Gordon Brown has named Stephen Carter minister for communications, technology and broadcasting in a cabinet reshuffle. Marketing

Exclusive research from Henley Centre HeadlightVision looks behind the gloomy headlines and examines the true impact the economic situation is having on consumer spending and gives tips on what marketers can do to respond. Marketing

Tesco could be risking the image it has spent decades building with its new positioning as 'Britain's biggest discounter'.  Marketing

Marks & Spencer executive chairman Stuart Rose said that although the retailer plans to offer better value in its food range to prevent customers from defecting to discounters, quality retailers should not react desperately. 'The other side of the coin is, "Let's dumb our quality down, let's go where everybody else goes, let's go deep down and dirty and let's ruin our business model".' Financial Times

The candidates in the US presidential election are using a range of marketing channels. Marketing

Tesco is accelerating plans to offer current accounts and mortgages in response to a loss of consumer confidence in traditional banks. Tesco Personal Finance will launch its first current account in 12 months and mortgages will follow 'in due course.' The number of Tesco customers applying for savings accounts has double in recent days. The Guardian

Next has paid £17m for upmarket teen fashion brand Lipsy, which is sold in retailers including Top Shop as well as the Next Directory. Next is hoping to compete with Asos.com and Ted Baker for the youth market. Lipsy is about to open its first store, in London's Brent Cross shopping centre. Next intends to roll out a Lipsy chain. The Guardian 

Birds Eye is to tap into the trend for retro food by re-entering the frozen-dessert market with the relaunch of Arctic Roll, which it axed a decade ago. Marketing

Consumers should be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week to help avoid dramatic climate change, according to a report by the Food Climate Research Network, based at the University of Surrey. The study found that food packaging has less impact on climate change than methane produced by livestock, food manufacture, transport, and cooking and refrigeration at home. The Guardian

As a time when high-street fashion sales have suffered, Asos.com, the online fast-fashion retailer that focuses on clothes similar to those worn by celebrities, said its sales more than doubled year-on-year in the six months to 30 September.  Half of its customers are under 24 years old and are not affected by mortgage payments. It has 1.83m registered users and 890,000 'active' customers who have made a purchase in the past six months, up from 490,000 last year.  Financial Times

The financial crisis is affecting London-based companies that provide services to City workers. After years of growth, butler and nanny services, interior designers and landscape gardeners are experiencing a fall in demand. Financial Times

The 70s oil crisis led to the production of economy cars with little flair, but today car manufacturers are hoping to tempt consumers into buying small cars that offer stylish looks with deluxe interior trim, enabling them to increase the price and thus squeeze out higher margins. Financial Times

Harrods' high-income tourist customers are continuing to spend. Group sales were up 13.5% in the year to 2 February, driven by double-digit growth in fine jewellery, womenswear and fashion accessories. Double-digit growth has continued in its second quarter, ending 2 August. Financial Times

Domino's Pizza is benefiting from of restaurant customers trading down to takeaways, reporting sales up 10.5% in the 39 weeks to 28 September. Financial Times