The alcohol industry has violated its own rules aimed at keeping booze ads away from under-age viewers, government and university researchers allege in a new report. The liquor and beer groups pushed back with Joe McClain, president of the Beer Institute, an industry trade group, saying that "once again, a CAMY study is rooted in shaky ground, with taxpayers footing the bill for the group's anti-alcohol advocacy."

Oh, the perils of endorsement deals. No wonder some brands just shy away completely. You just don't know what's under that celebrity stone. Take Hyundai's endorsement deal with Chinese swimming sensation and Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang. Great snag for Hyundai, because he's a superstar in China. Except, um, last week he was taken into custody after a traffic accident involving a Porsche SUV. He was driving the Porsche SUV.

Italian pasta maker Barilla got itself into hot water when its chairman, Guido Barilla, told a radio interviewer that his company would never use a gay family in ads. That caused a boycott firestorm, especially in the U.S. Since then, the chairman has held at least eight meetings with gay organizations and activists both in Italy and in the United States, and is now planning a more inclusive ad campaign.

With some help from rocker Leona X and some hot DJs, Kia set out to prove it has plenty of Soul as it unveiled a quintet of new concept cars at the annual aftermarket extravaganza known as the SEMA Show. The event has traditionally focused on performance but there's a growing emphasis on customization, makers like Kia showing off hot products aimed at a new generation buyers.

This is history for people with incredibly short memories and not much interest in really important stuff. Which describes whoever wrote this piece about the first-ever tweets from brands like Coca-Cola and Nike, tweets that happened a long, long time ago. 2009. ESPN's first tweet: Rogers has surgery to remove clot, repair arte- [sic].

One week after General Motors' CEO Dan Akerson said the company wanted to make it easier to buy cars and trucks online in partnership with its dealers and that it was piloting a program, the company rolled out its expanded Shop-Click-Drive tool to all GM dealers nationwide. The tool allows users to complete all aspects of a purchase online, from getting a price to applying for financing 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Oakland Raiders are 3-5, but they have the "toughest" fans in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, are 5-3 but have only the second toughest fans in the league. The teams with the Top Ten "toughest fans" also include (in order) Philadelphia (Eagles), Pittsburgh (Steelers), Chicago (Bears), Dallas (Cowboys), New York (Giants/Jets), New England/Boston (Patriots), New Orleans (Saints) and Cleveland (Browns), according to a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive for Hanes apparel.

Charlie Trotter's renown in the epicurean world is evinced by the number of 140-character accolades that have been rolling in from around the food service industry since the chef and restauranteur's death this week. As soon the news spread around the restaurant community on Twitter, members of Trotter's industry responded with grief and tributes, including from Chicago's famed chef Graham Elliot: "Charlie Trotter: chef, mentor, trailblazer, philosopher, artist, teacher, leader. He now belongs to the ages."

"Modern Family" actress Sofia Vergara will star with real-life relatives in a new campaign for Head & Shoulders. She follows "How I Met Your Mother" star Alyson Hanniigan and Michael Phelps. The ads will start next year. In them, the actress touts the product as a staple of her family, for which she will, reportedly, earn seven figures. Some of us would tout motor oil as a moisturizer for that kind of money.

Three companies understand the importance of good storytelling. Jackson Hole, Wyo.-based company Stio introduced the outdoor apparel brand with a blog called The Town Hill Chronicles. The blog told the company's brand story with a team of professional writers profiling people living in mountain communities across the U.S. That built an audience, values and an emotional connection, all of which happened before the company had a website and store. Springfield, Mo.-based Askinosie Chocolate and Seattle-based pet insurance company Trupanion stories at the jump.