With Dodge Durango close behind.

Also rising next year are prices of its Simply Juice brand.

Target is nixing idealistic images of moms, and replacing them with what is meant to be a more realistic, albeit humorous take on parenting. The new campaign says things like "I just had a 20-minute conversation with a stranger about nipples." The new ad push starts next year, suggesting a new approach.

As if credit cards won't dig you a deep enough debt hole for you to climb out of, try the ones that let you get cash back. A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says 1% cash rewards programs yield on average $25 per month, increasing spend by $68 per month, thus raising debt $115 per month. The bank's economists say that even small rewards can prompt people to spend more by enticing people whose cards were dormant to start spending.

Nutrisystem is opting for actual customers instead of endorsers with celebrity credentials. The seller of packaged diet meals will not, for now, use Marie Osmond and Dan Marino. Instead, the company will use testimonials from people who have used Nutrisystem. "These are real people; we want them to inspire others," said Joe Redling, CEO of the company, which is behind rivals like Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers saw a 1.9% increase in third-quarter sales while Nutrisystem sales fell 4.1%

Gasoline prices had been heading down since 2008, but now analysts see SUV sales and trade-in values dropping as gas prices head up. Prices were over $3 a gallon in the past week, the highest since October 2008. One analyst said SUV sales won't plummet unless gas reaches $3.50 per gallon, but even then the panic to ditch SUVs won't be as bad as it was in spring 2008. The fastest growth in SUVs is in the compact crossover segment -- Ford Escape, Nissan Rogue, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.

This year was huge for recalls, led by Toyota. All told, automakers recalled over 19 million vehicles in about 600 recall campaigns this year, the most since 2004. The increase also reflects more consumer complaints and scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ford was the only one of the six automakers selling the most cars in the U.S. to post a decline in recalls versus 2009. Official numbers will be out next month.

Even as Marketing Daily's Thom Forbes was exhorting readers yesterday to put off returning Christmas gifts until they had read about salient alternatives, consumers were putting off returning gifts because, well, they couldn't. A blizzard had come between them and the mall. The immediate hit could be "brutal" for retailers, Marshal Cohen, industry analyst at research firm NPD Group, tells USA Today. The past shopping weekend was already cut in half with Christmas falling on a Saturday. Retailers lost some momentum coming off a healthy preholiday sales period, he says. "It's like getting the wind …

Drawn to playgrounds because they often act like new town squares in drawing people together, marketers such as Kraft, Dr Pepper/Snapple, MetLife and CVS are pouring millions into building them. And, with local tax revenues in free-fall, playgrounds are ripe for corporate support. In October, Kraft Foods made playground-building a centerpiece of its annual company "Delicious Difference Week." About 1,300 employees, including CEO Irene Rosenfeld, built 13 playgrounds, including one in Washington Park on the South Side of Chicago. Foresters, the life insurance provider, also has opted for playgrounds, recently pledging $1.5 million to build 20 in the …

The world's largest snack maker is jumping into the health craze by using natural ingredients in 50% of its snacks. CMO Ann Mukherjee calls it the "largest evolution" ever in its product line. "They'll get more PR mileage out of this than any real change," says Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. "The public health consequences from consuming those foods isn't related to natural ingredients, but to high fat and high salt." Frito-Lay executives disagree. On New Year's Day, Frito-Lay will kick off its largest-ever integrated ad campaign to …