Maybe now, finally, Toyota can get back to brand-building.

The relief must have been palpable at the company’s American headquarters in southern California after today’s news that the U.S government found electronics didn’t play a role in any of Toyota’s safety-related problems of last year.

The joint announcement from NASA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) means that Toyota was right in saying that its engineering flaws were restricted to mechanical failures that it already diagnosed — and driver error.

It also means that Toyota’s word could be trusted that it had gotten to the bottom of the problems, that electronics and software didn’t play a role, and that it was making sure they couldn’t happen again. It also means it can get back to business.Continue reading...

Gap has issued a response to the "Made in USA" vs "Really Made in China" labeling on its holiday collection, a story that brandchannel broke yesterday:

"We regret any misunderstanding caused about Gap’s line of FEED USA bags. There are several bags in the FEED USA collection. The FEED USA Canvas Tote bag and the limited edition one-of-a-kind Bandana Bag are both made in the USA. However, the FEED USA Denim Bucket bags are made in China, and should not have been connected to the Made in the USA signs. The tags in the bags are labeled correctly. The signage in the store is incorrect. We are removing the store signage and our website is being updated. We apologize for any inaccurate messaging. We are proud of our FEED USA partnership. Gap donates $5 toward FEED USA’s school lunch program for each bag sold."

Indeed, the denim bucket bag in question is no longer for sale on Gap.com's FEED USA holiday store.

As Abe Sauer's story pointed out (based on a tip from brandchannel reader Tom Martin, who spotted the disconnect and uploaded his pix online), the point isn't the worthiness of FEED USA or the holiday campaign.

It's about misleading labeling, and the disconnect between Gap's messaging and merchandising, particularly in a high-profile holiday and corporate social responsibility initiative.Continue reading...

WSJ.com is live-blogging the Google-Verizon press conference on net neutrality. The tech giants are discussing their joint proposal that "the principles of net neutrality to be enforceable for wired Internet services (and) this includes the idea that broadband providers would not be able to prioritize content for a fee."