Ford is breaking three commercials during "American Idol" tonight that are part of a campaign called "We Speak Car" to promote the 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion hybrid, Brent Snavely reports. Ford hopes the Fusion, which is due in showrooms later this month, will take market share from the Toyota Camry and other cars in the midsize car segment. This year, Ford is also launching its 2010 Mercury Milan and Milan hybrid midsize sedans, the 2010 Ford Taurus full-size sedan, the Lincoln MKT full-size SUV and a line of engines it calls EcoBoost. As a result, its marketing budget will …

Bracing for a difficult year ahead, some toy makers are bringing back brands from yesteryear as a way to cut costs and reduce risks, Nicholas Casey reports. Zizzle is rolling out a doll called P.J. Sparkles, for example, that has a dress that can be transformed into pajamas. Mattel retired the line nearly 20 years ago. Designer Mark Taylor says few companies are developing new ideas. "Right now, I have more commissions than I can possibly handle," he says, but none of them involve designing new brands. "They're going back to what worked before, not taking any chances." Old …

Another way to squeeze fresh sales from a brand is to change its gender orientation, reports Rupal Parekh. The onetime male-only skate and snowboard retailer Quicksilver, for example, called in creative boutique Boombang a few years ago to help boost its appeal to women. Its Roxy sub-brand featuring clothing and accessories for young women accounted for almost 35% of Quicksilver's revenue last year. Drawing on the iconic Ace back-pocket comb, Boombang designed a line of personal-grooming tools specifically for men, including tweezers and clippers. And Frito-Lay last week launched an effort to make its salty snacks …

A new Forrester Research report says that "sponsored conversations" -- paying bloggers with goods, services or travel to talk up a marketer's products -- are a cost-effective way for brands to ignite word of mouth online, Brian Morrissey reports. It advises marketers, however, to insist that the bloggers they work with disclose that that they are being compensated to mitigate potential backlash. These "influencer programs" appear to be catching on. Panasonic flew several top social media bloggers to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where they posted about the show and Panasonic products. And Mercedes recently gave a …

Although demand for laptops and netbooks is growing, a steep decline in sales of desktop computers could result in an 11.9% drop in overall PC shipments in 2009, according to a new study from Gartner. PC shipments previously had their worst decline in 2001 when the total number of units fell 3.2%, Brandon Bailey reports. Gartner research director George Shiffler says that many computer users are putting off new purchases or opting for lower-priced models. He expects the average selling price for PCs will drop about 10% in the coming year. Gartner says portable computer shipments will increase …

Global recession, constricted credit markets and the public flogging of corporations that spend lavishly to fly top executives on corporate jets have sent the sales of general aviation aircraft into a nose dive, writes Dan Reed.

Reeling from late payments and defaults by customers it aggressively wooed before the U.S. economy tumbled, American Express is returning to its roots as a charge-card issuer to well-heeled Americans, and is pulling back from an ill-timed expansion of its credit-card business, Robin Sidel reports. AmEx has issued credit cards since the late 1990s, but that business was fairly small. Most of those credit cards were co-branded with outside companies such as Delta Air Lines and Costco from whom customers could earn reward points when they use their cards. Many of AmEx's current woes began with a gradual shift …

As Uncle Sam props up the beleaguered bank business, uncertainty about their future has sparked a consumer crisis of trust in the institutions, Beth Snyder Bulik reports. The underlying problem is widespread confusion about just the government intervention means for banks -- and which are the most endangered. While the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. guarantees deposits up to $250,000, there's still worry about when and how consumers can recoup their money in the event of a bank failure. "I know smart people who understand banking, but they're still moving their money around or taking it out," says Mary Beth …

"Part Warren Buffett and part Dolly Parton," Peter Pae writes, Lynn Tilton owns or has equity stakes in more than 70 companies worth $8 billion, including such familiar brand names such as Arizona Ice Tea, English Leather cologne, Isotoner gloves and Natura water filters. Through her New York private equity investment firm Patriarch Partners, she also owns mapmaker Rand McNally and firetruck manufacturer American LaFrance. Although diverse, the companies had a common trait before the 49-year-old Bronx native began investing in them: They produced well-known products but were in such financial messes that they were about to go out …