Instead, it orchestrated what may be the most unlikely brand resurrection in marketing history by leveraging its powerful dealer network, rolling out splashy new tires and repositioning the brand slightly down-market.

FORBES: Flats Fixed

Blackhawk, a worldwide gift-card marketing network that provides prepaid products and payment services to consumers, operates a network of retail stores in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Mexico, and Canada.

FORBES: After Five Tough Years, Smart Turnaround Is On Its Way At Safeway

Ellis spent his career in the online ad network business, previously serving as the COO of marketing network Webxu.

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As they get more familiar with the hotel industry, more owners are opting for franchising, a system in which they pay for a chain's name, reservation network and marketing, but manage and control the hotels themselves.

ECONOMIST: Asia��s hotels