Apple posts first profit drop in a decade.

AP Twitter hack results in brief panic on Wall Street.

Coach prepares for change as Creative Director announces exit.

Lance Armstrong is accused of defrauding US in lawsuit.

BlackBerry brings back keyboard phone as part of rebirth.

Coke launches 61 unique websites for new teen-focused campaign as company's board also undergoes youth movement.

Dell approves executive-retention bonuses.

FedEx fends off rivals for US Postal contract.

Ford sees profits rise to North American record, offsetting losses in Europe.Continue reading...

Back at the start of the year, when consumers were asked what brands popped to mind when they thought of the Olympics, Nike was the number-one answer. Of course, it didn’t matter that Nike wasn’t actually an official sponsor of the event, but why quibble with such trivial details? In fact, Nike did a good job keeping attention on them during the Games themselves with the brilliant pushing-the-rules ad “Find Your Greatness.”

The point is, brands can shell out truckloads of cash to be involved in and event organizers can employ hundreds of “brand police” to ensure their paid sponsors aren’t getting screwed, but that doesn’t mean that when the Olympics end, people aren’t left saying, “I really should drink Coke more often!” or “Wouldn’t it be great to have a little more Panasonic around the house?”

YouGov BrandIndex, a daily consumer perception research service of brands, insists that only two of the partners for London 2012 “broke through in any significant way in consumer perception while a few had “very modest or no significant movement” or even “went backwards,” according to a company release. Continue reading...

Angry Birds is heading to space.

Apple threatens to sue China's Proview over iPad trademark dispute.

Boeing competes for Asia orders worth $10 billion.

Danone and Nestle work to overcome antitrust obstacles in their bids for Pfizer infant-nutrition unit.

David Yurman and other brands see uptick in sales of men's accessories.

Fiat retunes U.S. marketing after 2011 problems while erstwhile spokeswoman Jennifer Lopez turns to lots of other brand deals.

Google launches Latitude Leaderboards, puts Foursquare on notice.Continue reading...

Altria launches tobacco rights website.

Apple sees its devices dominate mobile ordering as brand plans books announcement and sets Red Friday sales event for Asia.

Avery Dennison sells office and consumer products business to 3M.

Axe woos young males with interactive comic book.

Bentley plans luxury SUV.

BMW sees 2012 premium growth.

BP sues Halliburton over Gulf spill, includes anti-BP protesters in new ad.

Bridgestone kicks off Super Bowl campaign at NHL Winter Classic.

Brisk ties into Star Wars 3D theatrical launch with mobile campaign.

Cadbury adopts vertical shelf-ready packaging.Continue reading...

Apple's iPhone turns 4, while company reports worst first-half since 2008.

Associated Press to open bureau in North Korea.

Bulgari acquisition by LVMH approved by EU.

Clinton Global Initiative launches micro-lending drive.

Coca-Cola details environment and corporate citizenship progress.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg now worth $18 billion — more than Google's founders.

GE expands Olympics sponsorship through 2020.

Google champions UK tech hub.Continue reading...

Best Buy admits UK launch lacked impact.  

Bridgelux raises $21M in funding.

CNN anchor says network is getting outFoxed in 2010 election prep. 

Coca-Cola recognized for packaging design while Pepsi unveils "skinny can."  

eBay prepares plan to help PayPal repel Google and Apple threats. 

Facebook gains foothold in China with Hong Kong office.Continue reading...

Goldman Sachs apologizes for mistakes, announces $500 million to aid small businesses. [NY Times]

JC Penney serves as an indicator of economy's health. [FT]

Hershey and Ferrero may counter Kraft's bid for Cadbury. [NY Times]

EU approves Lloyds restructuring program. [NY Times]

Coke will debut uniform global packaging for juice brands. [FT]

How price dispute led Costco to drop all Coca-Cola products. [WaPo]

Fewer 2010 car models pass safety tests. [WSJ]

(More headlines: Home Depot, Sy Syms, Sony.)Continue reading...

Ford reports surprise profit of $997 million. [NY Times]

Comcast close to final deal for NBC Universal. [NY Times]

Shanghai to unveil plans for $3.6 billion Disney amusement park. [Forbes]

Kraft expected to make hostile bid for Cadbury in a week. [Times of London]

Tata may allow assemblers to brand the Nano. [Business Standard]

Critics blast Kellogg's for suggesting its cereals boost resistance to H1N1 flu. [USA Today]

UK will purchase more Lloyds TSB, Northern Rock and RBS shares, may split banks into three new brands [NY Times, Brand Republic]. Santander and Virgin may bid for RBS shares [FT]. And RBS faces EU pressure to sell insurance brands Direct Line and Churchill [NY Times].

(More headlines: Bridgestone quits Formula One, Nestle, Bob Marley.)Continue reading...