Suze Orman -- author, host of CNBC's "The Suze Orman Show," and sought-after guest on "Larry King Live," "Today," "CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°" and "Oprah" -- is in more demand than ever on Madison Ave, too. In the past year, her likeability scores have gained, putting her on par with celebrities like pop star Elton John and actress Nicolette Sheridan, according to Davie-Brown, an Omnicom Group company that tracks the appeal of celebrities. Orman is the face of a new campaign for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the agency that insures bank deposits, which she does free of charge. She …

A new Kmart campaign features Mr. Blue Light -- Kmart's animated light bulb -- promoting the retailer's layaway service as a way to get gifts at affordable prices in time for Christmas. It positions the company as the only mass discount retailer to offer such a service, and targets moms with household incomes starting at $50,000. "People are going to have to be very creative this year to get Santa to show up," says Terry Brophey, vp, integrated marketing communications at Kmart. "And the whole campaign is based on promoting value." With the current economic downturn, retailers stand to benefit …

Harold "Hal" Kahn, former head of Macy's East, is taking over as CEO of Steve & Barry's, the sporting goods retail chain recently purchased out of bankruptcy by investors. Kahn, who has been in the retail business since joining Macy's training program in 1970, started a retail consulting business in 2004. Acknowledging that he faces many challenges as consumers pull back, Kahn says he will have discussions to determine pricing strategy and profit margin -- as well as branding a new image for the chain in 2009. He says he has long admired Steve & Barry's, with its mix of …

In a walk-up to the Association of National Advertiser conference in Orlando, which gets underway later today, Stuart Elliot reports that this is only the second time in history that the annual meeting will be sold out. The more than 1,200 attendees will, among other temporary diversions from the doom and gloom of their appointed rounds, hear about a global study from BBDO that identifies additional roles for brands in the everyday lives of their consumers. Speakers will include Jim Stengel, global marketing officer, Procter & Gamble; Mike Mendenhall, chief marketing officer, Hewlett-Packard, Mark Addicks, CMO, General Mills; …

Measuring less than three meters long and delivering 54 miles per gallon, Toyota's four-seat, bubble-like iQ was unveiled Wednesday in Chiba, Japan, John Murphy reports. The non-hybrid vehicle will compete overseas with Daimler AG's super-mini Smart car, which has been a hit in Europe and the U.S. The iQ goes on sale in Japan on Nov. 20 with a starting price of ¥1.4 million ($13,720). Sales will begin in Europe in 2009. Toyota is still considering whether to introduce the car to the U.S. market. If it does, Toyota will need to reinforce it to protect back-seat passengers …

Reviews for the Google G1 Android mobile phone that T Mobile will release next week hit the presses and blogs big time this morning. In a story headlined "Brains Over Beauty,' Time's Anita Hamilton says, "In short, the $179 G1 is the one smartphone that won't make you jealous of people with an iPhone." She also calls it "easily the most exciting new tech product of the year." But "But" -- as in "Johnny's trying hard but he's a bit behind" --seems to be the operative word in headlines this morning. Here are a …

Big Boy Restaurants International is considering "aggressive" measures such as changing the menu, implementing drive-thru windows and developing the California market -- where the restaurant is known as Bob's Big Boy -- according to interim CEO Jim Jensen. Jensen stepped in last month following the ouster of CEO Tony Michaels. His departure came as a surprise to industry observers who credit him with reviving the chain from bankruptcy after assuming leadership in 2000. "There's an aggressive strategy in place to grow this company, and that's what we're implementing," Jensen says. "Tony and management didn't see eye to eye …