In sad news for the Village People, the YMCA follows KFC, NPR and AARP in formally adopting its acronym and shedding three letters to become just the Y. Individual branches will still be known as "The YMCA of ____." (Update: Village People respond, more details here.)

BP shares rise on news it's making progress on oil spill containment but not making promises — and that it's rumored to be in talks to sell assets to Apache, and facing a possible ExxonMobil takeover bid. Louisiana is pitching BP on a scheme to get unemployed commercial fishermen back on the job.

Spain's octopus-predicted triumph over the Netherlands in the World Cup final drew Nelson Mandela to the closing ceremony while Uruguay's Diego Forlan won the Adidas Golden Ball (not the unpopular Jabulani) for individual achievement. A likely terrorist attack in Uganda killing at least 60 World Cup fans marred yesterday's celebrations.Continue reading...

Estimates put the American Muslim population at six to eight million – a small but relatively unmined marketing ‘Mecca.’ The challenge of targeting this eclectic group remains somewhat daunting, although it’s worth about $200 billion. 

Many Muslims are recent immigrants of Middle Eastern descent; but just as many are U.S. natives. Many are African-Americans. Some are traditionally religious and others secular. Research indicates they are less influenced by price and value, more aware of brand names, and more gender-specific.

National brands including Best Buy, Ann Taylor, ESPN, Verizon and U.S. Healthcare are showing up on Muslim-oriented websites such as hijabtrendz.com and chillyoislamyou.com, while Hallmark sells Eid cards for the end of Ramadan.Continue reading...

The NBA's hottest free agent is no longer free: LeBron James announced his decision last night to join the Miami Heat after the New York Knicks signed Amar’e Stoudemire.

Miami is hardly the launchpad New York could have been for James, according to Interbrand's analysis, as it does not "enable brand stretch or provide an outlet for LeBron to continue building his brand to the extent that other markets provide." James, however, isn't looking to be the next Michael Jordan (Magic Johnson, maybe) and doesn't want to carry a team (and city's) hopes on his shoulders alone. MSG head James Dolan commented before Johnson's decision, "It takes courage to play where the lights shine the brightest."

Besides the Cleveland Cavaliers, the other brand loser last night? ESPN, writes the New York Times' Richard Sandomir, who calls its live special a "debacle." Watch AP's take after the jump.Continue reading...

ESPN defends tonight's live hour-long special with LeBron James' NBA franchise decision against infomercial charges as rumors fly. The special's commercial revenue (which LeBron's team is handling) is going to the NBA star's favorite kids' charity, as outlined in the video above.

Domino's extends transparency campaign and seeks truth in advertising in its photo/video shoots, with a related user-generated photo contest. Chipotle also aims for truth in advertising as founder signs on for NBC restaurant reality series.

Barneys tests 3D ads and Saks gets funny as US retailers try to woo shoppers.Continue reading...

YouTube revamps mobile website, making its iPhone YouTube app obsolete.

The Huffington Post bought Pollster.com. As Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight prepares to be folded into the New York Times, rival poster John Zogby takes a swipe at Silver.

Disney was ordered to pay $270 million in damages to Celador, the producers of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, to reimburse ABC and Buena Vista U.S. revenues.

NBA star LeBron James will announce his free-agent plans live on ESPN tomorrow night. Speculation that he's going to the New York Knicks drives up MSG stock.Continue reading...

The battle for the U.S. mobile customer is heating up. Exhibit A: the latest commercial for AT&T's "Rethink Possible" campaign, "all about the possibilities that are out there when you expand your boundaries and embrace discovery." Airing during ESPN's 3D World Cup soccer coverage, it's also running in 3D movie screenings.

Verizon, meanwhile, is dropping its ubiquitous "Can you hear me now?" spots featuring actor Paul Marcarelli. Instead, its tough new campaign (watch the first spot after the jump) that touts "Verizon's signal. There to ensure the most powerful transmitter is you. Rule the Air." Signal strength has been something of a sore spot for AT&T in its partnership with Apple.

Verizon's new campaign comes as it's launching major assaults on AT&T: 4G this year, Motorola's Droid X next month and (reportedly) the iPhone starting in January, which if true would break AT&T's exclusive grip on Apple's prized product.Continue reading...

Danone targets low-income consumers worldwide with its yogurt brands; more in the Wall Street Journal video above.

GM aims to shift market valuation, mulls showroom to wow Wall Street, as U.S. likely to shed 20% stake in IPO.

Google's spat with China continues as Google Me social network project is confirmed by former Facebook executive in a blog post.

SABMiller prefers women beer-tasters' palate when testing Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Grolsch, Miller and Coors variations.

And Smirnoff, step aside: Girls Busching Girls, the copycat female version of Bros Icing Bros, has arrived.Continue reading...

Brands are luring music-lovers with a variety of musical tie-ins:

• Adidas Originals is hosting a live chat with Snoop Dogg on its Facebook page tomorrow to celebrate reaching the 3 million fans benchmark.
• Converse is appealing to hipsters with indie music collaborations such as artists Cudi, above, and Best Coast.
• Keds is sponsoring performances at The Whitney (and taps artists such as Jenny Holzer for limited-edition sneakers) in summer collaboration.
• Levi's is promoting musicians such as Jason Mraz and John Legend & the Roots as part of its Pioneer campaign.
• VICE magazine and Intel kicked off their Creators Project collaboration in NYC, featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner and other artists.
• Among luxury brands, meanwhile, Burberry is working with British musicians (and tapping some to model) to support its digital marketing.

More brands making news after the jump.Continue reading...