Think boomers are set in their ways and loyal to the brands they've used for decades? Think again, Emilio Pardo, evp and chief brand officer of AARP, tells Elane Wong. They are, in fact, always looking for the best value. They are also online a lot, not only on social networks but also on "how to" sites. That last bit of research plays into a new campaign by the organization that launched last night during the Oscars telecast. It builds on previous campaigns to hammer home the point that folks over 50 still have a lot of living …

I knew the term "metrosexual" had long ago passed into the Valhalla where "hip," "groovy" and "affluent" reside when I heard a burly ex-cop on NBC's "The Marriage Ref" refer to himself as one last week. Jack Neff confirms that the word has been passé among marketers of men's grooming aids since they discovered, a half-dozen years ago, that it "tended to pigeonhole their products with a relatively narrow segment of upscale, fashion-conscious men." In truth, the segment is much broader and has been expanding to $2.1 billion at present and $2.8 billion by 2012, according to Nielsen's projections. …

Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, explains why people are paralyzed with indecision when they're offered too many choices -- at least he tries to.

Taking a page from food marketers with Web sites that feature recipes using their products, the Girl Scouts are now showing us how to turn cookies into Do-Si-Do Peanut Thai Chicken or Thank You Berry Munch Bread Pudding, Michele Norris reports.

For its upcoming "Repo Man," a movie set in the future where artificial human organs can be reclaimed for non-payment, Universal Pictures has launched an integrated outdoor/mobile campaign in 15 U.S. cities that uses barcodes and an elaborate role-playing game involving a real-life manhunt for four people, Brian Quinton reports. In the movie, repossession teams scan bar codes built into the synthetic organs to confirm that the owners are in arrears. In the real world, users can scan a small barcode in the corner of movie posters into iPhones equipped with software from Red Laser, decode them and …

Continental Airlines is now charging customers "about $59" for the extra seven to 12 inches of legroom they get by sitting in an exit-row seat, reports Richard Newman of McClatchy/Tribune News. For safety, passengers who are at least 15, speak English and are physically able to assist in an emergency still must occupy the seats. "Our customers want more choices," says CMO Jim Compton in a statement. "Seats with additional legroom are higher-value seats, and we want to offer them to customers who recognize that value." Spokeswoman Julie King says the fee will be based on factors …

Retailer Urban Outfitters, which also operates the upscale Anthropologie stores, plans to launch a bridal business by next Valentine's Day featuring heirloom gowns, accessories, intimate apparel, decor and gifts, Andrew Maykuth reports. "We think this is going to be a meaningful business," says CEO Glen T. Senk. "Anybody we talk to about this goes, 'Wow, that's exciting.'" The average wedding costs $45,000, the company says, with brides spending about $4,500 on clothing and accessories. The new line could represent a happy marriage with Urban Outfitters' long-term strategy to nurture six to eight "meaningful" brands, while not allowing …

"Stay," a new spot for Diet Coke that will make its debut on the Oscars broadcast, features vignettes of six people who have extraordinary "drive, passion, and courage" -- including a nurse, a fashion designer, a movie director -- as well as a relationship with the soft drink that "helps them stay that way," Katie Bayne, CMO of Coca-Cola North America, tells Elena Malykhina. The spot is part the "Stay Extraordinary" that launched last month that's aimed at "next generation" (20-29) consumers. Bayne says new components of the effort including out-of-home, DietCoke.com and more TV ads are forthcoming …

Sony is developing a smart phone capable of downloading and playing videogames and a portable device that shares characteristics of netbooks, e-book readers and handheld-game machines, sources tell Daisuke Wakabayashi and Yukari Iwatani Kane. Both will work with the online media platform presently dubbed Sony Online Service that is the company's answer to Apple's iTunes. The hardware products should launch in 2010 although many details remain to be ironed out. They are key components of CEO Howard Stringer's turnaround plans, Wakabayashi and Iwatani Kane write. "That's the vision, but it's still not quite clear what specific …