Successful automakers need "brand caretakers" who represent the heart and soul of the product and will fight passionately on behalf of the brand. WardsAuto takes a look at some of the most well known, including Lincoln's Andy Georgescu and Subaru's Thomas Doll, and asks Bob Lutz, a former exec at both General Motors and Chrysler, for his insights.

Under Ford Motor CEO Jim Hackett, three top executives, including marketing chief Jim Farley, have gained more responsibility and authority. Farley will oversee all of Ford's global regions and global marketing. The promotions are part of a structure designed to give Ford's top executives larger roles and give Hackett more time to remain focused on bigger, long-term issues.

Panera Bread says it has achieved over $1 billion in sales from digital platforms. The company, along with Starbucks and Dominos Pizza, was one of the early technology adopters as American diners increasingly want mobile apps to place orders or get food delivered to their homes. Online ordering now exceeds the quantity placed verbally over the phone.

The constant worry of being crowded out by the big brands like Anheuser-Busch InBev intensified this month for craft brewers when it was revealed that an incubator operated by A.B.I. had purchased a minority stake in a popular beer review website, RateBeer.com. Concerns range from whether individual ratings will truly be independent, to the potential for favoritism in the placement of reviews on the site.

Macy's recently revealed that 9% of its customers account for 46% of its annual sales. The concentration of sales in the wallets of a relatively small number of customers isn't unusual for retailers. What is important is that Macy's is planning to treat these people better, and if a new loyalty program to be rolled out in the fourth quarter of this year succeeds, it could help revive the chain.

Looking to appeal to the younger Chinese consumers, Coca-Cola has revamped its labels to add "language codes" used by the demographic. The effort, dubbed "code bottle," puts different visual emoticons and phrases used in China on the bottles. According to Shelly Lin, marketing director for Coca-Cola China, the redesign is a way to reach younger consumers using their language of connection.

Ikea is introducing Stunsig, a limited-edition line of tableware, cushions, and bedding. The edgy designs are created in collaboration with six artists and design teams with serious fashion credentials, giving rise to a collection with lots of personality to spare. Think edgy hand drawings, cartoons and photography that scream "I picked this up at a cool boutique."

Hyundai has been named the car manufacturer with the most loyal customers in the U.S. Topping the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index for a record eight-consecutive years, Hyundai owners were found to be mostly likely to have had their expectations met from consideration through to purchase.

While leisure travel to Cuba was never made fully legal under Pres. Obama's policy, Pres. Trump's newly announced policy calls for the heightening of restrictions on American travel and trade in Cuba. The directive will enforce strict limitations on U.S. citizens traveling to the island, imposing regulations that prohibit self-led, individual ventures categorized as "people-to-people travel."

Walmart is buying men's clothing retailer Bonobos for $310 million in cash. And the discounter is giving Bonobos founder a key online role. The deal is in keeping with Walmart's recent efforts to better compete with Amazon by beefing up its online fashion offerings and widen its appeal by buying digitally native, hip brands that target millennials and younger consumers.