness like a hydrogen car. Writer and director Paul Haggis owns four Toyota Priuses, but when he heard about the not-yet-available Honda FCX Clarity -- a hydrogen-powered car that gets 270 miles on a tank and emits nothing but water -- he was desperate to drive it. A step ahead of Haggis was Joely Fisher, star of Fox's "'Til Death" TV show. She arranged for BMW to …

While other companies scramble to sell what could be considered a luxury in tough economic times, Steinway seems to float above the fray. Its Coral Gables, Fla., store -- the only corporate-owned store outside the Northeast -- last year came under the aggressive direction of Manny Perez, an opera singer and University of Miami graduate who has been selling pianos for 27 years and likes to view the business more as community service than commerce. Steinway has long been one of the most recognizable piano brands, nearly transcending the actual instrument to become something apart and unique. Last year, …

InBev, which is known for its cost-cutting culture, could make deep cuts to Anheuser's massive ad and marketing budget as it seeks to gain efficiencies from the high-priced acquisition. The "king of beers" has a long history of memorable advertising. Much of it has been intertwined with pop culture -- from the "Whassup" craze to "Dude," the brewer's newest catchphrase. Experts say InBev -- the Belgium-based brewer of brands such as Stella Artois, Beck's and Bass -- will likely cut ad spending and use the savings to fight its competitors with price cuts. That's the polar-opposite approach to A-B's, which …

Swedish home-products retailer Ikea is serving as a marketing partner on Universal's forthcoming summer release of "Mamma Mia!" which employs the hit songs of Sweden's Abba to tell the story of a girl hoping to discover the identity of her father on the eve of her wedding. "Everyone knows Ikea," says Bill Agee, marketing manager of Ikea's U.S. operations, so the goal of the campaign isn't to increase awareness. Rather, its purpose is to make sure that the store stays "extremely top-of-mind throughout the year" -- not just in the summer, when people shop for outdoor garden furniture, or at …

"The Incredible Hulk," starring Edward Norton, is a franchise reboot for Marvel, which hopes to reinvigorate one of its core brands in the wake of the tepid response to 2003's "Hulk," an oddity from director Ang Lee. When Marvel decided to make a do-over while the original was fresh in the minds of moviegoers, the general reaction was 'Huh?" And response to the first trailer in March was harsh, reinforcing the initial skepticism. Entertainment Weekly called the computerized effects "totally fake-looking" and visitors at movie message boards piled on. But the tide has turned. Newer trailers and TV ads have …