Walmart posts mixed results, expects "challenging" quarter; earnings report also discloses $73M expenses related to foreign bribery probes.

Microsoft to Google: We need APIs to fix YouTube app.

Abercrombie & Fitch signs Bangladesh safety agreement as deadline passes for Gap deal.

Apple defends brand (but not Steve Jobs) in US book price-fixing suit.

Boeing and GE hunt for engine defect in 777s.

Campbell Soup uses digital marketing to target Millennials.

Capri-Sun targeted by German ad watchdog for misleading marketing.

Cisco profit is boosted by services.Continue reading...

NBC today confirmed that Jimmy Fallon is taking over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2014, ending months of rumors in a deal that was (according to Variety) brokered by Comcast exec and NBCUniversal president Steve Burke.

Leno will retire following a 22-year run, while Fallon's reign will begin, Variety hears, following the Sochi, Russia, Winter Olympics coverage on NBC and its sister TV networks.

A hint that a deal had been struck came earlier this week with the release of a video between the two late-night comics, which Leno and Fallon tweeted and NBC promoted online.Continue reading...

Oscar Pistorius was a man once known for being the fastest double-leg amputee on the planet. Now that the so-called Blade Runner has been charged with murder for the shooting death of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp early Valentine’s Day morning, his sponsors, who pay out about $2 million to Pistorius annually, are moving just as quickly as Pistorius to figure out how to deal with the sudden PR nightmare.

Nike’s attachment to Pistorius was compounded by the fact that an ad featuring the Olympian used the tagline, “I’m the bullet in the chamber.” It was pulled from Pistorius’s website on Thursday, Ad Age reports. The victim's tweets before her murder also created a social media nightmare for anyone or any company attached to the paralympic athlete.

"Nike extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families concerned following this tragic incident," his sponsor said in a statement. "As it is a police matter, Nike will not comment further at this time." Two other sponsors, Oakley and BP Global, both used the word “shocked” in their statements on the issue. Thierry Mugler fragrances had nothing to say other than it was waiting to see what happens with the investigation.

British Telecom, better known as BT, also went the “appalled” route with its statement: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy. Given the ongoing legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."Continue reading...

Procter & Gamble is redoubling efforts to tap into the emotions of consumers and the inventiveness of entrepreneurs as CEO Bob McDonald declares that he has brought the company through a rough patch and sees a brighter future.

The company has just launched a new front door for its vaunted open-innovation program, Connect + Develop. The new website aims to speed up and simplify external connections by linking would be innovators directly to top company needs, and P&G business leaders directly to external innovation submissions.

Connect + Develop, which the company describes as, "at the heart of how P&G innovates," has been responsible for a wide variety of game-changing innovations introduced by P&G over the last decade, ranging from Swiffer Dusters to Crest Whitestrips. The aim of the new site is to make the sorts of connections that lead to such innovations "easier and more effective," Laura Becker, general manager of Connect + Develop and of global business development for P&G, said in a press release. Continue reading...

As criticism raged Tuesday over surprise news that wrestling would be eliminated in the 2020 Summer Games, another Olympic controversy wasn't getting as much attention: How have so many tickets to the upcoming Winter Games already disappeared?

Tickets for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia went on sale this week, priced from 500 rubles (about $16 USD) for the ice hockey group games and up to 50,000 rubles (over $1,600 USD) for the opening ceremony. The Games in the Black Sea resort city will feature 98 medal events — 12 more than the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Surely, the Olympics are undoubtedly popular. But some wondered how the majority of a tickets available online could possibly sell out within the first few hours after being made available on Feb. 7.Continue reading...

P&G's new "Everyday Effect" campaign may not be quite as inspiring as the company's inspiring "Thank You, Mom" campaign during the London 2012 Summer Olympics, but it comes close with its uplifting language about the power of everyday acts to inspire big changes, a theme expanded on its Facebook page.

The description for the video, above: "As we begin another year, we embrace the notion that the biggest impact in our lives comes not in the grand gestures, but in the everyday acts. We remind ourselves that the greatest changes begin in the simplest moments — the conversation over breakfast with your 10-year old, or your baby's first steps. At P&G we see the power that these everyday acts have in defining our lives, our families' lives and the life of our planet. We call this the power of The Everyday Effect."

Now that the NHL has reached a tentative deal that could see the players (finally!) hit the ice as soon as next week, let us now praise Nike's role in egging the league to put on its skates and cut a deal.

For years, Nike has ridden on the parade floats of champion athletes, signing big names to sneaker deals in order for fans to covet what the stars wear and to showcase their powerhouse athletes in a wide variety of advertisements (and add their names to buildings on the Nike campus in Oregon, too, of course).

However, the athletic wear giant struck a chord last summer when it touted a more populist message ("Find Your Greatness") during the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Nike hadn’t signed on to sponsor the Games but its name became forever aligned with England’s big event when it aired a commercial that featured everyday athletes competing in other Londons around the globe and urged those watching to find their own greatness.

As winter rolled around in the Western hemisphere, Nike duly hit another nerve for the average fan and athlete. With more than half of the NHL season cancelled due to a stand-off between wealthy owners and wealthy players, Nike launched a campaign on Dec. 19th keying in on the fact that hockey fans were fed up with the lockout and salary cap war — and the sport and its fans didn't need the NHL to survive.Continue reading...

Back in October, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade parted ways with Michael Jordan after serving as a spokesman for his Nike-backed Jordan Brand for a number of years. Wade, who has plenty of fans in America, was moving on to conquer a new land: China.

Only a week later, Wade confirmed rumors by announcing that he had signed with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning. And now Li-Ning is coming right back to Wade as it's signed a deal with the Miami Heat that will find the team's branded merchandise sold at the American Airlines arena (where the billboard above can currently be spotted) and its name and logo posted on in-arena signage as well as on the team’s website and its TV broadcasts.

"The LI-NING brand represents both style and substance and is therefore a welcome addition to the Miami Heat family of partners," said Eric Woolworth, president of The Heat Group's Business Operations, in a press release. "We're eager to help introduce Li-Ning to Heat fans everywhere and we are confident their new collection of Wade merchandise will have a very broad appeal."

Li-Ning, in the middle of a three-year overhaul, is hoping the new partnership will boost its revenue and perception. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company “will record a substantial net loss for the year … as they attempt a major turnaround.”Continue reading...