extra texture :: marketing news + trends

Lego has just released its biggest set ever: a $500, 5,000-piece Millennium Falcon set. (more)

Canadians who sell a lot of stuff on eBay best beware - the taxman is watching. (more)

Google and Microsoft’s bitter and long-standing rivalry in the Internet search and advertising markets is spilling over into Washington. (more)

GE has a very old-fashioned attitude towards risk management: basically, it involves GE lenders doing a lot of legwork before committing any capital, and then trusting their own judgment. (more)

While the new Sony Walkman doesn’t offer touch-screen functionality or a Starbucks tie-in like the iPod Touch, the list of what it can do is impressive. (more)

Toyota Motor Co. will recall 55,000 floor mats due to complaints of unintended acceleration caused by the mats sticking underneath the accelerator pedal. (more)

Faced with the worst U.S. housing market in years, KB Home is wishing upon a star. (more)

China’s leading PC producer Lenovo will continue to implement its dual-brand (Lenovo and ThinkPad) strategy. (more)

As competition heats up, India’s top consumer-products company woos affluent shoppers with global brands like Dove, while cooking up its foods biz. (more)

He put Silk on the shelves everywhere from Starbuck’s to Wal-Mart. Next up: an organic probiotic fruit juice. (more)

Procter & Gamble Co files a lawsuit against toothbrush maker Ultreo Inc in a U.S. federal court, alleging false advertising related to Ultreo’s ultrasound toothbrushes. (more)

The company now says its plans to sell only concentrated liquid laundry detergent products in its U.S. Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs.(more)

This Christmas, Coca-Cola Enterprises Limited is giving consumers the chance to win one of three luxury gifts, including a dream holiday, as part of one of the biggest on-pack promotions of the year. (more)

The biggest annual gathering of Mac fans on the planet - the Apple Expo - opens in Paris. (more)

Stella McCartney’s designed fashion is helping to grow Adidas apparel, which now has a 50 percent share alongside the brand’s sports shoes. (more)

With hungry investors circling and profits at a low ebb, CEO Rosenfeld is sticking to a growth plan of new products for the food giant’s array of classic brands. (more)

Four dozen new Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market stores have been added to the list of locations in Southern California by Tesco PLC, the British supermarket giant making its American debut this fall. (more)

Games for nongamers are in style, and on its redesigned handheld, Sony is meeting demand with—among other offerings—My Stylist, a wardrobe organizer. (more)

The buzz fruit, acai, is the latest trend in an increasingly popular food category: functional foods. (more)

U.S. researchers found just 7 percent of respondents do not have the usual human tendency to favor one’s own group and not form racial prejudices. (more)

Bob Dylan is back “on the pavement, thinkin’ about the government,” and he has a special message for you. (more)

A US comedian claims he is the inspiration behind Moe the Barman, one of the best-loved characters in The Simpsons. (more)

Mumbai is on the verge of being dislodged as the advertising capital of India. (more)

Along with a cup of joe, new versions of the iPod and iPhone will alert owners when they can make purchases at a nearby Starbucks. (more)

New Nolita campaign features nude anorexic; exploitation or debate? (more)

Microsoft and its hardware partners are trying to bridge the divide between home computers and TV sets this holiday season with the release of several “media extenders.” (more)

Giving into user demand, the networking site LinkedIn will soon start letting its users post photos with their personal profiles. (more)

Facebook, the second-largest social-networking site, must respond within “a few weeks” to requests by state attorneys general that it do more to protect kids from sexual predators. (more)