Connecticut launched its newest tourism campaign Thursday, marketing the state as an attraction offering a lot without a long drive. The $3.4 million advertising and social media effort unveiled at a tourism conference in Hartford will run through August. It will appear in nearby markets such as the New York City area, Hartford-New Haven, Providence, R.I., and western Massachusetts.

Vermont lawmakers have passed the country's first state bill to require the labeling of genetically modified foods, underscoring a division between powerful lobbyists for the U.S. food industry and an American public that overwhelmingly says it approves of the idea. The Vermont House approved the measure Wednesday evening.

Maine's lobster industry, the state's most lucrative fishery, may foresee shrinking harvests and higher market prices, but such changes are likely several years away, lobstermen and dealers said Wednesday. An annual survey of young lobsters in 11 locations in the Gulf of Maine suggested that juvenile populations have fallen by more than half since 2007.

McDonald's Corp. announced on Wednesday that it would start using the 51-year-old Ronald McDonald character on social media channels throughout the world, using the #RonaldMcDonald hashtag. And before he joins the world of social media, he's getting a new look.

Executives from Taco Bell are launching a fast-casual concept in Huntington Beach, Calif., dubbed U.S. Taco Co. Though the concept was created by Taco Bell execs, it will bear little resemblance to to Taco Bell. Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed said the idea started to take shape about a year ago, after the company did some routine consumer-segmentation research.

n what has become a trend in the North Americanization of its marketing, Liverpool FC has signed a multi-year deal with Subway, making it an official partner of the iconic soccer club. This is Subway's first alliance with a club in the Barclays English Premier League. Financial terms of the alliance were not disclosed.

These days, virtually everyone is a cross-channel shopper: 95% of consumers frequently or occasionally shop a retailer's website and store, according to a recent survey by CFI Group that was sponsored by eBay Enterprise. The study, "Omni-Channel Insights," reveals that consumers expect exceptional service, while having the convenience of seamless in-store and online shopping.

Lipton is looking to a couple of theatric delivery guys to hammer home its "Be More Tea" messaging. In a campaign breaking Wednesday, Carl and Stu sing and swagger their way through a lunch room distributing Lipton Peach Iced Tea. According to a Lipton document, Carl is "charismatic and outgoing" though "in no way unkempt or messy." Stu, on the other hand, is his "quieter and more thoughtful" sidekick.

The New York Police Department's social media staffers were probably sick of the occasional negative imagery of NYC's Finest on Twitter, so they thought they'd turn the idea on its head by asking tweeters to share photos of the cops. Twitter users pounced on the opportunity to tweet any ugly image involving Gotham's police they could find.

McDonald's Corp. reported fairly weak first-quarter sales but still had enough strength to fire a shot across the bow of Taco Bell, which has received so much attention for its new breakfast menu. Customers choose McDonald's for breakfast because it is freshly prepared, said McDonald's Corp. CEO Don Thompson during yesterday's Q1 earnings call.