Reebok is expanding its push in India, with large marketing campaigns, new products and tie-ins to big national sports stars.

The move comes as analysts say India, with more than 1.2 billion people, is ripe for market expansion. The India market research firm RNCOS found that the “Indian sports apparel market was set for annual growth of around 34% during the 2010-14 period.”

Seems like it’s a good time for Reebok to capitalize, especially since another report found that 15- to 24-year-old Indians labeled Reebok owner Adidas “the nation’s second ‘most exciting’ brand behind soft drinks giant Coca-Colas.”Continue reading...

PepsiCo is doing everything it can to try and convince the 1.2 billion people of India that they might want to try a Pepsi. Or maybe a Mountain Dew?

The beverage giant has just signed on as the title sponsor the Indian Premier League, a major cricket tournament that will be called the Pepsi Indian Premier League for the next five years. And the naming rights only cost about $72 million, twice the amount that the previous five-year sponsor, realtor DLF, shelled out.

Nasdaq.com comments that PepsiCo “has quite a lot invested in the country with a range of snacks (Lay's and Kurkure being the flagship brands) and its usual line of beverages.” That kind of investment has the company trying to protect its place in India as local companies and others try to unseat them. As a CNBC report in the market asked this week, 

While the beverage and food multinational is already a big sponsor of cricket, the IPL investment is reportedly its biggest investment in the game so far. But is the IPL association worth so much money, given that the last edition of the tournament saw viewer ratings at their lowest and given that the BCCI continues to have a volatile relationship with team owners?

India's Economic Times notes that Kurkure and Lay’s, which are the leaders of India’s snack market, are losing market share to such local snack makers as Balaji, Yellow Diamond and DFM Foods' Crax. And new competitors are likely to spring up since the salted-snack market in India has grown 25% annually.Continue reading...

Nokia faces key test under new CEO, launches mobile streaming music in US and expanded app library as part of today's reveal of Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices. HTC's Windows Phone series will also be branded under 8 series following Samsung's mobile rebranding move.

Audi to build plant in Mexico as automaker markets S series with NFL tie-in.

Method sold to European green-cleaning rival Ecover.

3M drops planned acquisition of Avery Dennison under U.S. antitrust threat.

Amazon adds movies to streaming service in new challenge to Netflix.

American Airlines can reject pacts with pilots, judge says.

Apple is embarrassed by data leak ahead of iPhone 5 reveal on Sept. 12.

AT&T and Texas to test text-to-911 safety initiative.

Best Buy's new CEO hits the store floor in first week.

BP dinged as U.S. reiterates gross negligence charge in oil spill.Continue reading...

Apple strikes pre-paid iPhone deal with Cricket as Foxconn woes continue.

BMW creates department-store feel at concept showroom in Paris.

BP reveals internal discord over oil spill estimates, and plans to sell stake in Russian venture.

Chrysler misses May sales target despite U.S. sales bump.

Corona invests in major outdoor and digital campaign for summer.

Disney names new film studio chairman.

Exxon Mobil plans major U.S. chemical plant.

Facebook sells "likes" in promoted posts move, and adds admin functions and post scheduling.

Formula One IPO may be delayed.Continue reading...

AOL acquires About.me social profile site (that's K'naan's splash page, above) a mere four days after going live and a year post start-up.

Apple spurs iAds for the iPad with new tools.

Cricket aims to turn music pirates into paying customers.

FCC's "strong" net neutrality rules criticized on all sides.Continue reading...

McDonald's recent hype around the Legend of McRib return in the U.S. may have met its match in Australia — if by "match" you mean cricket, and by "legend" you mean retired cricketer Shane Warne.

The burly blond Aussie, whose romance with actress Elizabeth Hurley is causing something of an uproar at the moment, is the first celebrity to have a McDonald's burger named after him: the Legend Chicken Burger, a limited edition sandwich released by Macca's (as the chain is known in Australia) to coincide with the Ashes cricket series.

Fans have been calling for his return to the game following Australia's "thrashing" in that event. McDonald's Australia features Warne on its homepage, while the campaign features an anti-pitchman tagline: "Chicken so tasty it sells itself."

Like many car brands, the once ultra-cool Jaguar has declined over the past several years, losing its luster and once-hallowed reputation for reliability. But now that the brand has been sold by Ford to India's Tata Motors, Jaguar is on the upswing, at least in terms of its promotional visibility.

Jaguar announced two high-profile partnerships, one in the U.S. and one in the U.K., that signals a comeback of sorts.

Beginning this month, Jaguar will become the official vehicle of the famed Hollywood Bowl and sponsor the "Jaguar Platinum Concert Series," eight Jaguar-branded concerts that include performances by Donna Summer, Harry Connick, Jr., and others. The three-year sponsorship kicks off in conjunction with the introduction of the all-new 2011 Jaguar XJ model.Continue reading...