Virgin and Qantas say they're open to offers as airline industry consolidates and J.D. Power says customer satisfaction is highest in three years.

AOL says it's in a start-around phase.

Gucci packaging is going green.

Honda's CR-Z is getting a European push, including an online interactive aimed at Facebookers.Continue reading...

Director-artiste David Lynch would like to point out that despite calling product placement "f**king bulls**t," his latest film for Dior is a straight commercial, not a product placement. Lynch made this distinction clear some time ago during a panel discussion, saying, "I do, sometimes, commercials to make money."

Not that the 12-minute short film Lynch has created around Shanghai and Marion Cotillard's considerable charms (and Dior's latest handbag) comes across as a shallow money-making endeavor.Continue reading...

Read anything interesting on brands and branding lately? Post a link in the comments! Our recommendations:

The New Yorker on Haim Saban (the Guardian hears he's eyeing Newsweek).

Amazon to Drop Free Books from Kindle Bestseller List. [PW]

Tommy Hilfiger replants its American flag. [NYT]

How P&G weathered the recession. [Fortune]

(Gucci, Nivea, Nordstrom's and more.)Continue reading...

United and Continental launched a website to explain their union. (As we prepare to bid adieu to Continental, post-merger approval, enjoy some classic TV ads above.)

Apple's iPad reaches 1 million sales faster than iPhone; Apple is also on the hunt for startups.

Avis may try to top Hertz's bid for Dollar Thrifty.

BP described by Reuters as "under seige" today as company deals with oil spill clean up.

Ford, GM, Chrysler and Toyota reported April sales figures.Continue reading...

Apple files to trademark app icons and shuts down Lala music service, while Adobe confirms it will move away from Apple products.

BP fights to repair its image as the Louisiana oil spill widens and US halts offshore drilling.

Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo, Swatch, Gucci and Prada tap into the 2010 World Expo, kicking off today in Shanghai.

More headlines after the jump.Continue reading...

A branding battle over the letter "G" has turned into a theater of the absurd. About a year ago, luxury brand Gucci sued wannabe high fashion brand Guess, accusing the latter of trademark infringement.

Gucci claimed Guess' use of an interlocking "G" pattern was "part of a sophisticated and elaborate scheme to target Gucci, to create products that are similar in appearance to the most popular and best-known Gucci products."

Gee, that's a heavy accusation. The lawsuit was not without a sense of humor though, with the French-owned Italian brand accusing Guess of an attempt to "Gucci-ize" itself.

To save its brand the indignity of being declared a purveyor of knock-offs, Guess of course fought the charges. Now, almost 12 months later, the lawsuit has turned into a soap opera, with Gucci firing its lead lawyer... for not being a lawyer.Continue reading...

The Oscars are fast approaching, and on Sunday the world's most famous celebrities will wear the latest and greatest luxury brands on the red carpet – from Valentino, Armani, and Versace to Jimmy Choo, Christian Dior, and Gucci. Which luxury brands will leverage the opportunity to both glam up movie stars and make an impression on millions of people? 

Find out by following brandchannel’s real-time coverage of the red carpet via Twitter. Follow us on the brandchannelhub! 

Luxury and fashion brands that want to survive now and into the future are anxious to reach consumers between the ages of 18 and 28, commonly referred to as Millennials. What they recognize, however, is the "in-your-face 20th-century approach" just doesn't work with this audience; instead, Millennials want to be "entertained and informed" through increasingly sophisticated technology.

According to a report on Millennials by the Pew Research Center, 75 percent of this youthful audience engages in social networking. This "makes them very savvy consumers," says Robert Polet, president and chief executive of the luxury brand Gucci. "We are embracing different ways of creating dialogue through social media. Some of our brands have launched Facebook and Twitter pages and iPhone applications."Continue reading...