Lexus' advertising is getting racier to support the brand's new, edgier vehicle direction. A recent ad had a suggestive storyline and the maker recently featured "Hunger Games" star Wes Bentley in another spot for the RC sport coupe, which it has been using as a halo. And it is expanding its traditional focus on golf to include cycling. Brian Smith, VP marketing says the brand is walking a fine line between its traditional positioning and a new younger-skewing, edgier performance message.

NFL partner DirecTV is working to fill the roster for its Super Bowl Fan Festival the week before the Big Game. Pepsi, Bud Light, Food Network and StubHub are planning on-site activations and musicians like Snoop Dogg, Imagine Dragons, Calvin Harris and the Zac Brown Band are lined up for concerts, with multi-platform marketing support coming from the communications company.

China National Tobacco Corp. has funded schools in China, and then named them after cigarette brands. That has raised hackles in the country, where one out of three cigarettes in the world is smoked, and where one million people die per year because of tobacco-related diseases. More than 100 schools across China are sponsored by the tobacco industry, per Wu Yiqun, deputy director of the Think Tank Research Center for Health Development

Cadillac has parted with Detroit-based Interpublic unit Lowe Campbell Ewald, and tapped Paris-based Publicis Worldwide as the new AOR. "This appointment is designed to accelerate the global expansion and elevation of Cadillac into a truly global luxury brand," Cadillac CMO Uwe Ellinghaus said in a statement. "We have spent much of this year refocusing on the core values of our brand. Adding Publicis Worldwide to our team...will further our progress globally."

It's a rumor, but the Galaxy A7 might be 6.3mm thick, making it the thinnest handset to date, and half a millimeter thinner than the Galaxy Alpha. Like the Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 that CNET reported on in Korea, the A7 appears to be in the high end of midrange performance with new aesthetics. The question is whether customers will take to a new-look Samsung even if the hardware is somewhat out of date. Also worth considering is whether the A7 will be exclusive to Korea or Korea and China.

James Bond gets a new Aston Martin for the next James Bond installment, "Spectre," which is in theaters next fall. But instead of the DB5, which Bond drove in "Skyfall" there's the new DB10, which was revealed on Thursday. The new model was, in fact, developed for the film. In 2015, Aston will celebrate 50 years with the 007 franchise. Marek Reichman, Aston's chief creative officer, worked with the film's director, Sam Mendes, "to create the ultimate car for the world's most famous spy."

Reebok has signed a six-year deal to become the official outfitter for UFC, beginning in July. The two parties will create marketing and a line of apparel and footwear to be worn at UFC-sanctioned events, with revenue going directly to fighters (and a portion being donated to Fight for Peace). Reebok president Matt O'Toole calling mixed martial arts "one of the fastest-growing sports in the world" that inspires some 35 million people to "train hard."

Target Corp. is partnering with Google on a mobile game with a point-of-purchase vector. The project, Bullseye's Playground, at Target.com/Play, lets consumers play interactive games. In-store promotional signage will prompt shoppers to play, with special codes that they can use to unlock characters and new game levels. For every game played with Bullseye's Playground, Target will donate $1 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - up to $1 million.

Want L.L. Bean's famous waterproof boots? Good luck. The manufacturer faces a backlog of 60,000-100,000 orders that won't be delivered until after the holidays, per a spokesperson. The company predicts it will sell around 450,000 pairs this year, an increase driven by Millennials' love of the boots. "They're all over college campuses and high schools," the spokesperson said. "Without changing anything, they're back in style."

Thanks to lower gas prices, Ford's top seller, the F-Series truck line, is enjoying a backlog of orders, and its 2015 Mustang saw sales nearly doubled over last year's volume. But Raj Nair, Ford's global product development chief, said lower pump prices could impinge on Ford's alternative powertrains vehicles. "Certainly, low fuel prices make it hard to sell some vehicles like hybrids and electrics," he said during a lunch at the Ford test track near the maker's headquarters.