Businesses in southwestern US give abandoned Circle Ks a new life. [Design Observer]

The print magazine may be gone, but Gourmet's brand lives on. [NY Times via Econsultancy]

Facebook updates its privacy policy with rules governing deleted accounts. [CNET]

Advertising awards for gay-friendly brands. [AdAges]

After boosting Fox News's ratings, White House strikes a "truce" deal. [Daily Finance]

Online shoe retailer Zappos' personalized recommendations miss the mark. [The Awl]

Wal-Mart expects international store growth to outpace US growth. [FT]

UBS won't revive PaineWebber brand. [WSJ]

Ford rises in Consumer Reports' reliability rankings. [LA Times]

Michael Jackson's brand lives on through "This Is It," debuting this week. [NPR]

Apple is in talks with Chicago transit authority to rebrand subway station. [Geek]

India's tiny Reva Electric Car Company is the battery-powered car leader. [NY Times]

(More headlines: Kodak, 7-Eleven, Martha Stewart.)Continue reading...

Could Gourmet magazine been saved by cross-branding? [Ad Age]

Not everyone agrees. [Fork In The Road]

Warehouse chain Costco takes a starring role on ABC's "Modern Family." [BrandFreak]

Fox, Burger King poke fun at Jessica Simpson, alienate American women. [AdAges]

NBC faces trademark and copyright suit over use of fonts. [Cityfile]

NBC Universal announces global rebranding effort, shorts expansion projections. [FT]

Bank of America to name emergency CEO this week. [WSJ]

Apple resigns membership in US Chamber of Commerce over climate legislation, following Nike and J&J. [WSJ]

Two Chrysler executives exit abruptly after 4 months on the job. [FT]

BSkyB rebrands to overtake BBC, become the "most loved and respected" news source. [FT]

Ford set to sell "stalled" Volvo, focus on namesake brand. [Bloomberg]

Microsoft unveils new cellphone operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5. [NY Times]

Toyota faces potential US import ban amidst patent-infringement investigation. [Bloomberg]

(More headlines: Brand USA, Gourmet mourned, Legg Mason rebrands.)Continue reading...

Conde Nast Publications announced this morning that it is shuttering four magazines, following a widely publicized review by McKinsey and Company. Food bible Gourmet will shut down, Brides will increase to monthly publication but Modern Bride and Elegant Bride will close, as will family lifestyle magazine Cookie.

The changes show resolve by Conde Nast to eliminate redundant brands -- an opposite strategy than earlier in the decade, when the company was happy to boast food titles Gourmet and Bon Appetit, men's mags GQ, Details, Cargo, Vitals, and Men's Vogue, home titles House & Garden, Architectural Digest, Domino and occasionally Vogue Living, and numerous women's books including Vogue, Glamour, Self, Jane and Allure. In those days, the company's direction was to block competition and nail down every available ad dollar in a given category.

Now, the company has reversed course. Cargo, Vitals, and Domino (all clones, to some extent, of Conde's successful shopping magazine Lucky), Jane and House & Garden are gone, and Men's Vogue has been folded into Vogue as a twice-annual supplement.Continue reading...