Jamie LaReau blogs that Ford isn't finding it inexpensive to dispel American's perception that Asian vehicles are of higher quality. Ken Czubay, who runs the company's U.S. marketing, sales and service, told analysts earlier this week that trying to close the perception gap has "added 20% to our advertising budget," she reports. The "Drive One" TV campaign, which uses testimonials from real drivers speaking about the quality of Ford's products, has been helpful, as have gains in quality rankings by J.D. Power and Associates. "Getting the message across these days is very complex," Czubay said. "We're …

Todd Wasserman talks with Caroline Cotten-Nakken, founder and CEO of shopper-marketing firm Mass Connections, about the convergence of social media, online and mobile in store aisles. General Mills, Procter & Gamble and Kraft are among the marketers Cotten-Nakken has counseled. Cotten-Nakken says her firm has a patented system that can activate a promotion within seconds of a debit card being swiped by an event coordinator that alerts all the people within a 20-mile radius who have opted in to get news of a special offer. "We did one with Coty and there was a premium giveaway …

JC Penney is making a big bet on Mango, a stylish "fast-fashion" brand that "caters to style-obsessed twenty-somethings who shop every month and pay full price," Rachel Dodes reports. MNG by Mango will be sold in 77 Penney stores starting Aug. 18 and roll out to 600 of its 1,100 stores by next fall. The retailer hopes the frequent turnover will lure fashion-conscious shoppers to the store continually. "If you only deliver four times a year, there's only a reason to come to the store four times a year," says CEO Myron E. Ullman III. Penney has …

New ads focus on the benefits of eating a protein-packed, balanced breakfast, Elaine Wong reports.

While Matt Rubel is breathing new life into old standbys, Sir Richard Branson continues to stretch the limits of his Virgin brand. It's "a name that represents almost anything you can imagine these days," Barry Silverstein writes, and Branson "continues to confound business media, impress investors, and delight consumers." First, there's the new media brand, Maverick, which is being developed exclusively for the iPad. Then, there's the major social media initiative for Virgin Wines that will, says managing director Jay Wright, "allow every customer to communicate with us in a way that is most suitable and convenient to …