With The Help holding on to the top spot again, there is little to be said about Hollywood product placement at the US box office (click here to read our product placement overview of The Help). So let's look to Bollywood, where the film Bodyguard just set domestic records for opening day.

The Indian film also happens to be packed with loads of non-Indian product placement.Continue reading...

Carnival Cruisers Thirsty for Thirstyfrog

Carnival Cruises is bringing its private-label draught beer ThirstyFrog Red, which was introduced on the Carnival Magic in May, to the rest of its fleet. Fifteen Carnival ships have already received kegs of the brew, with three more set to get them soon. The beer sells for $5.50 a glass and debuted in the Caribbean-themed RedFrog pub, the cruise line’s first. USA Today notes that Carnival may introduce the pub concept to other ships along with the beer.Continue reading...

New York's Finest is extending crime-fighting to social media, with the New York Police Dept. creating a unit to track potential law-breakers who reveal their plans or brag about crimes on Twitter, MySpace and Facebook.

According to a report in the New York Daily News, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kevin O'Connor, 23-year veteran and resident gang guru, has been tapped to head up the new juvenile justice unit charged with mining social media for signs of troublesome house parties, gang showdowns, and stings to catch predator perverts. 

The growing power of social media, in particular Twitter and BlackBerry messaging, has been evident in the London riots this week, and utilized by both sides – cops and rioters, sharing news about police positioning and targets to burn and loot, and outraged citizens posting photos of looters on Tumblr, Facebook and Flickr of the rioters.Continue reading...

With 1.2 billion people in India, there have to be more than enough that surpass the cool quotient needed to own a Harley-Davidson. It’s been 13 months since Harley opened its first dealership in the world’s second most populated nation.

The 108-year-old, Milwaukee-based company announced this week that it will release the Fat Boy Special in India to anyone who wants to shell out Rs. 19.7 lakhs ($44,210) for an image-changing powerful set of two wheels, according to the Hindu Business Line.

It will be shipped into India previously built and be sold alongside the 14 other Harleys available there.Continue reading...

Accenture drives social business adoption through gamification.

Amazon battles U.S. states over taxes.

Bally expands to India.

Banco Popular expands rebranding to Popular Inc.

Canada sees online ad revenue exceed print for the first time.

Cargill recalls 36 million pounds of turkey products.

CNN finds host Piers Morgan coming under parliamentary pressure and accusations by Heather Mills over hacking.

Coca-Cola joins brands testing cloud-based in-text social advertising.

comScore acquires analytics firm AdXpose.

Dunkin' Donuts rolls out Keurig single-serve cups, with Starbucks to follow.Continue reading...

The week that was in branding begins with India, where Sirji 3G is offering itself as a solution to the nation's population control problem. When the power goes out, don't boink, play 3G games!

Oh, baby... Pampers ad runs alongside 300+ sex positions app.

Seized counterfeit goods are being donated to homeless in the UK.Continue reading...

Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB) is in the 'hood, the South Bronx hood to be precise, teaming up with New Yorkers like Grammy Award producer, rapper, and artist Swizz Beatz, graffiti artist Cope 2, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Assemblyman Carl Heastie, all gathered in support of healthier lifestyle choices.

Activities held today at THE POINT include:

• Sampling stations with Aquafina, Diet Sierra Mist, SoBe Lifewater and Pepsi MAX
• Cooking demonstrations from City Harvest highlighting healthy summer recipes
• Live art installations by Swizz Beatz, with parents, students and faculty from The Bronx Charter School for the Arts and Cope 2.

"Being a father and also being involved with The Bronx Charter School for the Arts, I understand even more how important it is to stay healthy," said Beatz (who's now a proud papa to a son with partner Alicia Keys) in a release. "The Bronx Flavor initiative shows Pepsi-Cola North America's commitment to the well-being of our community."Continue reading...

When Harley-Davidson went from a way of life brand to a lifestyle one in the 1990s, it put itself in the perfect position to suffer severely from the 2008 economic meltdown in which its best customers saw layoffs and massive drops in their retirement accounts and home values — while at the same time those offering to loan money for purchase of, say, an $18,000 motorcycle, all but disappeared.

From a 2008 profit of $654 million, Harley saw a $55 million loss a year later, and duly dropped to #98 (from #73 a year earlier) on Interbrand's 2010 Best Global Brands ranking.

Now, a just over a year after threatening to leave its longtime headquarters in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports that Harley has "begun delivering all 14 models in next year's Touring and Sportster lines to dealers in the United States and Europe, which will allow dealers to sell 2012 models throughout the peak summer selling season." But it's not open road for the iconic brand just yet.Continue reading...