Walmart will test in-store lockers for online deliveries a la Amazon. 

CBS aquires 50 percent of TV Guide Network for $100 million.

Southwest Airlines becomes the official airline of golf.

California shoe company sues Under Armour for trademark infringement.

Facebook and TiVo continue to battle over thumbs-up symbol.

After weeks of rumors and potential leaks, the Miami Dolphins will unveil their new logo on April 25.

Doritos officially launches new global campaign and redesigned packaging.

Human Rights Campaign's red equal sign logo for gay marriage goes viral on social media.Continue reading...

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit and COO John Havens quit unexpectedly; board elevates EMEA CEO Mike Corbat to top spot.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, back from two-week maternity leave, poaches new COO from her previous employer Google.

RIM sees its once-iconic BlackBerry slip into black-sheep territory.

CBS extends CEO Les Moonves for two more years to 2017.

Chrysler opens availability of natural-gas-powered Ram pickup to retail sales.

Facebook opens UK engineering hub to focus on mobile.

Foxconn admits to breaching child labor laws.Continue reading...

Heineken to assume control of Tiger Beer producer Asia Pacific Breweries for $4 billion.

NASA sees $2.5 billion Mars Rover "Curiosity" successfully land, Twitter explodes.

Unilever sets sights on overtaking Skinny Cow with Magnum brand.

London 2012 Olympics boosts personal brands of Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis, Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, and Andy Murray. 

Abercrombie & Fitch leads brands entering India via web partnerships.

Apple iPad grabs 68% of global tablet sales.

Applebee's woos late-night diners.

AT&T plans to phase out 2G networks.Continue reading...

For the past eight years, fifteen brands have ranked at the top of their category in the Harris Poll EquiTrend Study, a survey of over 1,500 brands across more than 127 product categories.

"These 15 top brands have consistently found a way to remain relevant and valuable to the consumer," said Aron Galonsky, SVP for Harris Interactive's Brand and Communication Consulting group. "It's not surprising why these perennial leaders continue to stay on top. They continually deliver a consistent and balanced brand experience, year after year, that really resonates with the consumer."

Check them out below, along with more from Harris about why they made the 2012 list.Continue reading...

Brands must understand that customer service is an important part of the "value equation" for consumers these days even though it might seem that price remains their most important criterion for brand satisfaction because of the continued financial struggles of so many Americans.

Apple, Cadillac, Four Seasons, JetBlue, Kohl's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Scotttrade, USAA and Wegmans are among the brands that understand the importance of people as a driver of service excellence has increased substantially these days, and that's why they were among the 50 brands named this week by J.D. Power & Associates as 2012 Customer Service Champions.Continue reading...

Airbus raises prices of A320neo plane amid strong demand, as Boeing threatens to compete better in 2012 .

AirTran must reinstate whistleblower pilot.

American Express invests $125 million in China mobile payments startup.

Apple eases into corporate market with Macs, while textbook push draws interest.

BankUnited draws bids from TD Bank and others.

Beyonce and Jay-Z challenged by Blue Ivy trademark applicant.

Burberry sales surge on international demand.Continue reading...

For some, the very term "climate change" is open to debate — witness the comments on our Coca-Cola scrapped polar bear white can blog post — but a just-issued report card by Climate Counts suggests major corporations are taking their impact on climate very seriously.

Climate Counts, a nonprofit collaborative effort to bring consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change, scores the world's largest companies on their climate impact each year to spur corporate climate responsibility and conscious consumption.

This year's Scorecard, the organization's fifth annual report, is particularly encouraging because 13 companies scored 80 points or higher (out of a maximum of 100 points), representing more than triple the number of companies to achieve that threshold in 2010. "Of the twenty largest companies scored," says Mike Bellamente, Climate Counts Project Director, "seventeen are scoring at the highest level."Continue reading...

Every plane American Airlines owns was made by Boeing, but that's all poised to change following an order for 460 “existing model and re-engined small airliners” that was just given to Boeing and rival Airbus.

"(N)o single manufacturer could provide the number and variety of aircraft we need to fulfill our vision for the future," American Airlines Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey was quoted in a report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

American President Tom Horton also downplayed the rivalry. "Some characterized this as a split deal,” he said. “I would characterize it as a 'both' deal. We decided that each deal was so compelling, and the replacement economics and flexibility for both was so compelling that we wanted to do both."Continue reading...