EBay is stepping up an overhaul aimed at getting more users to sell items at fixed costs -- a development that will make it look a lot more like Amazon, whose emphasis on fixed-price sales has surged in popularity as the more auction-oriented business on eBay has declined. EBay will announce today that it is slashing the upfront fees it charges to list sale items by as much as 75%. Under the new fee structure, eBay will charge just 35¢ to list an item for sale on its site, but will raise the fees it charges when an …

Coke has plugged its flagship cola at Olympiads for decades. But its marketing blitz in Beijing is especially important for the brand as the Games present a chance for it to vault ahead of archrival Pepsi-Cola in the race for China's 1.3 billion coveted consumers -- a market that Coke says could one day be its biggest. In a country where many prefer their beverages warm, Coke is trying "to teach consumers how to drink Coke and how to love Coke" that is being served in a giant pavilion downtown at precisely 37.4 degrees, according to Joseph Tripodi, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …