"It's hard to overstate how different the new suits are from the dominant styles of the past few years," writes Christina Binkley from Paris.

Jason Vuic's The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History details the story of the inexpensive hatchback from Yugoslavia that failed spectacularly because, well, it was a stupefyingly horrible product. In the reasoned words of the author, an assistant professor of modern European history at Bridgewater College in Virginia, the 1980s import was "a turkey, a lemon, a dud, a failure, a blunder, a boondoggle, and a bust." The book, writes VSL's anonymous reviewer, is "about salesmanship, hubris, greed, stupidity and the extraordinary dealings of an American capitalist." That would be …

I was mesmerized by this Rube Goldberg-inspired video when I first saw it the other day but I must admit that any connection with State Farm went right over my head. Since then, though, I've seen a number of blog items mulling the relationship between band OK Go and the insurance company. "This is more than just another version of the 'corporate brand meets hipsters, falls in love' story we know so well," writes Helen Walters. "Rather, this highlights how proactive creative types are looking beyond traditional parameters to get support for their work."

Procter & Gamble is launching a Crest and Oral-B 3-D White collection based on research that shows that consumers are confused by the overwhelming amount of whitening products on the market, Antoinette Alexander reports. This ultimately leads to dissatisfaction, according to Doreen Bayliff, vp of P&G North American Oral Care. "We created the new 3-D White collection so that consumers can easily choose the ideal combination of products for them, based on their desired level of whitening, effort and price point," Bayliff says. The collection includes Professional Effects Whitestrips with Advanced Seal Technology, Vivid toothpaste, MultiCare …

Public Service Advertising that tries to cut down on binge drinking by relying on "self-conscious" emotions such as guilt and shame to make their point may drive undergraduates to actually drink more than they would otherwise, according to a study by Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management to be published in the Journal of Marketing Research. The results go against conventional wisdom, Jeremy Mullman reports, that spotlighting the personal consequences of self-destructive behavior is effective. Kellogg marketing professor Nidhi Agrawal says that people who are already feeling guilt or shame resort to "defensive processing" when confronted with more …

Boston Market is rolling out a "$2.99 Market Meal Deals" promotion today, CEO Lane Cardwell reveals in a Q&A with Elaine Wong. Basically, four popular menu items -- chicken side dishes, meat loaf, soup and salad -- will be available in smaller portions at the bargain-rate price. The national deal runs through March 21 and "gives people a chance to lighten their economic load," says Cardwell, who bills it as both a promotion and a test. "We're trying to determine if there is a place for a lower-priced group of offerings that would appeal to people on a regular …