Daily deal leader Groupon made its Super Bowl debut last night, and -- as is often the case with such spots -- reactions were mixed. The celebrity-infused quasi-controversial ads spoofed charitable causes like declining whale populations and deforestation -- suggesting that, instead of saving the whales or saving the rain forest, we should all “Save The Money.” Says Techcrunch: “Well, Groupon certainly isn’t afraid of rustling a few feathers … They’re a little weird, and likely to spark waves of debate and plenty of extra publicity.” So as not to appear too cruel, Groupon’s Save The Money site is …

Despite its marketing might and vast editorial and technological recourses, The Daily is destined to leave many users wanting. Why? Because News Corp.'s new iPad-ready newspaper is "buggy," according to paidContent. As a result, "a lot of that [marketing money] may go to waste and a 'please try again' campaign should be in the works." Right off the bat, paidContent's Staci Kramer ran into problems downloading and installing The Daily at launch. Then, "Getting the second issue open in about 30 seconds didn't seem too bad but it pushed the patience meter," while "Reopening the app later in the …

Facebook continues to gain ground on Yahoo, with less than 3 million unique visitors separating the two sites as of December, according to the latest data from Web measurement service Compete. Yahoo had about 137 million visitors at the end of 2010 compared to 134 million for Facebook, which saw 14% growth this year. Both trailed top-trafficked site Google, which drew a monthly audience of 150 million. Among other notable moves, Bing.com leapfrogged Wikipedia.org to gain the sixth spot, and more than doubled its traffic in 2010--by far the largest yearly growth among the top 50 sites. Apple.com, which …

ZenithOptimedia has named Lisa Torres has been named president of its Multicultural Unit. Torres, who joins from executive vice president-group account director at MPG's diversity unit, reports to Dave Ehlers, executive vice president-managing director at ZenithOptimedia.

Clear Channel Radio has named Wendy Goldberg executive vice president-marketing and communications. She will report to CCR President and CEO John Hogan. She joins CCR from Hearst Corp., where she was vice president-business development and strategy for Hearst Entertainment & Syndication.

Smartphone shipments worldwide increased 87% in the fourth quarter to 100.9 million from a year ago, fueled by surging Android phone and iPhone sales. For 2010, total shipments rose 74.4% to 302.6 million, according to the latest data from technology research firm IDC. Both Samsung and HTC saw triple-digit growth in the fourth quarter, with unit sales up 439% and 258%, respectively, by following a strategy of selling multiple Android devices. Samsung enjoyed the biggest gain in market share among the top five smartphone vendors in 2010, nearly tripling its share from 3.3% to 9.6%. Read more here.

When it comes to commercials, a wee Darth Vader seems to be walking away with the Super Bowl trophy, at least according to early buzz. "Right now, the Darth Vader spot is leading the voting on AdBowl," Steve McKee, president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland in Albuquerque, and founder of the AdBowl, tells Marketing Daily . "It's a rare example of a commercial that is charming and thoughtful--it's a really human spot, and people are responding to that." VW's Black Betty spot, featuring a revved-up insect, is also coming on strong. And Chrysler, too, with its long Eminem spot …

Chrysler featured Motor City rapper Eminem in a brand campaign that debuted during the Super Bowl on Sunday night. The new spot features the 2011 Chrysler 200 and reveals the brand's new tagline, "Imported from Detroit." The two-minute spot, a Super Bowl first was shot in Detroit using a local cast and crew members. Eminem doesn't perform in the ad, but the beat from his song "Lose Yourself" sets the riff for the spot. The campaign talks about the whole Chrysler brand lineup, including the 300 and Town & Country minivan. The two-minute anthem spot has shots of …

If you saw the post-Super Bowl episode of the Fox show "Glee" you probably also saw a new TV spot for Chevy Camaro, Cruze and Volt featuring the cast of the hit musical TV show. The ad, which is supposed to be a dream sequence has the cast singing "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet," which was originally sung in the 50's by Dinah Shore. "We saw this as an opportunity to cap off an unprecedented day for Chevrolet," said Joel Ewanick, global CMO at GM, in a statement. "Conversations with Starcom began upon the announcement that 'Glee' …

Luxury prison. Yes, it exists and believe me they don't put you in with the skinheads. Audi will be talking up the luxury prison motif today during the Super Bowl, which I have no intention of watching, by the way. (I'm heading to a non-sports bar, if such things still exist). The automaker manages, in this ad ( which I'm assuming will be elaborated upon during the game) to also make fun of smooth jazz, and Kenny G's competitive set within the genre (there's a moment when he says a certain flugelhorn player couldn't cut it, though the name …