Internet Retailer reports web addresses will soon be available in non-Latin characters like Chinese and Arabic. Which means if you're looking to do business overseas, customers who read from right to left will now understand your URL.

Reports of global warming are reinforced by a dozen days each summer over 100 degrees. Wondering how to turn that into a marketing angle? Follow the lead of Stanley Arnold, who gave out snowballs in July and brought in 400,000 customers during the slowest week of the year.

Corporate mascots (original or rented) can do wonders to help humanize your business. Our own Mr. Marketing (who is a bit of a character himself) examines the pros and cons of developing a mascot, giving it personality, and properly handling it to improve your bottom line.

Visitors to the See's Candy web site find Forrest Gump announcing "Life is like a box of chocolates." Sounds great, but what about that pesky copyright issue? No problem, according to the NY Times. Paramount's just started licensing movie clips, searchable by actor, line, location, genre, etc., for business and personal use.