branding

The 404 799: Where Natali whips her hair back and forth (podcast)

It's Natali Morris' second-to-the-second-to-the-last appearance on the show before her departure from CNET on April 29, but today she turns the studio upside down when she tells us she disliked "Batman Returns." After we finish putting the studio back together, we also chat about the effects of Coldplay on your romantic life and play a couple Calls From the Public.

The 404 Digest for Episode 799

Coldplay fans are least likely to have sex on first date? Never say anything bad about " Batman Returns." One of today's Calls From the Public references this NHL promo commercial.

Episode 799 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Microsoft's home away from Hohm

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Republicans in the House of Representatives are working to stop Net neutrality regulations

President Obama will take to Facebook for a town-hall meeting on April 20

Facebook wants to compete with sites like FlackList and ProfNet to connect journalists with sources and stories

Twitter may launch branded pages

Sprint launches a 3G/4G Mi-Fi for $79

Dish Network plans to scoop up beleaguered Blockbuster for just $228 million

Microsoft shifts the focus of Hohm from the home to the car

Helping Microsoft's next marketing boss

At Microsoft, the problem isn't marketing. Just last week, BrandFinance ranked Microsoft as the second most valuable brand in the world. But it continues to lose ground in consumer markets to hipper brands with cooler products.

That's really the challenge that faces the next leader of Microsoft marketing operations. Late Tuesday, the current boss, Senior Vice President Mich Mathews, told Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner that she was planning to leave this summer, in news broken by AdAge. Microsoft remains one of the best known global brands. Its Windows is the most … Read more

Google tops list of world's most valuable brands

Google is the world's most valuable brand, according to a brand valuation company's list of the top 500 global brands.

Assigning a dollar amount to Google's brand, BrandFinance raised the search giant's value to $44.2 billion this year, up 23 percent from $36 billion last year.

Google often embarks on ventures that aren't necessarily commercial but have a positive impact on its brand rating (AAA+), which is the highest in the list, according to BrandFinance. One example includes Google's online services designed to help rescue efforts after the natural disasters in New Zealand … Read more

2012 cargo vans get 'Ram Tough'

By rebranding the Dodge Grand Caravan as the Ram cargo van, or Ram C/V, Chrysler has paved the way to expand in the commercial van segment.

The U.S. automaker has more than 25 years of minivan engineering and promises the Ram C/V will meet the needs for small and large businesses.

The Ram C/V is a Class 1 commercial vehicle that offers a 1,800-lb. cargo payload and up to 3,600 lbs. in towing capability. It also features 16-inch steel wheels, a 160-amp alternator, 20-gallon fuel tank, and it runs on a 3.6-liter Pentastar … Read more

A new logo coming for Chrome? Not just yet

Judging by a recent source code change, it seems likely Google's Chrome browser will sport a new logo that looks less like the offspring of an electronic Simon memory game and a robotic Roomba floor cleaner.

The keen Chrome-observing eyes of Peter Beverloo spotted a new logo that arrived today for Chromium, the open-source underpinnings of Google's closed-source Chrome browser. The new logo still complies with the unwritten rule that browser logos must be circular but looks more like an abstract geometric pattern than the shiny happy plasticky objet d'art that is the current Chrome logo. Like … Read more

A new (old) way to protect privacy: Disclose less

A new pilot project from Microsoft and IBM offers a high-tech twist on this bit of common sense: allowing you to divulge less information about yourself protects your privacy.

Their joint effort is built on the observation that, in many cases, there's no need for someone verifying your credentials to know everything about you. A bouncer at a nightclub needs to know that you're 21, not your name or home address. A county database may only require proof that you're a local resident, not your phone number or e-mail address.

Microsoft and IBM's solution is called … Read more

World desires Apple more than animals, Microsoft

Please lie down. I want you to tell me about what you truly desire. No, truly, deeply and with all your internal insanities exposed.

Would it be peace? Would it be that all animals and people should be saved and cared for? Or would it be a brand new, shiny (and preferably free) iPhone 5?

This plunge into the human psyche has been caused by a new survey, courtesy of Clear. Clear isn't, in fact, something that helps with acne, but a vital part of ad agency M&C Saatchi. (Yes, that C. Saatchi. The one who's … Read more

eBay slipping into fashion daily-deals site

eBay is pulling $200 million out of its wallet for brands4friends, a fashion daily-deals site based in Berlin.

The acquisition, announced today, is designed to build up the auction site's reputation as a source for clothing, shoes, and accessories among European buyers.

As Germany's largest online shopping club, brands4friends offers daily deals to site subscribers and features about 600 brands, including Buffalo, Calvin Klein, and Diesel.

Daily-deals sites have taken off among consumers and now add up to around 20 percent of all online fashion sales in Europe, according to eBay. Launched in 2007, brands4friends has about 3.… Read more