IKEA is linking its suburban megastore in Canton, Mich., with the shopping and entertainment attractions of downtown Detroit through a shuttle that will run hourly for four consecutive days each month, Christine Ferretti reports. The 40-seat bus, covered with IKEA's logo and a picture of its iconic Poäng chair, will take patrons from the store to Campus Martius Park in Detroit and back in conjunction with various events at the park. "While the IKEA store sits here in Canton, it was built to serve the entire metro Detroit market," says Kelly Frieze, store manager of IKEA Canton. "We're looking …

I've recently read substantial portions of a book on Google Book Search http://books.google.com/books, then bought a copy on Amazon. Sometimes, I didn't buy. To me, it was a similar experience as browsing at Barnes & Noble. My rather myopic market research project that led me to believe that the model of giving away a heavy dose of content will lead to sales is belied by a story by Douglas McMillan, who says that music sites with freely accessible content are being used by a growing number of listeners as a substitute for buying music. The hope had been that …

Mattel's Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie comes with a set of more than 40 tiny tattoo stickers and a faux tattoo gun with wash-off tats that kids can use to ink themselves. Some parents are incensed, labeling the latest version of the 50-year-old icon the "tramp stamp" queen of playtime, report Tiffany Hsu and Don Lee. But a spokeswoman for the toy maker says it's a great way for youngsters to be creative. Meanwhile, Mattel this weekend will unveil the six-story House of Barbie in Shanghai. It offers thousands of Barbie products, from branded chocolate bars that cost a buck …

The U.S. Travel Association has launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign slamming Congress and the Obama administration for rhetoric that the industry says is dampening the market for business travel, Elizabeth Williamson reports. Travel executives say high-end business meetings and incentive trips create more than $100 billion in spending and one million jobs. One of four print ads in the campaign includes a photograph of the back of President Barack Obama's head, superimposed over an empty stadium. "Until political conventions are held via conference call, we shouldn't expect business to do so either," the text reads. Lavish trips bankrolled by financial …

Despite lower marketing spending, IMS Health data show sales of major prescription sleeping-pill brands rose 7% last year while branded antidepressant prescriptions jumped 15%, Rich Thomaselli reports. According to figures from TNS Media Intelligence, spending on sleep-aid Ambien CR fell from $190 million in 2007 to $150 million in 2008 while outlays on Lunesta plunged to $107 million in 2008 from $271 the prior year. Rozerem cut spending by $100 million from $140 million in '07. The cutbacks were less clear-cut for antidepressants. Spending on Cymbalta was flat at $179 million in 2008 but spending on Effexor fell by …

The key to MillerCoors long-term growth will be expanding its top-selling light brands like Coors Light and Miller Lite, according to CEO Leo Kiely. Speaking to a gathering of analysts by Webcast Wednesday, Kiely pinned Miller Lite's 7.5% drop in sales to retailers in the three-month period ending in December to its heavy reliance on sales in restaurants and bars where recession-weary consumers are cutting their spending. Coors Light sales, meanwhile, grew 1%. The company also shed unprofitable business with Miller Lite and raised pricing, Emily Fredrix reports. The move will cut volume but will strengthen the business in the …

Industry observers say that Anheuser-Busch needs to maintain its nearly obsessive devotion to consistency and quality if it wants to remain the leader in the brewing industry. But the cost-cutting predilections of Belgium's InBev, which purchased A-B last year, have raised questions about whether that will be the case, Jeremiah McWilliams reports. The Budweiser brewing process is "exactly the same," claims Peter Kraemer, who oversees Anheuser-Busch InBev's breweries in North America. Charles Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch's endowed professor of malting and brewing sciences at the University of California-Davis and author of Grape vs. Grain, concurs. "I've tasted Bud from …