Chevrolet has just released a video extolling the most recognizable name in baseball’s craftsmanship: Louisville Slugger, which refreshed its branding in time for Major League Baseball's opening day this season. 

Interbrand Cincinnati, based in the same city the first professional baseball team called home, was honored to be selected to celebrate that craftsmanship by redesigning the iconic logo, marking its first update in 33 years. Find out more here.

1 in 88 children born today will have autism, according to the CDC's latest prevalence report. April is awareness month for the fastest growing developmental disorder in the U.S., and brands are doing their part to shine a (blue) light on those affected and contribute to research. 

JetBlue’s “Wings for Autism” program works with local autism awareness groups to aid families with special needs children while traveling. The program, which was initiated at Boston's Logan International Airport, allows families to familiarize their children with the flying process ahead of time, including the sights and sounds, which austistic children are particularly sensitive to. On May 6, the program will be featured at Long Beach and Burbank airports, with plans to host a similar event at New York's JFK International Airport later this year.Continue reading...

The Major League Baseball season kicked off Sunday night with a surprising win for the American League’s newest team, the Houston Astros. For the past few years, the Astros have been the National League’s worst team, but they moved into the American in the offseason and, for one night at least, the team is tops in the sport. That is likely to change soon, of course, but, for now, those players that are so used to losing are making their dreams of childhood into reality.

Kids who dream of playing in the Major Leagues someday (or the parents who dream of their kids making it someday) now have access to one of the tools that pro ballplayers have been using for eons: the Louisville Slugger.

Sure, the Slugger can be found on the retail market for any old consumer, but, until now, everyday schmoes weren’t sold Sluggers made from the same wood that the bats made for the pros were made from. Now Louisville Slugger has introduced a new bat, the Louisville Slugger Prime, that is made of the same material whether you’re a 6-year-old in Little League, a minor-league ballplayer, a Major Leaguer or an aging retiree grasping at your youth.Continue reading...

The Major League Baseball season kicked off Sunday night with a surprising win for the American League’s newest team, the Houston Astros. For the past few years, the Astros have been the National League’s worst team, but they moved into the American in the offseason and, for one night at least, the team is tops in the sport. That is likely to change soon, of course, but, for now, those players that are so used to losing are making their dreams of childhood into reality.

Kids who dream of playing in the Major Leagues someday (or the parents who dream of their kids making it someday) now have access to one of the tools that pro ballplayers have been using for eons: the Louisville Slugger.

Sure, the Slugger can be found on the retail market for any old consumer, but, until now, everyday schmoes weren’t sold Sluggers made from the same wood that the bats made for the pros were made from. Now Louisville Slugger has introduced a new bat, the Louisville Slugger Prime, that is made of the same material whether you’re a 6-year-old in Little League, a minor-league ballplayer, a Major Leaguer or an aging retiree grasping at your youth.Continue reading...

Head & Shoulders is... head and shoulders above the competition in its latest “Season of the Whiff” campaign breaking April 1, selling flake-free hair with a sweet but manly scent.

The Procter & Gamble brand, along with "Mane Man" Angels of Anaheim pitcher C.J. Wilson and his teammate Josh Hamilton, are challenging men “to take a whiff of what a double dose of confidence smells like” for the launch of new Head & Shoulders with Old Spice—the official shampoo of Major League Baseball for the past three years.Continue reading...

Accor speeds expansion after profits rise.

California Pizza Kitchen adds healthful items to menu.

Denny's to open 10 restaurants in Chile in first major expansion in South America.

ESPN extends deal with Major League Baseball through 2021.

FTC files false-advertising charges against Your Baby Can Read program.

Ford breaks ground on new plant in eastern China. Continue reading...

Anheuser-Busch and Major League Baseball extend partnership.

Best Buy lavishes compensation on new CEO.

Delhaize bets big on retailing in Greece despite economic turmoil.

Dell and HP struggle to sell PCs.

Denver bans outdoor advertising for medical marijuana outlets.

Larry Ellison buys Hawaiian island and everyone wonders what Oracle founder will do with it.

Exelon benefits from ties to Obama administration, New York Times says.

Fox and Ad Council use Glee to target texting while driving.

General Mills, McDonald's and other marketers are accused by feds of collecting data about kids. Continue reading...

Over the past decade, the Boston Red Sox have won two World Series titles, making it into the postseason six times. Last year, stuffed with high-priced players, the team suffered one of the worst collapses in baseball history, losing 18 of its final 24 games and painfully missing the postseason by one measly game. This past offseason, a lot came out about the misbehavior of team members, Boston added controversial manager Bobby Valentine to the mix, and, well, things got worse. 

The team is now in fourth place in the American League East and 7½ games out of contention for the postseason with about six weeks of ball to play. Mathematically, the team hasn’t been eliminated yet, but nobody seems too scared that this Boston team, poised to miss its third straight postseason, is going to make a run.

And while everybody else is figuring on Boston to just play out the string and enjoy their winter, Red Sox ownership wanted fans to know Thursday that they weren’t going to just sit around and let their brand falter. "Every franchise, every brand goes through rough times. No one is immune to the hills and valleys," team president and CEO Larry Lucchino said, according to MLB.com. "We've had a long run of success. We've created very high expectations for the franchise. Sometimes those high expectations are not met, and the result is a reduction, a hit to the brand and to the team and to the fan base. If it's broke, we'll fix it." Continue reading...