Add P.F. Chang’s name to the growing list of major restaurant brands that are learning how to extend their relationships with consumers through grocery stores.

Sales of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro frozen retail items climbed 117%, to $14.5 million, in September, suggesting that it’s possible for China Bistro to reach robust annualized sales of $117 million. And that’s just in stores measured by SymphonyIRI, which doesn’t track sales via Wal-Mart. 

P.F. Chang’s has joined other casual operators in chasing customers into the frozen food section at the grocery store.Continue reading...

Airstream pitches younger, creative affluents on RV-ing.

Apple is wooing publishers to develop iPad versions of their titles.

ARM, a British semiconductor firm, holds a command position in the crucial technology of low-power chips.

Barnes & Noble’s takeover struggle centers on e-books.

BP finally seals the well in the Gulf of Mexico, but the effects of the disaster will linger for years.

California Pizza Kitchen tests technology that allows patrons to pay their tabs from their tables.Continue reading...

* Amazon is preparing a subscription service to deliver movies and TV shows online.

* AOL is acquiring Rally Up, a location-based social networking service.

* Apple is expected to unveil a souped up Apple TV with Netflix streaming today.

* Blockbuster tests new “early-delivery” marketing strategy as it tries to stave off bankruptcy.

* BP is selling its Malaysian assets to Petronas.

* Burger King talks about a possible sale.Continue reading...

Supermarkets are the last refuge for an increasing number of distressed quick-serve brands. Arby’s is the latest example of the trend toward putting restaurant-branded products in the grocery aisle.

The struggling Atlanta-based fast feeder, part of the Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, said that it had reached a deal with Nancy Bailey & Associates, an Atlanta-based marketing firm, to begin fielding offers to sell packaged Arby’s items on supermarket shelves. Nancy Bailey is a well-regarded licensing go-between that, for example, does lots of business with Procter & Gamble.

But what would Arby’s peddle at your local grocer? That’s hard to foresee. Maybe its mozzarella sticks, in the frozen-food aisle? Pre-packaged jamocha shakes? It wouldn’t seem to be feasible to sell fresh roast-beef-and-cheddar sandwiches anywhere in the supermarket. Previously for a time, Arby’s peddled its iconic sauces, such as Horsey Sauce, at retail.Continue reading...

Google wants newspapers to profit from online ads. [AP]

The Facebook search feature gains ground. [Business Insider]

Stevia helps Crystal Light's new campaign. [Brandweek]

Nintendo loses appeal with its DSi XL. [Businessweek]

Toyota could end up paying another large fine. [Daily Finance]

7-Eleven promotes 'Iron Man 2' with cups. [BrandFreak]Continue reading...

Successful food brands often hesitate to mess around with what's working. Maybe they remember one of the most notorious mishaps in branding history: When Coca-Cola introduced the new taste of  "New Coke" in 1985, public outcry forced the company to reinstate the original formula.

Apparently, Domino's Pizza isn't worried about a similar backlash -- the company is about to change its long-time pizza recipe. The move, says Domino's Chief Marketing Officer, Russell Weiner, reflects "what consumers are looking for. We're not talking about a slightly-altered version of our previous pizza. It's a completely new pizza reinvented from the crust up, and we are proud of it. ... We spent the last 18 months reinventing the brand in anticipation of our 50th anniversary."Continue reading...