As Kermit the Frog taught an entire generation, “It's not easy being green.”

Clorox’s Green Works is a case study in the steep learning curve of green branding. The line of environmentally friendly housecleaning products launched in 2008 with an endorsement from the Sierra Club, which helped boost its market penetration and credibility. 

That $1.3 million contract ends in December and the brand chose Earth Day to announce a strategic marketing revamp, including a new tone of voice (embodied by its new manifesto, posted on Facebook and its website) and the removal of the Sierra Club logo from all Green Works packaging, a clear sign of the times as green cleaning products have been forced to reduce their premium prices and re-position the sell to deflect declining sales.Continue reading...

Dirce Navarro de Camargo, Brazil's richest woman and owner of Havaianas, dies at 100.

Apple faces criticism over Siri's long memory as market expects it to report profit drop.

Nutrisystem joins forces with Walmart in retail push.

Amazon asks viewers for help in selecting which pilots to turn into original TV series.

Ahold donates a half-million dollars to Boston fund.

Boeing will see timeline of Dreamliner return to skies vary widely around globe.

Chipotle sees expansion of US investigation into its hiring.

Clorox aims to expand market for Green Works beyond niche.

Coach fights to keep its cachet as competition rises.

Comedy Central plans to use Twitter to host comedy festival.Continue reading...

Forget sticky marketing; Clorox is going with icky marketing in its latest effort to get moms to laugh.

As announced in a press release Wednesday, the brand is partnering with Carol Leifer, an award-winning comedian and comedy TV writer (Seinfeld, Modern Family), to launch the Clorox Ick-tionary, a wiki-style dictionary of everyday ick that parents and caregivers contend with on a daily basis.

As Leifer observes in a blog post, "Don't ask, don't smell... Because as I’ve learned from my comedy writing on sitcoms, real life always does seem to present the funniest ideas."Continue reading...

Interbrand announces the 2013 Best Retail Brands report.

Coca-Cola honored with first Clio brand icon award.

Starbucks names new global CMO in former Sephora marketer Sharon Rothstein, as McDonald's passes Starbucks as most social brand.

Apple rumored to pull out the stops for the next iPhone to take on Samsung, which has replaced Nokia as top smartphone brand in China and confirmed it's developing a smartwatch to take on Apple's rumored wearable computer.

BlackBerry prepares to bring million-selling Z10 smartphone to U.S. on Friday with 100,000 apps.

Burger King hopes folks gobble up new turkey burger.

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's introduce Jim Beam bourbon burger.

Clorox introduces smart tube technology to packaging design.Continue reading...

Airbus and Boeing walk fine line about global airliner demands.

Apple finds some iPhone users souring on Siri as it may be gearing up to producer smaller iPad.

Audi opens first digital showrooms.

Barclays apologizes in new campaign for Libor scandal.

BSkyB prepares to launch Now TV.

Clorox targets Hispanics with Fraganzia line of cleaning products.

Digg founder revisits missteps that led to company's fall.

Ford funds parties featuring Escape to combat hunger.Continue reading...

AOL brings "project devil" ad format to mobile phones and tablets.

Apple's iPhone guides blind Olympic torch carrier.

AT&T still benefits from having been first with iPhone.

Apple gets major win in tablet wars after judge stops Samsung from selling Galaxy version in U.S.

Best Buy founder may try to take chain private.

Brut seeks "The Essence of Man" in digital campaign.

Campari eyes American women.Continue reading...

Kicking off this week's Brand Bites, model Bar Refaeli's new under.me lingerie line campaign channels an iconic cheeky tennis poster.

PETA take note: the Sierra Club's new "Coal Will Say Anything" campaign shows how it's done.Continue reading...

For decades, Procter & Gamble has been pitching laundry detergents, promoting a dizzying array of different brands that all basically do the same thing — get clothes clean. Typically, detergent advertising concentrates on the features of the product and the benefits the consumer derives from using it.

So how does a niche detergent brand break through, especially when it doesn't have the luxury of the ginormous promotional budgets of a Procter & Gamble? For Method, the answer is simple: Be quirky.

Method, a pioneer in earth-friendly detergents and cleaning products, has fought against the Tides of the world since its founding 12 years ago. But it is only in recent years that the brand has faced its toughest competition.Continue reading...