• iPad Beats Kindle In Customer Satisfaction
    As e-reader competition heats up during the holidays, a new survey finds the iPad rates higher than the Kindle in customer satisfaction. Three quarters of people who use the iPad as an e-reader said they were "very satisfied" with the device compared to 54% of Kindle owners, according to a new study by ChangeWave. Amazon Kindle owners are more likely to read books on their device  than iPad owners, 93% versus 76%, but iPad users are five times more likely to read newspapers and magazines than their Kindle counterparts. The survey found e-reader demand remains strong overall, with …
  • UGG Australia Taps Tom Brady
    Shoe brand UGG Australia has signed a spokesperson deal with Tom Brady QB of the New England Patriots as part of its first global men's marketing initiative for the fall 2011 collection. The multi-year deal includes sub-brand of Brady's casual footwear as well as select outerwear and accessories. Though the UGG Australia brand includes men's cold weather boots, slippers and casual shoes, outerwear and men's accessories UGGs have been principally known for womens footwear and apparel. Deckers Outdoor Corporation acquired the brand in 1995 at which time the company says sales were $17 million. Since then, among other things, the …
  • Toyota Recalls Prius
    Toyota is recalling 650,000 third-generation Prius cars because the car's coolant pump can cause the vehicles to overheat and lose power, The Detroit Bureau reports. According to DB, 60% of the Prius hybrids involved in what is officially a service action were sold in the United States, and that the automaker will cover the cost of any repairs conducted at one of its dealerships. The problem involves only Prius hybrids built between 2004 and 2007.  The maker subsequently switched to a different pump design. Consumer Reports gave the latest version of the car an average reliability rating per …
  • Brand Keys: Amazon Busiest Cyber Monday Site
    Cyber Monday was big and kept to the trend of growing web commerce. Brand Keys says commerce, up between 15% and 20% versus last year, topped $1 billion on Monday. According to the Brand Keys Holiday Survey, Amazon was the most visited consumer site. Wal-Mart and Apple were tied for second place, followed by Target, Zappos, Best Buy and Dell, Kohls, Overstock and QVC, Lands End and LL Bean, JCPenney, and Macy's. The firm says it predicts a 3% increase in holiday sales this year online and off.
  • OMG: Kardashians Kill Kard
    Less than a month after the Kardashian Kard made its controversial debut, the reality show sisters terminated the glitzy prepaid debit card, reports CNNMoney. The decision to dump the card comes after Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal questioned the legality of the card's "pernicious and predatory fees." "The Kardashians have worked extremely long and hard to create a positive public persona that appeals to everyone, particularly young adults," the family's attorney wrote in the letter. "They have been successful in doing so because they are recognized as honest, ethical, and fun-loving individuals who are kind and caring to others."
  • Audi Goes For Four In SB XLV
    Audi of America has signed on to advertise during the national broadcast of Super Bowl XLV next year. This will be the fourth year in a row the Herndon, VA automaker advertises during the football game. The company will run a :30 in the first quarter of the game in the third position of the first break after kick-off.  San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners handles. "Since Audi began advertising in the Super Bowl nearly four years ago, we've achieved record levels of awareness and showroom traffic with national consideration numbers showing significant spikes post game. The Super …
  • Caddy Caddies PGA
    Cadillac is backing the PGA Tour. The GM luxury division signed a multi-year agreement making it title sponsor of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and an umbrella sponsor of the World Golf Championships which next year will be played at TPC Blue Monster, Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, FL. Cadillac gets branding and advertising across the four-event global series, as well as grass roots opportunities. Cadillac says it will have vehicle display programs at events and throughout the year at Doral Resort, as well as initiate dealer and lead-generation programs. "The World Golf Championships are all about the …
  • Visa Partners With LivingSocial for BOGO Promo
    Visa has jumped on the cyberdeal bandwagon with a two-week promotion with LivingSocial. Beginning today, LivingSocial features Visa Free Deal Days, which gives Visa card holders in select U.S. markets the opportunity to buy a LivingSocial deal and receive a second one for free to give to a friend or family member. Visa Free Deal Days is live in New York City; Buffalo, N.Y.; San Francisco; San Antonio, Texas; Houston; Cleveland and Akron-Canton, Ohio; Miami; Ft. Lauderdale and southern Connecticut.   Led and planned by LivingSocial's exclusive advertising sales partner, appssavvy, the Visa Free Deal Days campaign …
  • Black Friday Weekend: Lots More Shoppers Spend A Little More Dough
    Looks like Black Friday—still considered the true kick-off of the holiday season—was a rosy one, with the National Retail Federation reporting that 212 million shoppers went to stores or websites over the weekend, a big jump from 195 million last year. On average, each shopper spent $365.34 over the weekend, up from last year's $343.31, with total spending reaching an estimated $45 billion. Other estimates are more subdued. ShopperTrak reports that because of aggressively priced doorbusters and other promotions, sales on Black Friday itself increased just 0.3% increase versus the same period in 2009, to a record $10.69 billion …
  • Full Throttle Promoter Charged In Mother's Death
    A Haitian-American actor whose face on billboards and in magazine ads promoted Coca-Cola’s energy drink Full Throttle, is being charged with the hacking death of his mother in Brooklyn on Tuesday, according to an article in today’s New York Daily News. Michael Brea, 31, later broke into TV with a small part on an episode of ABC's former sitcom "Ugly Betty." He later appeared this year in the dance movie "Step Up 3-D."
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