P&G sees results boosted by sale of snacks division as its Tide brand turns to Betty White for advertising help.

Sony attributes weak financials to PlayStation sales slump.

Chick-fil-A braces for GLAAD's Friday "kiss-in" protest.

ABC and Good Morning America finally overtake NBC and The Today Show in key demographic.

ADM profits slide on higher corn costs.

Amtrak losses examined by Congress.

Apple requests sanction for Samsung as court battle heats up.

AT&T to acquire NextWave Wireless.

Beyonce plans to direct and star in film about her life.Continue reading...

Iconic Chinese director Hu Ge teams up with 7Up for sci-fi viral that ChinaSmack reports racked up 4 million views in just 10 days.

The second largest Ikea in the world has been assembled in Shanghai. (The largest is still in Sweden).

Think the media is still in meltdown mode?Continue reading...

Ford Fiesta and Chevy Cruze help fuel Detroit's comeback. 

Hangover 2, despite lousy reviews, is on track to be most lucrative comedy ever.  

Heineken extends UEFA Champions League sponsorship.  

Oscar Mayer, Ball Park hotdog wars heat up.

Hulu plans to add commercials.

Lockheed Martin falls prey to cyberattack.Continue reading...

Labor Day weekend's movie box office tally saw Machete and Going the Distance, both films featuring Apple products, trumped for the #1 spot by the Europe-set moody hit man film The American. Movie-goers may be surprised to learn that the producers of the retro cool flick struck a prominent product placement deal with designer discounter Gilt Group for the brands featured in the film, including Samsonite luggage and Clooneh's Zegna suit.

The big product placement story this week, however, was that Going the Distance marks an important turning point for Apple product placement. For years, Apple’s “I’m a Mac” spokesman, actor Justin Long, appeared in films that were also rife with Apple products (i.e., Live Free of Die Hard, He’s Just Not that Into You, Funny People, Accepted, and Drag Me to Hell). But while his most recent film, Going the Distance, features some Apple product placements, Long's character very prominently uses a Dell. Dude! Is there a clever message being sent here?

Visit Brandcameo for a product placement analysis of The American, and how Clooney's ode to Italia upsets the Apple cart that's been dominating our movie brand-tracker this year. (We also adjusted our rankings to reflect The Takers overtaking last weekend's box office tally.)

Tiffany & Co. next month starts selling its first women's handbag collection in 20 years, part of a bid to "extend its brand beyond jewelry," as Bloomberg notes.

The women's collection is priced between $395 for a tote bag to $15,500 for a "Laurelton" glazed crocodile leather satchel. But it's the "Holly" clutches, which come in both satin jewel tones and leather, that will likely prove the biggest lure for fans of Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Check out the Holly clutch, and why Tiffany's got a brand new bag, after the jump.Continue reading...

NBCU head Jeff Zucker will reportedly step down, post-Comcast merger, with a $30M exit package (reports News Corp.'s media outlets). Comcast COO Steve Burke, a Disney/ABC veteran, is the lead contender to succeed him.

BP's Gulf operation hit a snag today; while director James Cameron was consulted about the oil spill in the Gulf. Seriously.

Diet Coke is promoting its European "Love it Light" campaign on Facebook.

Ford is extending its custom graphics program to all models.

Four Seasons cuts amenities but seeks to protect brand.Continue reading...