To counter unexpectedly weak demand, General Motors is extending the same discounts enjoyed by its employees to all buyers of its cars. The decision reverses a two-year effort to eliminate employee-prices-for-everyone schemes. The new deals cover almost all 2008 models and some 2009 models. The offer typically cuts 10-12% off a vehicle's sticker price. Incentives seldom fail to bring more buyers into car dealerships. However, they cause significant long-term damage to manufacturers by lowering vehicles' trade-in values and denting the image of their brands. GM's sales are down by 27% in the year through July.

Palm will announce today the debut of a new smart phone primarily for business customers called the Treo Pro. It is slimmer and more elegant than current models, and its larger keyboard and screen that is flush with the phone's chassis make it more user-friendly than Palm's old calculator-like design. Palm's share of the smartphone market has been halved to about 16.9% over the last two years. Executive chairman Jon Rubinstein, who led the Apple hardware engineering division that developed the iMac and iPod, is convinced that he can bring Palm back. "Everyone is trying to make an …

MillerCoors is going back to the tagline that made Miller Lite one of the most successful launches in the history of the American beer business: "Great taste! Less filling!" The move is further evidence that new MillerCoors CMO Andy England is trying to center the brand's messaging on taste, much as sibling Coors Light's messaging has focused extensively on so-called cold refreshment. The original "Great Taste, Less Filling" campaign from McCann Erickson Worldwide, which made its debut in 1974, introduced the nation to light beer. The ads -- featuring a group of contentious ex-jocks dubbed the "Miller Lite …

Tens of millions of girls and young women have been vaccinated against cervical cancer in the U.S. and Europe in the two years since Merck's Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix were given government approval in many countries and, often, recommended for universal use among females ages 11 to 26. The lightning-fast transition from newly minted vaccine to must-have injection represents a triumph of what the manufacturers call education--and their critics call marketing. Award-winning advertising has promoted the vaccines. Before the film "Sex and the City," some moviegoers in the U.S. saw ads for Gardasil. On YouTube and in advertisements …

Tim Delaney's agency, Leagas Delaney, nearly went under in 2003 after losing Adidas, one of its biggest accounts. Its fortunes are on the rise again thanks, in part, to new clients like the Body Shop, the cosmetics retailer owned by L'Oreal, Dyson, a vacuum-cleaner manufacturer, and Timberland, the footwear and clothing maker. Delany's biggest challenge may be the turnaround of Timberland. Delaney told Timberland executives that its chunky boots needed to shed their edgy image -- created over years of being the footwear-of-choice for hip-hop artists and their fans -- and said its promotion of environmental causes was …

Star hurdler Liu Xiang, 25, is China's Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods combined. His image can be seen on billboards in virtually every major Chinese city, and in marketing campaigns for Nike, Visa and Coca-Cola. But when he limped off the field with a foot injury Monday, observers wondered what sponsors will do now that he is no longer racing. "A lot of celebration ads will be dropped into the garbage can," says Terry Rhoads, managing director at Zou Marketing, a Beijing sports marketing consultancy. But major sponsors say they still plan to promote Liu Xiang (pronounced Leo …

Dow XLA, a competitor to Spandex, first appeared on the market five years ago but has received little consumer marketing until now. Brooks Brothers, Citizens of Humanity, GoldSign and other fashion brands are partnering with Dow Fiber Solutions, a unit of Dow Chemical, to unveil new advertising at next week's Project and Magic fashion industry shows. Compared to other stretch fibers, Dow XLA offers a "softer hand and a less compressed feel and restrictive fit," says Holiday Watson, a rep at Dow Fiber Solutions. Print ads touting the fiber's stretch performance and durability benefits will debut …

General Motors will forgo the invitation-only GM Style party -- a mix of fashion, fenders and music that has kicked off the North American International Auto show in Detroit the past two years. The celebrity-studded, catered soiree with an open bar and shows has featured singers Kid Rock, Mary J. Blige, and other celebrities. The cost-cutting move follows the company's recent decision to drop advertising during next month's Primetime Emmy Awards and the 2009 Academy Awards. The automaker says it has shifted time and money to GM's centennial celebration next month, and is focusing its advertising around key …