extra texture :: marketing news + trends

Austin Kleon creates poems by blacking out words in the New York Times. (more)

BMW may have just internationally unveiled its crossover off-roader/coupe, the X6, but there’s an even more exotic version heading our way. (more)

Last week, Coca-Cola started producing kvass for the Russian market under the label, “Kruzhka and Bochka.” (more)

MySpace users can share profiles with Yahoo, Twitter. (more)

Neil Young to release his entire back catalogue on Blu-ray Disc to combat the scourge of the MP3. (more)

When Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault almost five years ago, the pitchman in Bryant fell off the face of the earth. (more)

The man who helped build the 31-flavor craze at ice cream store Baskin-Robbins has died at age 90. (more)

It hasn’t been an easy ride for Euro Disney, but Mickey and friends have a reason to celebrate. (more)

The Walt Disney Co. will launch its first Spanish-language magazine in the US on July 14. (more)

More people (primarily women) are feeling guiltier this year than they were last about their not-so-carbon-neutral habits. (more)

Estonian authorities have slapped a flatulence tax on farmers to compensate the country for the methane gas produced by cows. (more)

Human cadavers used in Saab auto crash tests. (more)

New in mortuary science: Dissolving bodies with lye. (more)

Finding God in your inbox? Spam goes spiritual. (more)

As a Home Depot liquidates, two family-owned hardware stores stay open. (more)

A US entrepreneur has come up with a way to create foam clouds shaped like corporate logos that will float up to 20,000ft into the air. (more)

A German court has ruled car maker Volvo has to pay compensation to a man who claimed his feet were too big to use the accelerator on his new car. (more)

Toyota raising prices on some models this month. (more)

Even the mighty sportswear firm Puma is feeling the pinch of the global credit crunch. (more)

Best Buy, the biggest U.S. electronics retailer, is paying $2.1 billion for a 50 percent stake in Europe’s largest cell phone retailer. (more)

Microsoft is believed to have approached Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, over a possible acquisition of the social networking site. (more)

McDonald’s is working hard to redefine “McJob,” a word various dictionaries define as unstimulating, low-paying employment with few prospects. (more)

Less McDonalds at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. (more)

As gas prices zoom closer to $4 a gallon, Coca-Cola Co. and its two largest U.S. bottlers are shifting their fleets to hybrid vehicles. (more)

Lord & Taylor has launched a fairly novel “reality” ad campaign with a series of radio spots that feature celebrity stylist Robert Verdi chatting with shoppers at three of the store’s locations. (more)

Soda bottles get a personal touch with specialty labels. (more)

“Leaf” is causing a stir in the art world as it may be the oldest photograph ever found - and worth millions. (more)

Type of fat that accumulates around the hips may fight diabetes, study says (more)