ESPN begins hundreds of layoffs.

H&M says that some clothes were produced in collapsed factory in Cambodia.

Target misses earnings expectations and cuts outlook.

Cable networks are rebranding, and pay-TV brands aren't happy about it. 

Dairy Queen to debut new ad campaign that promotes its burgers and fries.

Dodge enjoys star turn for its Challenger at premiere of Fast and Furious 6.

EA lawsuit over players' videogame-likeness issue threatens NCAA policies.

Facebook becoming less popular among teens, Pew study finds. 

Ferrero backs off attack on World Nutella Day.

Fisker Automotive reportedly sees bid by boutique firm led by former GM exec Bob Lutz and Chinese supplier.Continue reading...

While the world's soccer fans have known for years where the top national teams would be headed for the 2022 World Cup, it's taken until now to nail down where their digital counterparts would be playing. 

Electronic Arts and FIFA have signed a licensing extension that will continue a relationship that’s been in place for two decades. The new agreement has FIFA and EA paired up until the end of 2022, VentureBeat reports. The partnership has paid off handsomely for both brands: every week, about 65 million FIFA video game matches are played.

“Our relationship with EA Sports is of high importance to FIFA,” said Jérôme Valcke, FIFA Secretary General, in a release. “The FIFA videogames are a key experiential component in our work to communicate the FIFA brand and its values all over the world. This is highlighted by the 2.5 million football fans that have competed in this year’s FIFA Interactive World Cup, which is just one example of the power of our partnership with EA.”Continue reading...

SAP moves into cloud computing as brand projects $10B boost from banking software.

Coca-Cola plans to invest $2 billion in Florida orange groves.

Disney second quarter soars 32% on theme parks, ESPN ad sales as company withdraws trademark application for Dia de los Muertos.

Alibaba IPO anticipation grows on revenue surge.

American Airlines launches Klout-based promo.

AOL profits boosted by advertising.

AT&T presses case in lower bandwidth spectrum case.

Bitcoin startups begin to attract real cash.

Burger King makes bold move with delivery expansion.Continue reading...

For a brand whose logo is a dog, Zynga should have expected that putting down its PetVille social game would have raised howls of protest from some 60,000 daily active users (of more than one million registered users and 7.5 million likes) on Facebook.

Animal lovers and social gamers are mourning the loss of the game, along with ten other Zynga titles that blurred the lines between virtual and real-world games. Online reactions from players to the closure, as the San Franciso Chronicle notes, “expressed a particular emotional attachment to the game, and thus a greater sense of abandonment. Many saw their virtual pets as substitutes for companions they, for one reason or another, couldn't have in real life.”

Other Zynga Facebook games shuttered as part of the move include Mafia Wars 2, (the original Mafia Wars has survived due to its larger player/fan base) FishVille, Vampire Wars, Treasure Isle, Mafia Wars Shakedown, Indiana Jones Adventure World, ForestVille, Montopia, Mojitomo and World Scramble Challenge. The key factor is lack of sufficient manpower to keep them up and running — and, of course, the fact that these games weren't profitable.Continue reading...

AMC stages World Zombie Day to lobby Dish Network.

Audi contemplates minivan.

Best Buy plans to match online prices.

Bugatti goes social with its super-car brand.

Burger King seeks the next new big marketing idea.

Cadillac considers sports car.

Carrefour lifts recovery hopes.

Coca-Cola Hellenic, Greece's biggest company, quits the country.

Fila pursues Adidas market share.Continue reading...

Apple iPhone 5 sets pre-sale record, inspires queues outside stores.

Express Scripts members now can go back to Walgreens.

Ford becomes focus of talks with Canadian Auto Workers ahead of strike deadline at midnight.

Fox says Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban will join American Idol as judges.

GM is getting resistance from U.S. government over proposal for taxpayer exit from ownership.

HP emphasizes design in turnaround hopes.

Heineken makes over its bottle and enlists James Bond for global campaign.Continue reading...

Heineken to assume control of Tiger Beer producer Asia Pacific Breweries for $4 billion.

NASA sees $2.5 billion Mars Rover "Curiosity" successfully land, Twitter explodes.

Unilever sets sights on overtaking Skinny Cow with Magnum brand.

London 2012 Olympics boosts personal brands of Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis, Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, and Andy Murray. 

Abercrombie & Fitch leads brands entering India via web partnerships.

Apple iPad grabs 68% of global tablet sales.

Applebee's woos late-night diners.

AT&T plans to phase out 2G networks.Continue reading...

Amazon buys publisher of romance and mystery books and cools down its warehouses.

Bona Film Group of China talks with Hollywood outfits.

Coca-Cola's Australian JV says cheers to beer.

Cosi tries for dramatic turnaround under new CEO.

Disney to restrict junk-food advertising on its shows.

EA offers much of new Star Wars game for free.

Goldman Sachs outlook dims.

Google buys Meebo to bolster Google+ as its battle with Apple expands to mobile maps.

Groupe Danone fails Chinese entry inspection for Evian water.Continue reading...