Marketing

Journalists like to talk about "owning" a story. But the people at RadarOnline.com have practically stamped their corporate logo on the forehead of Nadya Suleman, the "Octo-Mom" from Whittier whose shockingly prolific reproductive habits have made her a media sensation. They really, really love to talk about Octo-Mom over at RadarOnline. In fact, since the news of her octuplets first broke in late January, the website has published 56 items about her, an average rate of nearly two per day.

You've used the Internet to do research on your new car and to find the value of your old one, and you've visited online fan sites and notice boards to get the most out of your shiny new ride. But have you tracked a new-car launch or auto product on Twitter? Car companies are increasingly using the seemingly ubiquitous Twitter to inform and engage potential and existing customers. But will the bold new experiment in social media work?

Microsoft Corp. is going back in time to promote its new Windows 7 operating system. Taking its inspiration from Texaco Star Theater, a Milton Berle-hosted 1950s variety show that was television's first big hit, the computer giant is teaming with "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane to sponsor a 30-minute show to air on the Fox network next month. The show will run without commercials, and promises to feature "unique Windows 7-branded programming that blends seamlessly with show content."

The bugle call marking the start of the TV advertising sales season began a little early this year. On Sunday, CBS Corp. unleashed a marketing blitz to tell advertisers, viewers and Wall Street that CBS stands out because it draws more viewers than any other network. This morning, rival NBC plans to unveil its fall prime-time schedule -- two weeks before the traditional kickoff of the television "upfront" season and two weeks before the other networks announce their fall lineups.

Children and seniors demand many of the same things from their technology: They want it to work right away. They don't want it to do a million things. And they need it to be secure. "Both groups need simple things with less functionality and more protection," said Robin Raskin, a former PC Magazine editor who founded twin conference sessions on technology for the two age groups at this week's Consumer Electronics Show.

Almost no one found Microsoft Corp.'s last attempt at a new operating system, Windows Vista, very entertaining. So when it came time for the software giant to create the sequel, it hoped a little Hollywood touch would bring audiences back to its screens. Jonathan Wiedemann, the former managing director of Propaganda Films, which made groundbreaking MTV videos as well as films such as "Wild at Heart" and "Madonna: Truth or Dare," has for the last three years been leading a team responsible for a key feature on the Windows 7 operating system, the much-hyped upgrade to Vista that Microsoft will begin selling today.

In the auto business, there are few challenges tougher than marketing a brand that has few new cars to promote. No matter how good the current product, consumers like to see the latest stuff. That's the conundrum at Ford Motor Co., which after a solid run of product launches now faces a roughly six-month gap without a significant new rollout. The last 12 months at the Blue Oval have been a salesman's dream, with introductions of the Taurus full-size sedan, the Transit Connect van, the Fusion and Mercury Milan mid-size sedans, the 2010 Mustang and the redesigned F-150 pickup.

If you don't know that Intel Corp. pioneered the microprocessor, invented the USB standard and helped build Silicon Valley into the thriving tech powerhouse it is today, you probably will soon. The chip-making giant is about to launch "Sponsors of Tomorrow," a massive advertising campaign in more than two dozen countries that seeks to make people more familiar with the Intel brand.

Children and seniors demand many of the same things from their technology: They want it to work right away. They don't want it to do a million things. And they need it to be secure. "Both groups need simple things with less functionality and more protection," said Robin Raskin, a former PC Magazine editor who founded twin conference sessions on technology for the two age groups at this week's Consumer Electronics Show.

Renee Kim hopes her heart doesn't get broken on Valentine's Day. The Long Beach newlywed isn't worried about her husband, James Slama. He'll be at her side all day, helping deliver cookie bouquets and other goodies for her franchise bake shop, Cookies by Design. She's concerned about sluggish sales of the $20 to $150 arrangements of heart- or rose-shaped cookies. "I'm really bracing myself," says Kim, who bought the shop on Pacific Coast Highway almost three years ago.