For the first time in 20 years, the shoe company will air a national TV ad in an attempt to tap into young mothers' nostalgia and to link the 91-year-old brand to the tradition of watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas." On Tuesday night, when the popular holiday cartoon airs on ABC, Stride Rite's spot will highlight different life stages mothers watch their children go through and the shoes that go with them from birth to the first day of school. In addition to the 30-second commercial, the campaign also includes social media outreach, in-store marketing and print advertisements. …

At least eight automakers have purchased air time so far for the 2011 Super Bowl and many of them are buying more actual time, raising the Big Game bar with two or three spots dotting the broadcast. They and their agencies will have to create commercials unique enough to break through the clutter. So many car ads look the same, the chance of their being recalled is low. Plus, car makers have grown more conservative, trading humor and emotion for retail-oriented messages. Steve Wilhite, who spent 20 years at VW of America and was the client behind Arnold's famous "Drivers …

Ian Read, 57, head of sales and marketing for the pharmaceutical giant, is its new CEO after Jeffrey Kindler suddenly retired, citing the demands of the job as his reason. Read has been with the company for more than 30 years, working his way through the ranks to become a corporate VP in 2001. Since 2006 he has headed the businesses that sell pharmaceuticals, accounting for about 85% of Pfizer's revenue and 40,000 of its employees. He said in a statement he "will be looking at the performance and potential of all of our businesses to ensure we are delivering …

Although the sex scandal created by the golfer hurt his own ability to attract customers, "it wasn't so bad it eroded all his endorsement effect," says Timothy Derdenger, assistant professor of economics and strategy at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and a study co-author. Nike lost 105,000 golf-ball customers in the six months after the golfer's philandering went public. But the losses would have been even greater had they ditched him and would have cost the company $1.6 million in profits, according to the study. The research also illuminates how the downfall of one endorser can drag …

"Everyone knows, or has long suspected, that the purse strings are held by women," writes Belinda Luscombe. "It's oft repeated that they make 85% of the buying decisions or are the chief purchasing officers of their households. "The difference today -- one that has enormous consequences across global economies -- is that women are also the earners."

Today, a one-minute ad debuts in movie theaters across the country, in which the voice of the Black Eyed Peas frontman, will.i.am, calls out to dreamers, believers and "tomorrow leaders." The ad will be adapted for television, both for the portfolio of channels owned by Discovery and for outside cable channels. Darren Schillace, the channel's vice president of consumer marketing, says the ads this month are about building awareness -- and also about correcting misconceptions that the channel will feature Winfrey at all times.

On Thursday, the Mashantucket, Conn., casino opened its outdoor ice skating rink to the public with not just one Christmas tree, as at New York's Rockefeller Center rink, but with dozens that line the new Grand Rink. The casino also held a Diversity Fair that had the look of the United Nations. Meanwhile, nearby Mohegan Sun has narrowed its search for an agency to replace Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners on its $10 million account, Brandweek reports. Six agencies will visit the Uncasville, Conn., facility over the next two weeks, including Havas' …

Aiming to form the country's No. 2 producer of salty snacks -- after PepsiCo's Frito-Lay unit -- Lance Inc. stockholders have approved a merger with Snyder's of Hanover, setting their joint venture in place. The merged companies will produce pretzels, sandwich crackers, potato chips, cookies, tortilla chips and nuts. The combined company will be based in Charlotte, N.C., at Lance's current headquarters, but will have offices in Hanover, Pa.

The haute designer has a contract with Chanel and has extended his brand to Orrefors crystal, a videogame character and a silhouette on Coke bottles. He also just shot the latest, much talked-about calendar for Pirelli. Now, he's going "masstige" with his latest venture: designing a capsule collection for Macy's.