One recent study is showing that consumers are holding off buying cars and trucks because they don't really needs new ones, they can't afford new ones or they are worried about the economy. But another study finds that those who are buying new vehicles are edging away from small cars as gas prices have fallen through the floor.
S&P's analysts noted that McDonald's and Burger King each achieved "meaningful" same-store sales increases last year, reflecting their leveraging of breakfast, snack and late-night opportunities. In addition, their stable-to-improved margins reflected their advantages as franchisors that directly operate only small percentages of their total restaurant systems.
BLOGS/COMMENTARY
Digital Outsider:
Sass 48 minutes ago Not So Fast: Court Upholds L.A. Billboard Ban Tuesday the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a setback to out-of-home advertisers in Los Angeles with its decision...
Search Insider:
Goldman 3 hours ago Haiku 2.0 -- 2009 Edition For my first column of 2009, I thought I'd give Haiku 2.0 another try and share my outlook for the...
Online Spin:
Treffiletti 5 hours ago We Do Our Best Work In A Recession! It's my first post of the new year, and I have to say I'm pretty optimistic! I know the economy...
Email Insider:
Stewart 6 hours ago My Lone New Year's Resolution This year, my lone resolution is to invest in relationships with people that I believe will tell me the truth...
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TODAY'S ONLINE NEWS AND HEADLINES
Model: 'I Am Not A Skank' 8 hours ago Model Liskula Cohen is asking a New York court to order Google to reveal the identity of the blogger who insulted her by calling her a "skank." In a lawsuit filed in state court, Cohen alleges that she was defamed by the blog Skanks in NYC. The...
Search Ad Industry Won't Go On Hiatus 8 hours ago Despite analysts' focus on the bleak news that 2009 will become the first year U.S. search advertising growth slows below 20% annually, all estimates predict an uptick at a slow and steady rate. An eMarketer report released Tuesday suggests a not-so-grim future for U.S. online search advertising. Marketers,...
Judge: Veoh Eligible For 'Safe Harbor' Protection8 hours ago A federal judge has handed online video site Veoh a major victory in a copyright lawsuit brought by Universal Music Group. Judge Howard Matz in Los Angeles ruled that Veoh is entitled to qualify for "safe harbor" protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act even though the site...
Arbitron Settles With NYS, NJ Attorneys General 36 minutes ago
Arbitron has struck deals with the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey that will settle the lawsuits filed in October 2008 alleging violations of executive, business, and civil rights statutes....
Reprint: 8020 Media Not Closing, Up For Sale 2 hours ago
Some much-needed good news in magazine-land got short shrift in Wednesday's edition of MediaDailyNews: 8020 Media, the publisher of JPG, a magazine devoted to photography with user-generated content, is not closing as reported. Investors have stepped forward to buy it....
Warren Named Omnicom Diversity Officer5 hours ago
Omnicom Group named Tiffany R. Warren, a longtime advocate of diversity in advertising, media and marketing, to a a new post: Chief Diversity Officer....
Scion Ads Show How Parts Compose The Whole 1 hour ago
Two initial spots, which focus on variety, with puzzle-like creative set to electronica, show modified versions of the vehicles sliced and diced to show how owners personalized them. "We are still focusing on the core target; overall, we are not trying to broaden our target audience," says Attik's...
Limited-Service Sandwich Chains Bucking Downtrend 3 hours ago
Further, at a time when other types of restaurant formats are increasingly moving to smaller footprints to improve economics, LSS chains are already there. Building, franchise and overhead costs for LSS units are a fraction of those required for bigger formats, notes Technomic's Darren Tristano. "One person can...
Almost Half Use Cell Phones Just For Talking 3 hours ago
In its study, The NPD Group pointed out that 71% of all handsets purchased in the U.S. can play video, 60% have expandable memory, and 55% have GPS technology. "Operators and other handset retailers have an opportunity to educate consumers as to the capabilities of their handsets in...
RSS FEEDS • PRIVACY/TERMS & CONDITIONS
Model Liskula Cohen is asking a New York court to order Google to reveal the identity of the blogger who insulted her by calling her a "skank." In a lawsuit filed in state court, Cohen alleges that she was defamed by the blog 
Despite analysts' focus on the bleak news that 2009 will become the first year U.S. search advertising growth slows below 20% annually, all estimates predict an uptick at a slow and steady rate. An eMarketer report released Tuesday suggests a not-so-grim future for U.S. online search advertising. Marketers,...
A federal judge has handed online video site Veoh a major victory in a copyright lawsuit brought by Universal Music Group. Judge Howard Matz in Los Angeles ruled that Veoh is entitled to qualify for "safe harbor" protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act even though the site...