When a company the size of Procter & Gamble divests itself of a brand, it's a given that all of the brand assets go along with it. Rarely if ever is there any kind of agreement to retain control over some of the intellectual property. Rarer still is the notion that the seller will structure the sale in such a way that it can keep one of the brand assest for altruistic purposes.

This is what makes P&G's sale of the PUR brand so unusual. While Helen of Troy Limited announced an agreement to acquire the well-known PUR water purification brand from P&G, along with the deal was the unusual provision that P&G could retain the rights to a powder it developed with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The reason? So P&G could maintain its philanthropic commitment to the Children's Safe Drinking Program.

The novel arrangement turns out to be a win-win in the classic business sense.

The win for Helen of Troy: The acquisition of PUR puts Helen of Troy into water purification, a nice expansion into a new growing market. PUR leads the market in U.S. faucet mount and refrigerator filters and is a top brand in water pitcher filtration systems. Helen of Troy, while it is dwarfed by P&G's portfolio of brands, is no minor player in the consumer packaged goods space and it gets another strong brand to add to the family.

The company owns Ammens, Braun, Brut, Dr. Scholl's, Pert, Vidal Sassoon, and Vicks, among others. According to Jack Neff at Ad Age, Helen of Troy has been "a serial acquirer of P&G orphan brands, including Pert Plus, Sure and Infusium23." The Braun, Vicks, and Vidal Sassoon brands are licensed from P&G.Continue reading...

American Media, publisher of National Enquirer, no longer is for sale.

Barney’s teams with Lady Gaga for holidays.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek launches global editions.

Cargill to buy Provimi and extend its reach in animal food.

Caterpillar faces increased competition from Chinese heavy-equipment makers in U.S. market.

Cathay Pacific campaign doesn’t mean “make you feel special” that way.

Dr. Scholl’s sells footwear in addition to foot care.

Estee Lauder sounds caution about consumer spending on cosmetics.

Google purchase of Motorola will heavily affect advertising industry; deal leaves BlackBerry's Research in Motion in “no-man’s land.”Continue reading...

Today's New York Times picks up on Crocs' new image campaign, as the maligned brand of soft-soled rubber footwear takes its new "Feel the love" tagline to TV and the streets.
The commercials are part of Crocs marketing effort to showcase its new spring styles, including the Melbourne, a men's loafer. Its design has also been refreshed with a stripe it's calling a Crocband.

Croslite, the proprietary odor resistant and soft material in all Crocs shoes, conforms to your foot -- and is the name of the animated shoe characters in the commercials. But is it catchy enough to win back fans of the once ubiquitous soft shoe?Continue reading...

Wal-Mart sees a $258.2 billion boost from grocery sales. [WSJ]

'Project Impact' may fail, but Walmart isn't done trying. [Daily Finance]

The Salvation Army assists those in need with shelter. [LA Times]

Dr. Scholl's will increase promotions for its insoles. [NY Times]

Travelocity is using Chatroulette for promotional assistance. [Adweek]

Ford gets help from Microsoft for its electric cars. [Boston Herald]Continue reading...