Gap has a new digital signage setup. The retailer has deployed tabletop digital signage displays that run on rechargeable batteries, eliminating the need for any external power. The freestanding portable displays, from BrightSign feature a built-in 12.1" high-resolution screen and media player. They are self-contained and enclosed in a sleek steel display tower. "There aren't a lot of electrical outfits on the floors of most retailers and that has dictated where digital signage displays are placed, which is often on the perimeter of the store," said Jeff Hastings, CEO, BrightSign, Los Gatos, Calif. "But with the battery-operated portable displays, the …

SodaStream already told Coca-Cola it wouldn't stop using Coke bottles in its marketing. Now the company has set up its show across the street from Coke's World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta. SodaStream, which sells do-it-yourself soft-drink machines, plans to erect a car-sized cage at Centennial Olympic Park filled with thousands of used soft-drink bottles and cans. The point: Buying packaged drinks clogs up landfills, while making soda at home helps save the planet. A similar display at a South African airport has drawn threats of a lawsuit by Coca-Cola, the world's largest beverage maker. The upstart uses 30 such …

It's no longer the role of advertising to put lipstick on a pig - truth is the future of successful marketing, says blogger Sue Unerman, chief strategy officer at Mediacom. She writes that finding a way to spin the truth or to distract from it was good agency practice in the old media paradigm when "the main broadcasting voice to the consumer was advertising-led and therefore controllable." But now, she notes, brand image is based as much on digital conversations of consumers. "It is hopeless to rely on advertising spin or to talk down to the consumer...if what brands are …

Scott Keogh is the new president of Audi of America, moving up from VP marketing after the surprise departure of the maker's long-time U.S. boss, Johan De Nysschen. The 43-year-old Keogh steps in at a good time for the automaker, which has posted 17 consecutive months of record sales, reaching an all-time high in the U.S. market last year. But the new Audi of America president will have to now prove he can maintain that momentum - and position Audi to meet a target set by his predecessor of nearly doubling sales by 2016.

The financial habits of people aged 13 to 22 are the topic of a new survey by TD Ameritrade. Both Gen Z and their parents listed jobs and unemployment first when asked to identify their biggest concerns about the economy, mentioned by roughly a quarter of both groups. Thirty-nine percent of Gen Z said they are concerned about affording college and having student loans, though the top concern was having their identity stolen, indicated by 40% of Gen Z respondents.

The Maine soft-shell lobster has an identity crisis. Will renaming "soft-shell" lobsters help better market the state's lobster industry? Maine's Lobster Advisory Council, as part of a broader initiative to rebrand Maine lobster to increase demand and boost prices, is considering recasting the name of the soft-shell lobster. "Not that many people have nice things to say about soft-shells," John Sauve, a consultant for the Lobster Advisory Council and president of the Food and Wellness Group in Portland, said last week at a meeting of lobstermen.

Experts see event marketing budgets growing about 8% this year, with marketers putting added pressure on the experiences to produce quality leads, metrics and social media ROI. That growth is more than double last year's rate of 3.6%, according to the EventTrack 2012 study from the Event Marketing Institute. With that in mind, industry experts share advice on best practices and tips to get your events off and running.

Bridgestone Americas, the tire maker that has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime program since 2008, said Tuesday it has opted to change the terms of a long-running sponsorship pact it has with the National Football League. Bridgestone will still be "Official Tire of the National Football League," but will focus on promotional messages about the performance of its tires throughout the NFL season, the company said. And the company will likely stay as advertiser during the Super Bowl.

Every Apple retail employee will get a $4-per-hour raise. It will go into effect on their July 20 checks. That news is based on an internal review process called NetPromoter that lets Apple employees critique the company. Enough Apple employees thought they were underpaid that the company responded as few companies do. In New York, the starting salary for an Apple specialist, reportedly, is about $13 or $14 an hour. The raise moves it up to $17 or $18 an hour.

Facebook is "readying" a new location-based mobile ad unit, reports Bloomberg's Sarah Frier. "Phones can be location-specific so you can start to imagine what the product evolution might look like over time, particularly for retailers," Carolyn Everson, Facebook's vice president of global marketing solutions, told Bloomberg. "We've had offers being tested over the last couple of months."