Facebook's director of marketing Randi Zuckerberg has resigned. She plans to launch a start-up company called RtoZ Media. "My goal is to launch my own innovative programming and work with media companies to develop their programming in new, and more social ways," said Zuckerberg in an open letter.

Ford's head of global marketing, Jim Farley, wants to make nice with GM after Bill Vlasic, in his soon-to-be-released book Once Upon a Car quoted Farley talking trash to its cross-town rival. Farley says he has called GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick to clear the air. "No one respects the competition more than Jim Farley," Farley told reporters.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market will test a smaller "Express" format later this year or early next. The new stores will be 4,000 square feet versus the 10,000-square-foot size of the 176 stores it has opened to date in California, Arizona and Nevada.

IPad Head Girl is a viral marketing campaign that is promoting a new men's magazine that will only be available on the iPad environment. The effort for Hearst's "Cosmo for Guys" is via ThinkModo. The video has a woman walking around New York City wearing a helmet comprising four iPads shaped into a cube projecting video playback of each side of her head. The model wearing the iPad helmet couldn't see without the use of a video camera in her purse. The camera relays images of the surrounding environment to a pair of video glasses, which, in turn, allows …

In spite of the debt ceiling situation, stock market, and flat July auto sales, among other things weighing upon the roof of the U.S. economy and manufacturing, the brass is shining in Traverse City, Mich., where auto executives are gathered for the yearly Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars. And attendance is strong, with 150 more delegates than attended last year. Jason Stein, editor of Auto News, says in his blog that the mood was "positive, positive, positive," with companies talking expansion not contraction. Honeywell VP Steve McKinley talked turbo and diesel. OnStar promised global expansion into …

Sony is running a series of esoteric web videos touting its forthcoming S1 and S2 tablet computers. They videos feature Rube Goldberg devices (not the tablets) and the latest -- fourth -- spot has the pale human figurines wandering though a mechanical wonderland, with marbles whizzing overhead and bubbles floating about.

Companies that have pledged not to market unhealthy food and drinks directly to children may be doing just that via product placement on television shows. A Yale University study suggests product placement of sugary soft drinks and other junk food on prime time TV, is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity. "It is a very subtle message that kids aren't likely to get," said Jennifer Harris, a co-author of the study and director of marketing initiatives at Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Virginia's tourism marketing arm will get funds for over 40 local initiatives across the state via $800,000 in tourism marketing grants from the state. Funds will be used to support marketing initiatives including advertising, website development, online marketing and brochures. The grants awarded by the Virginia Tourism Corporation are to be matched by funds from a minimum of three local organizations.

John Elway, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has gotten a long-term endorsement deal -- on the leg of mega-fan Joey Bouchard, who had an immense tattoo of Elway inked on his thigh. The guy says he plans on adding more Elway-themed stuff to his body. The body art took 85 hours and was begun in 2006.

A private equity firm in New York, Sycamore Partners, has bought 10% of The Talbots, Inc., the women's clothing retailer that has warned of closings and losses. The equity firm said it spent over $21 million to acquire 7 million shares of the retailer.