The top brands on Facebook in terms of sheer numbers of "likes" comprise brands that people have willingly "liked" and those acquiring "likes" through large-scale Facebook advertising. Coca-Cola, Disney, Starbucks, Oreo, Red Bull, Converse All Star, Skittles, Playstation, iTunes, and Pringles are among them.

Marketer/blogger J.P Sherman does an autopsy of Gearbox Software and 2K Games' "Duke Nukem," which has gotten bad reviews. What Sherman examines here is the marketing, which he characterizes as "a series of tactical successes, brilliant marketing, schemes and spot-on messaging." "The marketing teams behind Duke Nukem Forever had to consider how to spin the story, character and features of a game that hadn't seen life since the second inauguration of Bill Clinton, the death of Princess Diana and O.J's civil court trial," he writes, adding that the marketing team also had to address how to attract new …

Australia, which has some of the most stringent smoking regulations in the world, is proposing banning corporate logos from tobacco packaging, demanding that all brand names be printed in a single font and that packets come in olive green -- a color smokers loathe. Currently, tobacco packaging there has pictures of cancer tumours and gangrenous limbs, and pack are hidden in cabinets out of sight. But the new packaging regulations would give Australia the toughest regulations in the world. Tobacco companies see a domino effect from Australia's moves to lucrative markets like Britain, Canada and New Zealand, which …

June saw higher demand for pickups, and small cars maintained strong sales. But Toyota and Honda saw sales suffer from parts shortages. General Motors' Chevrolet Cruze therefore beat Civic and Toyota Camry to become the best-selling passenger car in the U.S. Overall, U.S. sales for June climbed by 7% year-over-year, to 1.05 million, short of the double-digit gain industry analysts had been forecasting but still an improvement over May, when the industry posted its first slide this year. Chrysler's Ram gained 35% for the month, and Chevrolet's Silverado was up by 5%. Ford's two all-new small cars, the …

U.S. Sen. Rick Durbin, D-Illinois, says more regulation is needed to ensure that consumers have information at their disposal to distinguish between products that are safe and others that contain potentially dangerous ingredients that haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Durbin said he is therefore introducing the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act meant to improve the quality of label information and put a halt to drinks and foods masquerading as dietary supplements as a way of getting around FDA review and regulation procedures. "At most convenience stores, you can't make it to the cash register without …

Toyota is introducing a sporty version of its Prius hybrid car, called the Prius Plus Performance Package. The limited-edition Prius, developed with Toyota Racing Development (TRD), has a seven-piece aero package including front and rear lower spoilers, side skirts and a rear diffuser. It also has a more sport-oriented suspension. And it has unique badges, logo-enhanced carpeting and a choice of four colors, including Blizzard Pearl, Silver Metallic, Winter Grey Metallic and Black. The vehicle will be anywhere from $2,999 to $3,699 over the base price.

On Friday, July 8, Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide launch the company's seventh annual "Cow Appreciation Day" marketing event. The program offers a free meal to any customer who visits one of the chain's mall or stand-alone restaurants fully dressed as a cow. The company will give a complimentary entrée to customers partially dressed as cows attire, such. The effort includes a new web site, CowAppreciationDay.com, which has costume ideas, downloadable cow spots, masks and other bovine-themed accessories, and a photo contest that's also on the Facebook page. Customers can upload photos for the contest from July 8 - 31.

Bacardi Limited's premium vodka, Grey Goose, has tapped R/GA as its global digital agency of record. It is R/GA's first luxury spirits client and R/GA is Grey Goose's first digital AOR. The Grey Goose business will be based out of R/GA's Chicago office.

Walmart wants into the Big Apple, specifically in East New York, but The Hunts Point produce market doesn't want any part of it, even if the retail giant has tried to tenderize the territory by offering to buy produce from the market cooperative. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who also doesn't want the big box in the borough, is working on a deal that would make the chain buy Hunts Point produce for any city store it opens. Market board member Joel Fierman said the South Bronx cooperative doesn't want Walmart's business. He said a Walmart-ization of the …

The Toronto transit system has a $324-million deal to sell advertising space that includes a request for the winning bidder to identify "new initiatives," including naming rights for subway lines and stations. The 12-year advertising agreement is up for approval next week by the Toronto Transit Commission. The winning bidder, it states, will be "responsible for sales relating to all types of advertising space available, including any new initiatives, which may be approved by the commission at its sole discretion."