Print publications have been cutting back in various ways in recent years, including employing smaller staffs and printing on smaller paper sizes. Now the 119-year-old Billboard is unveiling a total redesign that involves its own chopping down.

In the redesign, which debuts Saturday, the brand’s iconic capital “B” loses a bit of ink and be lowercased. Business Insider points out it follows a recent design trend that's seen brands like Arby’s, Weight Watchers, Lifetime and the brand formerly known as as J.C. Penney’s, jcp. 

The longstanding colors inside Billboard’s lettering will disappear on the print publication to give it a more grownup feel, but remain mostly the same on the brand’s website (though the blue in the “a” is lighter and now the “b” will get a touch of green). Each letter will also be much thicker.Continue reading...

Pepsi’s marketing gurus have been appealing to consumers through music seemingly for eons. Much of that perception is due to the success the soda maker has had in tying its name to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Even after the guy’s been laid to rest for more than three years, and earning more than ever, Pepsi is still celebrating its legendary association with the performer.

Back in May, Pepsi announced its deal with the Michael Jackson estate and Sony Music to an exclusive global marketing partnership that included featuring the Gloved One on a billion limited edition Pepsi cans released around the world, starting in China.

As part of its music-based global "Live for Now" platform, the Pepsi brand is reminding consumers that it's been 25 years since Jackson's iconic Bad album was released — an anniversary that director Spike Lee is marking with a documentary, and which Pepsi celebrated in late August in a concert with Billboard and singer Ne-Yo, who performed such hits as Closer from the album, which was released on Aug. 31, 1987.Continue reading...

Following rumors last fall, Coca-Cola confirmed that it's producing a global TV series to woo teens with music in more than 30 countries during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

As a (lightly) branded entertainment extension of its global youth and music-oriented "Move to the Beat" Olympics marketing platform, Beat TV is being distributed in partnership with MTV Networks International, producing 10 episodes aimed at bringing youths some of the cultural flavor and excitement of the Games and its London setting. It's also not to be confused with "Move to the Beat TV," above, a web series Coca-Cola produced for European audiences as part of its Olympic marketing. (Coke's Move to the Beat campaign just picked up a bronze Cannes Lions award for mobile this week.)

While sponsored TV programming isn't new — look at NBC's recent Escape Routes series touting the Ford Escape crossover vehicle — Coke says Beat TV will run as a regular TV show (including channels with official rights to the Olympics and previous ad commitments from Coca-Cola); it won't feel like an infomercial for Coke's official Olympics sponsorship and the brand's presence won't be "overt"; and ad opportunities will be open to other brands.Continue reading...

Barnes & Noble losses continue on Nook as e-reader competition intensifies.

Bridgestone surrenders Super Bowl halftime show.

Coca-Cola creates global TV series for Summer Olympics.

Facebook gains support for advertising from Ford and Coca-Cola.

FedEx CEO predicts industry shifts as airport-to-airport business stalls.

Ford uses big data to inform marketing and design decisions at Silicon Valley lab.

GM unifies global design strategy.

Kimberly-Clark enlists Mexican TV star for Huggies campaign.

J.C. Penney to tweak message but not strategy in wake of president's ouster this week.Continue reading...

Weekend news: Lance Armstrong's former teammate, Tyler Hamilton, accuses him of taking performance-enhancing drugs (including during a Tour de France) in an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes — a charge the cycling champ denies. Click here to watch part 1 and part 2 of Hamilton's interview.

Also: Lady Gaga pops up on NBC's Saturday Night Live (and in a Google commercial); Tim Pawlenty confirms he's running for president; Beyonce, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift earn Billboard nods; Disney's box office Pirates booty; the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh and LeBron James prevail against the Chicago Bulls' MVP Derrick Rose; and more.Continue reading...

Lady Gaga's new single, Judas, hit #1 on iTunes within hours of being released, and is poised to debut at #1 on the BillBoard Hot 100 next week. Already ruffling feathers, it leaked online this morning and was rush-released by Interscope Records.

Gaga, meanwhile, posted the above image on Twitter to whet appetites for her upcoming album, Born This Way, which is being released on May 23rd — but apparently not at Target stores.

Apple opposes proposal on CEO succession planning, and reports iPhone in-app purchases almost equal to download revenue.

Billboard & Nielsen SoundScan list Taylor Swift as the top-selling and most-played artist of 2010.

FDA warns public of continued extortion scam by FDA impersonators.

Ford unveils Focus Electric with MyFord Mobile smartphone integration.

Emmanuelle Alt takes over as editor at French Vogue.Continue reading...

Social networking has spawned an algorithmic cloud that measures almost all our online engagement… and now our music joins those ranks, as veteran chart-maker Billboard launches the Social 50, a weekly ranking of musicians on social networks.

MTV fave and avid tweeter Rihanna scored top spot on the magazine’s first chart, followed by Justin Beiber, Eminem, Lady Gaga and up-and-comer Nicki Minaj.Continue reading...