• Liquor Brand Lawsuit Over Duke U Versus 'Duke'
    A legal dispute between Duke University and the estate of John Wayne centers on who owns "Duke." Wayne's estate wants to sell a "Duke" brand of bourbon featuring the actor's likeness and signature on the label. Duke University filed an objection with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, arguing that the university does not permit use of confusingly similar marks associated with unapproved goods or services. The actor's estate has counter-filed, saying Duke U's argument is ludicrous.
  • Fiddy's Sport Headphones Hit Market
    Watch out, Beats, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson unveiled them at CES. Now they are on sale. Fiddy's SMS Audio has launched its on-ear and in-ear audio phones in wired (Street) or wireless (Sync) varieties. The on-ears come with a sweat-proof inner chamber and a rubberized coating and a sports "towel" included. The ear-pads are made of the same fluorescent colored, breathable material one sees in running shoe uppers. In-ears start at $80. The on ears are between $180 and $230.
  • Small SUVs Grab Larger Portion Of Market
    Combined sales of compact and subcompact SUVs have nearly doubled since 2008, from 10% to 18% of the U.S. market, according to AutoTrader.com. Analysts predict the market will grow for at least the next few years, as young, affluent buyers are drawn to vehicles like Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox and the even smaller Buick Encore. IHS Automotive predicts the compact SUV segment will grow to 2.2 million in the U.S. by 2017.
  • Nielsen Says Advertisers Wasting Money In India
    India is a huge ad market, but advertisers are wasting huge amounts of money there, per a new study by Nielsen. The study says that of the total annual advertising spend, nearly one-third misses achieving its intended objective. The study says media wastage is between 15% and 30%.
  • Skyy Vodka Looks To Sky In Ads
    New ads for Skyy breaking on Wednesday take place in a planetarium setting with a faux-TED conference setup. A speaker talks about drinking etiquette from the perspective of science and cosmology. He explains how apples and oranges, representing Mars and Venus, are also stand-ins for men and women, and how they can get along better in bars with the help of a third celestial body: the "wing lemon."
  • Olive Garden Unveils New Look
    Olive Garden has unveiled a design revamp, including a new logo and website. It said it will roll out the new look to 75 locations this year. The 837-unit division of Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants Inc. also said it was launching a new online to-go platform for desktop and mobile computer users at all U.S. restaurants. Guests can pay online and pick up orders at designated parking spots at Olive Garden restaurants nationwide.
  • Pepsi Max Asks Fans To Participate In Kelly Rowland Vid
    Pepsi Max has released a new competition to allow fans to be part of a video for singer Kelly Rowland's latest track, "The Game." The song, an exclusive track for the Pepsi Max "Beats of the Beautiful Game" album, is part of Pepsi's soccer campaign to celebrate the sights and sounds of football. Fans are meant to use Rowland's new track to inspire their contribution to the fan video. Participants can upload their original video content and the final piece will be released later this month.
  • Clayton To Be Umami Burger CEO
    The parent to the growing Umami Burger chain has named former Burger King president Paul Clayton as CEO. Clayton replaces Adam Fleischman, founder and chair of the Los Angeles-based Umami Restaurant Group LLC, who left to create AdVantage Restaurant Partners.
  • Online Phenom Bonobos Adding More Stores
    Online menswear brand Bonobos has raised $55 million in venture capital funding, bringing the brand's total funding to $128 million. The company plans to use a large part of the latest investment to grow from 10 locations to 40 nationwide by 2016. Bonobos' physical "Guideshops" locations are mini-showrooms where customers can try on items, get advice from a "guide," and then order online. In February, Bonobos entered the womenswear space, launching AYR, its first women's brand.
  • Millennials Are Super Savers, But In Debt
    A study by Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies finds that about 70% of Millennials, starting at around 22, are saving for retirement either through employer-sponsored plans or outside the workplace. Boomers started saving at about 35 years old on average. But Americans also owe more than $1.2 trillion in student loans, and more than half of Millennials say they are living paycheck to paycheck.
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