Despite a first-quarter decrease in traffic, the restaurant industry in the United States recorded a 1.7% increase in total consumer spending for the first three months of the year, lagging the growth of many other major markets, The NPD Group found. The growth came from an increase in the industry-wide average check to $6.62 per person, offsetting a total first-quarter decline in traffic of about 1%, notes the firm.

Hyundai, Corona, Dish, ESPN. All are running ads meant to address both Hispanic and general market, but without delineating the two so much: either shared creative or Spanglish for instance. The shift toward mainstreaming Hispanic marketing coincides aligns with population and spending growth among Hispanic consumers. Collectively they spend more than $1.3 trillion each year, according to Nielsen and AHAA.

Alan Mulally came to Ford like a machina ex deus in a tragedy eight years ago and saved the company that had been "going out of business for 25 years," as he put it. He leaves on Tuesday, with Mark Fields taking his place. Columnist Daniel Howes, one of the skeptics back when Mulally came, makes the point that the company's success is as much about the Ford veterans he led as it is about him.

FIFA is expected to generate $4B in revenue from the World Cup, with some $1.4B of that coming from 22 official partners like adidas, Coca-Cola and McDonald's. But not all of these brands are seeing ROI, while several companies not officially aligned with FIFA , like Nike and Pepsi are reaping the rewards from soccer-related campaigns airing during the month-long event.

Bentley's newest ad was shot entirely with an iPhone 5S and then chopped and edited with an iPad Air. The directors for the commercial mounted the iPhone 5s to a special mount that kept the camera steady during filming and also attached a high-tech shooting lens to smartphone to improve image quality. Thus, huge cameras, lighting and tapes or film reel can now be done with a simple phone.

Google Glass has had 15 software updates since May last year so to say the experience has changed would be an understatement, notes Somo product innovation manager Naji El-Arifi. He says Glass has an opportunity to transform the store experience. "Imagine all of the staff at your local supermarket wearing Glass with instant access to stock levels and information that they would otherwise have to go to a terminal for. He notes that with competition from the likes of Amazon, stores will have to focus on that customer experience.

A new long-form ad via The Martin Agency - online and in theaters - is a Dr. Seuss-type story of Mel's Mini Mini Mart, a store so small it is ignored by passers-by. Then one day a family stops and discovers the "secret" of the Mini Mini Mart: It only sells Oreo Minis. Oreo is also breaking a new animated spot on TV in partnership with electro-funk duo Chromeo who wrote a "Wonderfilled" song.

In the week since American Apparel moved to fire CEO Dov Charney over misconduct, the company has hired an outside consulting firm to investigate Charney's behavior. Said new co-chairman Allan Mayer, "We expect, unfortunately, that there's a lot more to be uncovered, and it will be uncovered in the coming weeks. There are a number of very troubling things that we're finding." American Apparel hired FTI Consulting to head the investigation.

U.S. companies shelled out $5.1 billion on social media advertising last year. But brand fans aren't buying. Of the more than 18,000 American consumers polled in a new Gallup survey, 62% said social media had no influence on their buying decisions. Just 5% said it had a significant influence. Another study by Ogilvy & Mather found organic reach - or how many eyeballs a piece of unpaid brand content sees - plummeted to about 6%, half what it was.

Sam's Club is launching Sam's Club Travel, a savings-centered online booking service for the business and leisure travel needs of Sam's Club members. The new digital service is a collaboration with wholesale travel services provider Tourico Holidays. The portal includes TripAdvisor reviews, real-time price comparisons to leading competitors, "Click to Chat" instant member service, and secure booking.