ABC challenges Leno and Letterman with shift of Jimmy Kimmel Live to 11:35 p.m. ET.

Abercrombie & Fitch sales slide as half-naked models begin to underwhelm.

BMW revs motorcycle line as Audi ups threat via Ducati purchase.

Barnes & Noble sees results boosted by Fifty Shades of Grey popularity.

Boston Market pulls salt shakers off tables.

Caribou Coffee inks on-site deal with Jewel grocery chain.

Conde Nast booms overseas.

Dell reports gloomy outlook.

Dos Equis hits streets with fleet of food trucks.

EPrize acquired by private-equity firm.

Fazoli's pivots toward more premium positioning. Continue reading...

Apple "friends" Facebook, adds features and cozies up to car brands to stay ahead of Google.

Disney and Netflix clash over DVD rental windows.

Google-branded Nexus tablet rumored.

BMW and Audi rivalry intensified in May as BMW courts bloggers.

Bacardi debuts new flavored rums in "breakthrough" bottles.

comScore releases much-discussed analysis of marketing on Facebook.

Domino's hits $1-billion-plus in digital sales.

Evian pursues one-touch online ordering.

L'Oreal decentralizes marketing globally.Continue reading...

Sony Ericsson, the world’s fourth-largest mobile-phone manufacturer, had such success recently with a tennis sponsorship that it is pouring money, time, and energy into a partnership with the UEFA Champions League, a competition of the top European soccer clubs.

The UK's Marketing Week reports that Sony Ericsson will “include a number of social media campaigns, which the company says have been successful in building brand awareness and driving sales of the Xperia handset range.”

The move follows the brand's successful campaign with women's tennis champ Maria Sharapova (and a group of aspiring Sharapovas) that kicked off earlier this year, a WTA-backed effort that relied heavily on fan interaction with the players on Twitter and Facebook.Continue reading...

用运动 translates to "Yong Yundong." It's also Nike China's latest tagline to enhance "Just do it" with mainland consumers.

The tagline, which roughly translates in English to "Use sports" or "Have Sport," accompanies the brand's latest (characteristically moody and motivational) campaign for the China market.Continue reading...

Markets rally as Sunday night's U.S. debt limit deal goes before Congress for a vote today as Twitter explodes over deal.

Airbnb investor suggests ransacked woman is lying.

Al Jazeera English launches in New York.

Ambassador Coffee brand changes hands.

Apple wins dispute over iPods.com domain.

Bank of America hit with new Countrywide lawsuit.

Bloomberg Businessweek to hike paid circulation.Continue reading...

Is the world ready for "Sugarpova"? It's a new brand of candy and sweets, leveraging the brand value of tennis star Maria Sharapova, expected to launch at the US Open in August.

This is just the latest commercial venture for the world's highest paid female athlete whose branding acumen seems to be as sharp as her tennis game.

The 24-year old professional tennis player is a winner in more ways than one, ranking number seven in the world's single women tennis players and having made over $24 million from June 2009 to June 2010, according to Forbes.

While Sharapova has earned her fair share from playing tennis, she has done even better from her commercial endorsements.Continue reading...

Disney withdraws SEALS trademark application in deference to the US Navy's trademark application.

Google will announce mobile commerce details tomorrow in New York.

Maria Sharapova is launching a lifestyle brand called Sugarpova.

Oprah's sign-off today, ending her 25 year-run as the queen of daytime TV: "To God be the glory." Peter Liguori, the interim CEO of Winfrey's OWN Network, also got a sweetened contract from co-OWNer Discovery Communications.

Univision releases a Groupon clone, Ufertas.com, aimed at US Hispanic consumers and brands.

Remember Maria Sharapova's "I Feel Pretty" commercial for Nike? The Charlie's Angels theme of the new Sony Ericsson campaign might seem to reinforce what irked her in that spot — being valued for her looks instead of her talent.

The tennis player, as Sony Ericsson's brand ambassador, is helping promote its new reality-style web series following six attractive young female players (aka "the Hot Shots") on the 2011 WTA tour. They'll upload photos and videos onto Facebook, YouTube and their individual Twitter feeds to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse at life on the WTA circuit for a mini-Maria. 

It's all a bid to promote Sony Ericsson's Android-enabled Xperia smartphone to young women and sports fans — a natural brand association, as Sony Ericsson is a long time supporter of the Women's Tennis Association.Continue reading...