Advertising Age says PepsiCo is rolling out a new

sweetener for its Diet Pepsi brand and prepping a major

campaign in support of that product. The effort, featuring

Modern Family’s Sophia Vergara, is expected to launch

in mid-January. Apparently the new sweetener won’t be

mentioned in the ads but it is hoped that the drink will taste

fresher with the new ingredient. Checkers Drive-In

Restaurants says it has boosted beverage

sales by 2% by offering $1 large drinks and

ice cream cones. Tests of the new pricing was

begun in April and rolled out to all locations in

May…… MillerCoors is beginning a major

campaign for its Redd’s Apple Ale by buying

15-second ads in the Super Bowl on local

stations in the Great Lakes and Southeast

regions. The Ale is being launched nationally on February

1……Best Buy has extended the time by which its founder and former

CEO Richard Schulz can submit a bid to purchase the

company. ……. New data from TransUnion’s automotive

financial services unit finds that fewer Americans are

defaulting on their car loans despite the fact that the lenders

have become willing to extend credit to those with less than

perfect credit scores.