Are you ready for a picture of a beagle in a yarmulke?

The Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division says that Wrigley's claims that Eclipse made with magnolia bark extract kills germs that cause bad breath are not fully backed by scientific evidence, Mike Hughlett reports. The division said that while there's "emerging evidence" that magnolia bark extract has germ-killing abilities, there's not credible science showing that it indeed kills germs that cause bad breath. Wrigley plans to appeal the decision to the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Review Board. The examination of Eclipse ads followed a complaint from rival gum maker Cadbury Adams USA.

Coca-Cola's $44 million investment in British smoothie maker Innocent this week speaks to its interest in expanding beyond soft drinks and in owning small stakes in innovative companies, Aaron O. Patrick and Valerie Bauerlein report. Innocent, which gives 10% of its profits to charity and uses recycled bottles, has quickly become one of Britain's top brands by marketing its healthy ingredients and social commitment. The deal's structure should allow Innocent to keep its quirky attitude, while sharing some of its own expertise. Some of Innocent's trucks are covered in fake grass and daisies, for example, and are mounted on …

David Webster, Microsoft's gm of brand marketing, says the ad campaign that started in September with the baffling Jerry Seinfeld-Bill Gates ads has resulted in a 10% lift in preference for the brand over Apple. He tells Todd Wasserman that the company is "thrilled" with the latest executions, which feature real consumers named Lauren and Giampalo trying to buy laptops for less than $1,000 and $1,500. "One of our premises is we know our brand has billions of users around the world, so if we can't find actual customers to do your storytelling around there's something wrong," Webster says. …

Gianfranco Lanci, the little-known Italian CEO of Taiwan's Acer, may be the most influential force in personal computers these days, Bruce Einhorn writes. The long-time also-ran has been gobbling up market share under his watch and could pass No. 2 Dell in the number of computers shipped this year. What's more, JPMorgan Chase analyst Gokul Hariharan feels Acer "has a strong chance of overtaking HP." Lanci's strategy is to pass on savings from the company's lean operations. It sells only through retailers and other outlets, and outsources all manufacturing and assembly to reduce costs. That has helped cut overhead …

Acting on informed hunches about where unemployment may strike next, credit card companies are cutting the limits of some of their better customers, Larry Abramson reports. Most lenders told the Federal Reserve in the most recent survey they are tightening polices for credit cards and other consumer loans. David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, says companies are using unemployment and foreclosure reports to predict which borrowers in which parts of the country will run into trouble in the near future. "They're trying to determine who the customers might be who today look perfectly good -- able to pay …

Chrysler is rolling out a new model at the New York Auto Show today that's slated to go on sale next year ... if the company survives. The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers more power, better fuel economy, and more room and reflects the company's strengths and its troubles, Justin Hyde reports. The Grand Cherokee helped spawn the boom in luxury SUVs and was once one of Chrysler's most-profitable models, Hyde points out, but sales have slumped under gas price swings and a weak economy. The new model shares underpinnings with the Mercedes-Benz ML SUV -- a remnant of …