The airline Virgin America, with its nightclub lighting and offbeat hues, is hoping to stake out Chicago but faces stiff competition from United, which will counter by increasing its roster of daily flights in and out of the Windy City. On May 25, when Virgin officially introduces Chicago service, United will increase departures between its O'Hare and San Francisco hubs by 40% and also bring in partner Continental. The route had previously been served only by United and American.

U.S. advertising spend is going to rise 2.5% to $155.2 billion this year driven by financial, retail and automotive sectors. Still, according to Public Groupe's SA ZenithOptimedia, it will take several years before spend reaches pre-recession levels.

PBM Products filed suit in 2009 against Mead Johnson Nutrition, saying the brand libeled PBM in a mailer to 1.5 million people. Mead Johnson has lost its attempt to overturn that decision. PBM's infant formula is sold in Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger and Walgreens. Mead Johnson, which makes Enfamil, claimed in its circular that "only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development." LIPIL refers to two kinds of fatty molecules believed to aid child development. Gordonsville, Va.-based PBM, which has sued Mead Johnson before, said its products contain the same fatty acids and get …

The Chevrolet Volvo and Nissan Leaf have taken top honors for safety in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's latest ratings. The ratings are an important step for Nissan and Chevrolet to get general public acceptance for the alternative-powerplant vehicles.

Saucony is saying "Find Your Strong" in its first national spot. The company says the campaign, which breaks on Wednesday night on ESPN, is its largest to date. The spot will air on the network and on ESPN2, Fox Sports, CBS College, Versus and NBC Sports. The effort is via Newburyport, Mass.-based Mechanica.

EA's new SVP global media sales, who oversaw the launch of BrandBoost at rival WildTangent, will likely move to get more brand engagement in games. BrandBoost offers players virtual currency or branded virtual goods in exchange for watching a video ad. Dave Madden has said that BrandBoost was an effort to create a more direct user experience with brands than wall advertising.

Sales of environmentally friendly products have been hit by the economic downturn, at least in some cases. In 2008, sales of Clorox Green Works products topped $100 million. But the recession has changed that, ending consumers' affection for saving the planet. While farmers' markets and Toyota's Prius are the exception, green sub-brands of big home products brands are limping now. Sales of Green Works products have fallen to $60 million a year and similar lines from other manufacturers have fallen as well. Analysts say even a few extra pennies for a cleaning product that also cleans your conscience …

Deal-seekers are looking online before going to the store. Post-recession consumers are more deal conscious and more than a fifth are not just researching electronics and other high-ticket items. They are also looking at food and beverage prices on the web. Retailers and brands are responding by reaching out to consumers with blogs, social-media sites and online campaigns.

Large marketers will get a postage-back guarantee starting next month if they agree to advertise their products through First-Class and Standard mail. The USPS is offering the "Mail Works Guarantee" program to companies that spend at least $250 million a year on ads starting May 16.

Pabst's "Blast," a flavored, alcoholic drink, is under the gun as 17 states are now urging parent Pabst Blue Ribbon Co. to cut the alcohol content of the beverage. The line of PBR's Colt 45 comes in grape, strawberry lemonade, raspberry, watermelon and blueberry pomegranate flavors. The AG's also want the company to stop marketing the drink as if it were a cool kind of soda. In a letter to the company, the AG's cited the drink's fruit flavors and its spokesperson -- Snoop Dogg. The beverage is 12% alcohol in a 23.5-ounce container. PBR's response to the …