It hasn’t been a great couple of years for Johnson & Johnson. Since 2009, “faulty manufacturing” caused J&J to “recall millions of bottles and packages of Tylenol, Benadryl, Motrin and other over-the-counter medicines,” NBC News reports. While that was happening, pharmacies were starting to push their own private labels.

It got so bad that this past winter, CVS didn’t even stock Tylenol at a number of its stores. That isn't all. The company is facing over 10,000 lawsuits regarding the alleged failure of its Depuy metal-on-metal hip transplants, and it just got done paying $181 million in settlements over off-label marketing of its antipsychotic drug, Risperdal, Ad Age notes.

As Mad Men’s Don Draper says, if you don’t like what people are saying, you change the conversation. So J&J is going all-in on a rebrand, putting up to $30 million into a play-to-the-heartstrings Band-Aid of a campaign called “For All You Love.”Continue reading...

Interbrand's 2012 Best Global Brands report sees Coca-Cola on top, Apple and Samsung make gains, Disney and HP decline, and BlackBerry lose 39 percent of brand value.

Samsung files to add iPhone 5 to Apple patent lawsuit as US court lifts injunction against Galaxy Tab sales and Galaxy S3 outsells iPhone 5 in UK.

Amazon plans to hire 10,000 British temp employees for the holidays.

American Airlines accuses pilots of sabotage as loose seats embarrass execs.

American Express ordered to refund $85 million to customers and pay $27.5 million in penalties.

Apple's iPad Mini rumored for Oct. 17 unveiling.

Cadbury wins exclusive right to its signature purple color in legal battle.

Disney unveils new homepage with entertainment focus.

Facebook sells more access to members as part of ad analytics push; Wall Street approves.

Google's stock market value passes Microsoft's for the first time.

Guinness launches "cloud TV" campaign.Continue reading...

AIG's former CEO, Hank Greenberg, sues U.S. government and Federal Reserve Bank for $25 billion over takeover.

Bill Gates testifies in Novell suit vs. Microsoft.

Cadbury's trademarks its distinctive shade of purple.

David Beckham's legacy starts to be assessed as Los Angeles Galaxy ending looms and Paris beckons.

Donald Trump estimates the Trump name's worth at $3 billion.

eBay buys Hunch to help discern individuals' taste. 

GE expands to Iraq.

GM retools former Saturn site and prepares to manufacture China autos in Egypt.

HP reports spending $3.3 billion on WebOS as Meg Whitman sets course for turnaround.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...

We may be witnessing a slowly developing economic recovery, but that's little consolation to the pharmaceutical industry. This year, according to the New York Times, drug companies will see annual sales of almost $50 billion evaporate. Why? Because the patents for more than 10 major drug brands will expire.

It's a reality that has lingered for years. A drug company invests huge amounts of money in R&D and finally wins approval to bring a drug to market under a brand name.

But that drug can only be protected by a patent for a certain number of years; when the patent expires, generic versions of the drug can be sold, almost always at a cheaper price. Take Tylenol, for example, one of the brand names for acetaminophen. Continue reading...

Bing and Kinect will be in the spotlight as part of Microsoft's ad buy during the Golden Globes.

Charlie Chaplin copyright issue affects 10-year-old's fundraiser.

Republican party chairman contender Michael Steele drops out as Reince Priebus is named.

BP boosts holdings in Russia, swapping $7.8 billion in stock for a 9.5% stake in state-owned Rosneft firm.

Facebook pitches UK advertisers with first summit.

First Direct claims its iPhone app is first transactional banking app.Continue reading...

AMC expands dining options in US cinemas.

Android will conquer the iPhone and other smartphones... according to Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak.

BP's board tightens oversight of daily operations.

Carrefours to open in India, stay in Malaysia.

CNN pays tribute to Chile's freed miners.

Disney plans for e-commerce growth in India.Continue reading...

Brand marketers know the power of a strong brand name. That's why they often don't hesitate to extend the brand by applying that name to a line of related products.

In the pharmaceutical industry, it's common for a well-known brand name to be extended into other similar branded products. Tylenol, for instance, is now available in a growing variety of products, including regular strength, extra strength, Tylenol 8 Hour, Tylenol Arthritis, Tylenol Sinus Congestion, Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom, Tylenol PM, and Children's Tylenol.

But extending a drug brand to a non-drug item is unusual and might even be risky if the association isn't clear in the consumer's mind. So it will be interesting to gauge consumer reaction to a new line of "allergen barrier fabric products" being launched by London Luxury in an exclusive licensing agreement with Merck Consumer Care, makers of Claritin, the leading non-drowsy, over-the-counter allergy brand in the US.Continue reading...