Carnival Cruise Lines sees brand perceptions drop to all-time low.

J.C. Penney losses snowball as boost in ad spending can't reverse sales declline.

Facebook inks deal to show ads based on shopping habits.

AC/DC rocks their own signature brand of beer.

American Express pushes e-commerce to TV commerce.

Apple preaches patience.

Boeing apologizes for Dreamliner fiasco.

Caesars looks to web gambling for financial help.

Flowers Foods set to buy Wonder, other Hostess brands for $390 million.Continue reading...

AB InBev will return Clydesdales to Budweiser Super Bowl advertising.

Amazon offers free MP3 of CD purchases.

Apple was awarded 1,136 US patents last year, while top spot went to IBM.

BBC back in the spotlight with former star Jimmy Savile's official police report on abuses.

BlackBerry is restoring service in Europe as US carriage firms up for closely watched BlackBerry 10.

Boeing faces FAA investigation of 787 Dreamliner.

David Beckham strips off again for H&M.

Dish Network charges CBS with censorship due to litigation.

ESPN favored for more spending by ad execs in survey.

Ford plans to hire 2,200 white-collar workers as American Express begins mass layoffs.Continue reading...

"Some journalists have been surprised to see Olympic workers taping over the logos on their Dell and Apple computers, since neither company is bankrolling the games, and the U.S. women's soccer team has been told not to hand out its media guide because it has 12 small logos of its sponsors — which are not official Olympics 2012 backers."

The absurd levels to which Olympic organizers are going to erase any and every possible non-sponsor brand name from peaking out came to its absurd apex on Saturday during the archery competition. On his way to the bronze medal, Chinese archer Xiaoxiang Dai was forced to put neon-yellow tape on his hat to cover its nearly invisible, black on black logo for… the Chicago Bears. Continue reading...

Nike may be based in Oregon but New Balance is the last sneaker manufacturer that still produces its shoes in the U.S. of A. The company has been afraid for the last year that new trade agreements are going to put them out of business or force them to move their factories overseas.

Because of that, New Balance has been working with lawmakers to try and create a way to protect the company if and when a flood of cheap sneaks come pouring into the country. The rest of the industry, of course, would happy to put the foot down on New Balance and boot them right out of the biz if it could.

One person who certainly isn’t feeling that way is U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud of the Pine Tree State, who just toured a New Balance factory and picked up a pair of running sneaks to give to President Obama, according to the Morning Sentinel.

Other celebs that New Balance has made footwear for include Lady Gaga, Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey, and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Michaud’s goal isn't to get the brand into the celeb-watch columns, but to get Obama to help New Balance outfit a group of very patriotic Americans: the men and women of the U.S. military. "I'll hand him the shoes and bring (the American Shoes for American Servicemembers Act) to his attention," he said, according to the Sentinel.

[Image via Shutterstock]

Angry Birds are celebrating the start of the Year of the Dragon, but the piggies are trying to scare them away from their eggs! Luckily the Angry Birds have some help — the Mighty Eagle has transformed into the fearsome Mighty Dragon!

In China, brands like Nescafe are tapping into rebellious icons like Han Han.

The secret capitalist document that transformed China into the juggernaut it is today.Continue reading...

Most high school sports stadiums don’t have a big corporation paying out some big bucks in order to have its name on it. But most towns also don’t house a vacation home of New Balance Shoe Co. owner Jim Davis.

Gloucester, Mass., does. For that reason, the 75-year-old high school’s crumbling stadium will soon bear the New Balance name. The company’s charitable foundation will give $500,000 to the school to fix up the stadium in annual chunks of $50,000 for the next decade, according to the Gloucester Times.

As a result, the stadium will get a new name that incorporates New Balance: The New Balance Track and Field at Newell Stadium.Continue reading...

Want shoes that create extra muscle in your feet? Well, you’ll have to look somewhere else other than Reebok.

The athletic shoemaker “has agreed to pay $25 million to settle charges that it made unsupported claims that its ‘toning shoes’ provide extra muscle strength, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said,” according to Reuters, citing the FTC announcement.

Reebok, a division of Adidas, had advertised that its EasyTone and RunTone shoes "strengthen and tone key leg and buttock (gluteus maximus) muscles more than regular shoes," Reuters reports. Just by walking around in a pair of these unstable shoes, one ad purported, you could tone your buttocks up to 28 percent more than regular sneakers. And that did not sit well with the FTC, which slapped the Adidas-owned brand with a formal complaint.

"The FTC wants national advertisers to understand that they must exercise some responsibility and ensure that their claims for fitness gear are supported by sound science," stated David Vladeck, head of the FTC's Consumer Protection Bureau.Continue reading...

The U.K. considers social media clampdown as Prime Minister David Cameron admits police misread rioters and promises "swift justice" in House of Commons speech.

American Airlines revives plans for American Eagle spinoff.

AOL authorizes $250 million stock buyback program.

British Airways embarks on employee engagement program and digital recruitment.

Cisco sees results from John Chambers' strategic turnaround.

Coca-Cola launches "Future Flames" integrated London 2012 Olympics campaign in U.K.

Gawker's Gizmodo site won't face charges in iPhone 4 case.Continue reading...