Consumers have not yet embraced wearable health technology, but they could be persuaded to if given the right incentives, a new PwC report predicts. The report says wearable devices are still novelties. One-third of surveyed consumers who bought such a device more than a year prior said they use it infrequently or no longer at all. More than 80% were concerned the technology would invade their privacy and make them more vulnerable to security breaches.

Using smartphones and tablets to shop for the holidays has grown by 53% since 2012, and is expected to play a big role in decision making and actual purchases this year, according to the American Express Spending & Saver Tracker. The report finds the average American consumer is back to holiday spending at 2012 levels, and will spend $842 this year versus $1,260 in 2013 and $848 in 2012.

Starting next month, people will be able to use their smartphones to search for products in stock at their nearest Macy's location, via a proximity marketing platform Google rolled out last year. The images include product details like price, size and color, directions to the store, and a link to the item on the retailer's website. Macy's has been testing the local inventory ads in markets like San Francisco.

The University of Sydney has published research suggesting junk food brands are engaging with young Facebook users to promote foods that can contribute to obesity and lifestyle diseases. Published in the "American Journal of Public Health," the new study shows "that unhealthy food and beverage marketing is prolific and seamlessly integrated within online social networks," says lead author Dr. Becky Freeman, from the university's School of Public Health.

Ringo Starr, currently on tour, is taking his sticks and skins to a new gig as spokesman for athletic and lifestyle shoe brand Skechers. Starr will star in a multi-media campaign launching in the Spring to include TV, print, Internet, social media and POP to support the Relaxed Fit line, joining a lineup of endorsers that also features Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Pete Rose and Mark Cuban.

Dealing with its fifth recall in a year of its Fit small car, Honda Motor Co. has appointed its first quality czar. And, not being a U.S. company where this would never happen, its top executives will take pay cuts for three months to take responsibility. President Takanobu Ito, who will take a 20% pay cut for the three-month period, appointed Koichi Fukuo as the company's quality reformer. The recalls haven't affected U.S. Fits.

Procter & Gamble head of North American operations Melanie Healey will leave the company next year. She was considered one of the five top executives tapped as front-runners to succeed CEO A.G. Lafley. Healey will retire on June 30. Her departure comes amid broader changes at the company, including the shedding of up to 100 brands. Four other top P&G executives are also departing and several other senior executives have been reassigned to new roles.

Composer and author Joel Beckerman, writer of the new book, "Sonic Boom: How Sound Transforms The Way We Think, Feel, and Buy," says we are living in a golden age of sound. Beckerman, whose expertise is "sonic branding," talks about the power of sonic cues in commercials, the ambient music in coffee shops, in the beeps, dings and whoosh that occasionally flies from your cellphone.

Tesla sells its cars direct to consumers through company-owned stores. This is the devil's work from the perspective of the traditional dealership franchise model, where cars are sold through dealer-owned stores. Michigan, home of the domestic automakers, has passed a law actually banning carmakers from selling automobiles to Michigan consumers without first going through a franchised dealership.

The Nevada Tourism Commission has tapped Las Vegas-based B&P Advertising and Public Relations to run a $1.75 million campaign touting the state. The commission, which generally focuses its winter marketing campaign on the ski season and attractions centered around Lake Tahoe's winter resorts, received proposals from B&P and Reno-based Creative Concepts.