Since 1931, the family-owned Cipriani brand, which got its start in Venice, has been known for its quietly elegant and luxurious bars, restaurants and clubs.

Five of Cipriani locations are in New York City, with eight others scattered around the world (London, Hong Kong, Porto Cervo, Venice, Abu Dhabi, and Istanbul). The firm's New York properties also includes the Cipriani Club Residences at 55 Wall Street and two event venues in Manhattan.

Now, Cipriani is leveraging its reputation in another area — hotels — with the launch of Mr. C, a new brand that kicks off with Mr. C Beverly Hills, which opened June 1st.Continue reading...

BabyBjorn, the baby carrier brand everyone loves to paint with the Yuppie label (but which non-Yuppie parents still swear by) has a new brand extension, high chairs.

The sensible new direction results in a new $300 chair that the brand swears is worth the price. Why? Technology, baby!Continue reading...

Sanrio is bringing Hello Kitty to China, with its first theme park in the country exporting the mouthless feline and her friends from Japan to mainland China.

The designated site is in Anji, a rural area in eastern China's Zhejiang province, about three hours drive from Shanghai, Nanjing or Suzhou — or less than a two-hour drive from Shanghai once a new highway is constructed by 2014, the target launch date for the opening.Continue reading...

As Glenn Beck gets ready to exit Fox News earlier this year, his next gig may raise some eyebrows.

His production company, Mercury Radio Arts, just launched Markdown.com as a direct competitor to Groupon, LivingSocial and scores more in the social deals and group buying space. Beck's announcement came via a Twitter update: “Proud to announce the launch of Markdown.com. Valuable deals with partners who have values. Today: CHOCOLATE!” 

The key differentiation according to Beck: “Markdown is a place where I will be able to connect you directly with the products and retailers that I love…But, best of all, Markdown is a place where my personal slogan and values will be brought to life.” And in case you were wondering: this is not a stunt from those wags at The Onion or Funny or Die, by the way.Continue reading...

Justin Bieber's new women's perfume (about which the 17-year-old pop star tweeted "A real man knows what a lady wants") will hit stores next month.

"Someday," as it's called, departs from last year's unisex "My World" fragrance exclusive for Walmart by selling via a more upmarket retail network that includes Macy's, Sephora, Lord & Taylor, Dillard's, Nordstrom, "and other fine department stores." Priced at an affordable $25-$35, the proceeds, a least partly, will benefit charity. The TV commercial (which will debut during Tuesday's Glee finale) was shot "on a Boeing 737 that creates a zero gravity environment."

The design, however, isn't so much "giving back" as "taking from."Continue reading...

Above all, Donald Trump prides himself on being an exceptional businessman. In fact, one of his core criticisms of the current leader is that he doesn't know how to do a deal, saying in one interview "I'm a deal man. I make hundreds and hundreds of deals and transactions. [President Obama] never did deals before."

So then, just what kind of a business impact would a Trump presidency have on, say, Trump's signature golf courses? We already know.Continue reading...

When Brynwood Partners bought the Balance Bar brand from Kraft 18 months ago, new management recognized one of the biggest obstacles that had arisen for the Balance Bar brand: It was in a segment where innovation had gone as soft as, well, one of the bars after a week at the bottom of a gym bag.

Long past the point where nutrition bars had become a better-for-you novelty, few brands were doing much to differentiate themselves. So Balance Bar has focused on innovation lately, with a willingness to test the brand's elasticity.

One of the most intriguing is Balance Bar Café, a new line that is aimed squarely at getting the brand more business in the morning — and not just at the gym. With flavors including Cinnamon Bun and Chocolate Almond Biscotti, Café is meant to not as a health fix, but as a morning snack to go with coffee or tea.Continue reading...

The world of Disney brand extensions are a little like the US federal budget. Every year it grows and grows and becomes an increasingly impossible thing to keep track of with nobody remembering why certain additions were made and almost no hope in sight of a contraction.

Two recent announcements only add the the expanding amount of Disney-branded merchandise available to our nation's children, both the child and adult variety.Continue reading...