Burberry is attempting to move upmarket with things like $300 T-shirts, $3,000 floral print dresses and $10,000 alligator clutches, but it's not attracting the spenders. "With other luxury brands such as Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc., what you are buying is a real point of difference," said Jane Kellock of researcher Stylus. At Burberry, "the range just doesn't justify the prices." The company said same-store sales have fallen in recent weeks, sending the shares down the most ever and erasing about $2 billion in market value.

Timed with the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, a new campaign, "Believe in Heroes" via Jacksonville, Fla.-based Wounded Warrior Project, is rallying Americans to show support at their grocery store for veterans. The effort encourages consumers to buy 55 name brands at about 70 chains nationwide through Veterans Day (Nov. 11) with the proceeds headed to the Wounded Warrior Project. Created in 2010 by Acosta Sales and Marketing, the campaign raised $3.5 million last year with fewer store chains.

Pepsi will launch a TV ad starring Michael Jackson to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album "Bad" as part of it's global music-themed campaign 'Live for Now'. The 15-second ad is soundtracked by a remix of the title song by Dutch music producer Afrojack. It features various images of the late singer taken from music videos from the album including Smooth Criminal and Man in the Mirror. In May, Pepsi announced an exclusive global partnership with the Michael Jackson's estate as part of its marketing strategy to target teenagers through pop music via its 'Live For Now' platform. Promotions …

"Lawnmower Man: Beyond Cyberspace" belongs in the long tail of "worst-ever" movies (I'd choose "Xanadu"), but maybe it inspired iPhone? The movie features the original iPhone -- a futuristic communications device that opens a wormhole between reality and virtual reality. "Don your iPhones," says one character to the president of the United States. But wait. How about Microsoft? William Gibson's science fiction novels like Neuromancer feature computer ships one slides into special neural slots. They are called Microsofts.

Each of the 1,238 Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores has a Facebook page that was set up by corporate, but must be administered by the local store owner. That strategy has let operators customize their pages with local discounts and other goings on, as well as provided a portal for corporate to run national promotions across all of the franchisee pages. Owners are encouraged to start building their fan base with "low hanging fruit;" friends and family who will happily share the weekly Friday coupon and other specials to begin viral spread. In-store flyers, circulars and e-mails also alert people …

Longtime Hollywood marketing executive Geoffrey Ammer, who worked with such animated films as "Toy Story 2," "Mulan "and "A Bug's Life," died Sunday morning of a heart attack. The Toledo, Ohio native recently founded his own independent marketing and distribution company, Clarius Entertainment, serving as its president and CEO. Based in Beverly Hills, Clarius Entertainment had a number of projects in early stages, but had not yet financed and released a film.

Characters like Ronald McDonald, and Tony the Tiger inspire loyalty and trust in consumers in a unique way. Brand values can be poured into these figures and, although they may need to adapt over the years to keep abreast of the times, their longevity proves the power they still have in today's consumer market. Using brand characters is a challenge: Fictional characters to keep pace with the modern world, but unnecessary change to a long-loved character can alienate consumers.

Pent-up demand for cars is driving the auto sector recovery, even though the overall economy is flat. Auto execs feel the sales recovery -- which has amounted to about 10% to 11% year on year -- is sustainable. Consumers' need for new vehicles has overpowered many other forces arrayed in the opposite direction, including still-higher gasoline prices, persistent U.S. joblessness, moribund consumer confidence, and anxiety in advance of the November elections. During the second quarter, Kantar Media said, automotive ad spending in the U.S. rose by nearly 8%.

China and Japan are in a dispute over islands and that's bad news for Japanese auto ambitions in China. Thousands protested in Chinese cities and Toyota Motor Corp. and Panasonic Corp. reported damage to their operations. Demonstrators in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou called for Chinese sovereignty over disputed islands and the boycott of Japanese goods. Sales of Japanese-branded passenger cars fell last month in China, the world's largest car market, compared with gains of more than 10% for German, American and South Korean vehicles. Nissan said, in an industry forum, that the company had to cut back on marketing events …

Porsche is clearly counting on the new Macan crossover to deliver big next year, accounting for perhaps 40% of its total global sales volume, a significant feat for any vehicle, never mind an all-new and untested product. Named for an Indonesian tiger, the Macan is a downsized counterpart to the long-popular Porsche Cayenne and is based on the same platform as the Audi Q5. Porsche promises it will "combine all sports car characteristics with the benefits of an SUV."