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Charmin to back off claim it leaves less behind

Charmin said it will back off some claims disputed by the maker of Cottonelle. (P&G)

Charmin’s bare-bottom bears can keep dancing around celebrating their joy over extra-strength toilet paper, but the advertising industry’s self-regulatory body says Procter & Gamble Co. needs to back off a bit on one claim.

The National Advertising Division Council of Better Business Bureaus says it investigated P&G’s Charmin Ultra Strong advertising after a challenge by rival Kimberly-Clark Corp., maker of Cottonelle Ultra Ripple. Get the full story »

Motorola backing away from Motoblur

Motorola is backing away from trying to market and promote its Motoblur feature, a Web-based service that aggregates updates from social-networking platforms and streams them to a phone, CEO Sanjay Jha said. “With Motoblur we have found that being able to convey the value proposition around Motoblur is not an easy thing to do in a 30-second ad spot,” Jha said on the company’s earnings call with analysts. Get the full story >>

FDA orders halt to some Provenge marketing

The Food and Drug Administration has asked Dendreon Corp.  to stop using some promotional materials for Provenge, saying they are “false or misleading” because they omit or minimize the prostate-cancer drug’s risks and overstate its effectiveness.

Provenge, which was approved by the agency in late April, is seen as the first in a new class of cancer-fighting drugs that use a patient’s cells to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Get the full story »

Oprah network gives Rosie O’Donnell a show

Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O'Donnell at the launch party for "O, The Oprah Magazine" in New York. (Brad Rickerby/Reuters)

Just as Oprah makes her exit, Rosie O’Donnell is coming back to daytime — with a show on the new Oprah Winfrey Network.

The network provided few details about the show except to say that it would be a one-hour daily “fun, uplifting show” based in New York. The show is scheduled to air sometime in 2011, after the network’s Jan 1 launch on the Discovery Health Channel. Get the full story »

Busch loses bid to trademark Bud across Europe

From the Wall Street Journal | Europe’s highest court has ruled that Anheuser-BuschInBev cannot get a trademark for the Budweiser brand across the continent.

Guy who saved Comcast via Twitter leaves for Citi

Goodbye, Comcast Twitter guy.

Frank Eliason, the social-media apostle who responded to tens of thousands of online Comcast Corp. customer complaints in the last two years, is leaving the cable company to help banking giant Citigroup Inc. connect with customers online. Get the full story »

Colgate sues to use “nurdle” on toothpaste

In a battle between two big toothpaste makers, Colgate-Palmolive Co. sued GlaxoSmithKline Plc Thursday, seeking a court order that its use of the “Triple Action” tagline and a three-stripe “nurdle” does not infringe the latter’s trademarks.

Colgate said it is concerned that Glaxo, which makes Aquafresh toothpaste, might sue over its use of the nurdle, given that the British company recently filed a trademark application that covers its design. Get the full story »

Procter & Gamble to sponsor next 5 Olympics

Procter & Gamble Co. said it will sponsor the next five Olympic Games, through 2020.

The deal, announced with the International Olympic Committee, starts with the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Financial terms were not disclosed. Get the full story »

Forrester: Most marketers should forgo Foursquare

From Ad Age | Forrester Research has released a new study stating that only 4 percent of online adults in the U.S. have ever used location-based mobile apps such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt. — and only 1 percent update these services more than once per week. So despite the marketing world obsessing over these applications in recent months, the vast majority of Americans online are still in the dark about location-based apps.

MillerCoors spent $680,000 lobbying govt. in 2Q

MillerCoors LLC spent $680,000 in the second quarter to lobby the federal government on glass and aluminum recycling, advertising and other matters, according to a recent disclosure report. That’s up almost 39 percent from the $490,000 it spent in the year-ago period and 31 percent the $520,000 that the brewer spent in the first quarter of 2010.

Playboy launches ’safe-for-work’ site

Looking to expand viewership among those who might court a lawsuit if they fired up the regular Playboy.com site at work, Playboy Enterprises Inc. today announced something called TheSmokingJacket.com, which the company bills as a “new safe-for-work men’s entertainment destination that provides guys with smart and sexy distractions throughout the day.”

Safe for work means no nudity, but plenty of Playboy-style hormonal prurience. One of the lead stories on the site: “How to Get Laid at Work.” Another: “7 Signs That You’ve given Up on Getting Laid.” Playboy founder Hugh Hefner greets viewers to the site in a weird little 21-second video of him sitting on a couch in, yes, his trademark smoking jacket.

“Next to the mansion it’s the best hang out on the planet,” Hefner says of the new site. Get the full story »

Groupon founder: Company not considering IPO

From Bloomberg | In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Andrew Mason, chief executive officer of Groupon Inc., discussed his company’s business strategy and the prospects for an initial public offering, as well as possible partnerships with media companies — “something where they can maybe replace one of their traditional boring display ads [on the web] with a Groupon that’s relevant to their users.”

Cleveland sour grapes become LeBron bitter beer

A Cleveland brewery is re-releasing a bitter beer inspired by LeBron James’ decision to leave the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. says 30 gallons of “Quitness” ale sold out in three hours Wednesday at the company’s downtown brewpub. Get the full story »

Aon Manchester United jersey unveiled in Chicago

Aon CEO Greg Case shakes hands with Manchester United team manager Alex Ferguson after they unveiled the team's new uniform in Chicago. (AP)

Aon CEO Greg Case shakes hands with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson after they unveiled the teams new uniform in Chicago. (AP)

The new Manchester United home jersey featuring the logo of Chicago-based Aon Corp. was revealed last night at an event at Chicago’s Niketown store on Michigan Avenue.

“The Manchester United shirt is an iconic image in the world of sport, and we are honored to appear on it,” said Greg Case, president and chief executive officer of Aon. “Starting today millions of people worldwide will begin to know yet another leading team: Aon.” Get the full story »

Just so ‘you know,’ Orbitz launches new ads

The new Orbitz TV commercial. (Orbitz)

Chicago-based Internet travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc. today launches a major new advertising campaign touting the information and services consumers can expect when they arrive at their hotels.

The new campaign, developed with New York ad agency BBDO, features a branded tagline, “When You Orbitz, You Know.” Financial terms of the campaign were not disclosed. Get the full story »