New York mayor Michael Bloomberg unveils $12 million ad campaign (above) for Mayors Against Illegal Guns that lobbies for background checks to reduce gun violence, while NYC's municipal data geek squad makes headlines.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz defends same-sex marriage support to shareholders as brand expands loyalty rewards to other retailers.

PepsiCo shares jump on Mondelez merger speculation sparked by Telegraph story which Pepsi "downplays."

Apple acquires indoor GPS startup WiFiSLAM for mapping, patents iPhone drop protection technology and faces EU scrutiny following iPhone and iPad distribution complaints — and may report first quarterly dip since 2003.

FTC "pay for delay" generic drug case, set to go before US Supreme Court on Monday, will be closely watched by pharmaceutical industry and economists.

Below: BlackBerry, Blockbuster, Dell, Diageo and other brands in the news —Continue reading...

Angry Birds first Christmas song ("Fly Me Home Tonight") released by Rovio.

Apple downgraded by Citi on China suppliers, while first weekend iPhone 5 sales in China top two million.

NRA goes silent in wake of Newtown, CT, school massacre as President Obama vows to get tougher on guns.

Diet Pepsi quietly changes sweetener in advance of new logo, tagline and can design.

Barclays protests US energy fine.

Best Buy extends deadline for founder's buyout bid.

Chrysler undecided on minivan plan.

Cisco reportedly plans to sell Linksys brand.

Coca-Cola resurrects Mello Yello in Australia, plans pop-up beach at Sydney Cricket Stadium.

Facebook's monetization efforts may ride on Walmart campaign lessons.

Li Ning projects substantial loss.

Microsoft urged to ditch Windows brand by Dell.

PPR goes shopping for young brands.

Starbucks defended by London mayor Boris Johnson.

Toyota set to seize global auto sales crown as GM vies for 2nd place.

Jeremy Lin signs free agent deal with Houston Rockets, ending "Linsanity" in NYC if the Knicks don't make him a better offer.

Yahoo considers CEO of Hulu for top job.

Porsche tries to adjust to Volkswagen embrace.

Anheuser-Busch encourages responsible drinking.

Bausch & Lomb could go public by year-end.

Chevrolet plans to show off vehicles at MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City next week.

Chuck E. Cheese burns long-time voice with new mascot.

Dynegy files for bankruptcy.Continue reading...

"巴黎，我来了" Translation: "Paris, Here I come."

That was the message Li Na posted on her Facebook page on May 25th. The message captioned a photo of a blue sky, likely of the view from her flight. On June 4th, as news of China focuses on, let's say, less proud moments, Li Na will challenge to make the quarterfinals for the French Open, the grand slam event she won last year. It was a single championship win that put $42 million in endorsement deals in her pocket and made Li the second highest earning female athlete in the world.

Ah, pity Michael Chang.Continue reading...

Amazon creates towns of seasonal warehouse workers to fulfill holiday orders.

Apple gets patent-infringement victory over Google in Android case as Google sets to announce a solar-energy venture.

AT&T finally kills T-Mobile bid, giving it few strategic options to challenge Verizon and leaving future of Deutsche Telekom in the U.S. in doubt. 

Bi-Lo wants to merge with Winn-Dixie and take it private.

Conoco gets ground-breaking permit for drilling in Alaska.

EA's Star Wars: The Old Republic game sees fan frenzy for today's launch.

Facebook points to future with design of its new headquarters complex.Continue reading...

Aloha Petroleum redefines brand.

Apple sees its biggest product launch ever with one million pre-orders in 24 hours for iPhone 4S.

Arista and Jive iconic music labels close, bumping Britney Spears and other artists to RCA.

BankUnited repositions brand.

Chevrolet turns 100, amps up green cred, plans new Camaro.

Chrysler whittles vehicle plan.

Conde Nast to increase branded content under new entertainment head.

Discovery banks on Rosie O'Donnell to save Oprah Winfrey's OWN network.Continue reading...

GM sells more vehicles in China than in the US for the first time. GM also plans to award a new Chevrolet Camaro convertible to the Super Bowl MVP. 

The Kings Speech leads with a dozen just-announced Oscar nominations.

Adobe survey finds readers engage with iPad ads.

Amazon steps up push into home-delivered groceries.

Apple plans to introduce a service that would let users pay with iPhones.

Bacardi rethinks web strategy.Continue reading...

• Leading our round-up of the week in branding, Verizon's first iPhone ad. Tick. Tock.

• "Worst marketing stunt of 2011" award contender: surf shop's 20% off "black stuff" Martin Luther King Jr. Day sale.

• Ready to think small, Walgreens Mini Walmart, including pharmacy, opens at University of Arkansas.Continue reading...