TD takes top spot on Interbrand's new Best Canadian Brands ranking.

JCPenney continues claw-back of new business model, plans to use term "sale" again.

Sara Lee renames North American business Hillshire Brands and narrows focus to meat.

Apple uses more celebrities in marketing; what does that say about new products?

Justin Bieber debuts another fragrance concept called Girlfriend.

Burger King expands in Russia.

Clear Channel shifts royalty deal for music artists including Taylor Swift's label.Continue reading...

The folks at Lego thought they were throwing open a door to a wealth of new consumers when it introduced its Lego Friends line back in December. Since it’s being designed for and marketed to girls, the company figured it would be creating a whole new source of revenue and please any parents eager to bring their daughters into the world of Lego.

Instead, it got a whole lot more, with 50,000-plus people signing a petition against the new line. The uproar’s volume may have been turned down since then but Lego Friends still has its detractors, a fact that the toy-maker is aiming to turn around.

The first step comes today, when Lego execs are scheduled to meet with two young women who helped lead the petition and discuss possible improvements, a release from Change.org states. Bailey Shoemaker Richards and Stephanie Cole launched the campaign against Lego on the Change.org site. The two 20somethings are members of the “girl-fueled organization SPARK Movement,” according to a press release.Continue reading...

For generations, Lego has been considered a pretty unisex toy. You could build anything with those colorful little plastic blocks, but that was before big-time partnerships and licensing ever became truly part of the marketing equation.

When you walk into a toy store and look at the Lego shelves, it’s not too hard to find Lego products aligned with things that are traditionally marketed to boys, and lately they've been co-branded: Lego Harry Pottery, Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Alien Conquest, etc. The strategy helped Lego engineer a massive brand turnaround, making about $1 billion last year in the U.S. alone. The next step, naturally? Creating Lego lines aimed at girls.

Having dipped a toe in the water with pink boxes containing brightly colored bricks and flowers, Lego went all out with the launch of Lego Friends, a line expressly targeted to girls, that launched in December. Not everyone, however, is convinced that gender-specific Lego is the way to go.Continue reading...

Airbus faces order by European regulators for checks of all A380 jets.

Anheuser-Busch demonstrates new emphasis on sophisticated consumers in its advertising as Bud Light enlists Weego, the Super Bowl dog, to continue buzz.

Apple's iPhone reportedly squeezing carriers.

Buffalo Wild Wings rejoices that NFL season came off.

Chrysler sees no let-up in criticism of Eastwood ad as plot thickens.

Coca-Cola boosts marketing and branding investment as word comes that its Super Bowl livestream exceeded expectations.

Disney sells out Oscars advertising on ABC.Continue reading...

Lego made headlines after a couple of Canadian teen tech whizzes sent a Lego man to space and created a viral video that captured the world's imagination. But it's not all awe-inspiring for the brand in Canada.

Lego's main competitor, Mega Brands of Canada, would like Lego to share some of the market space and thinks the company has pulled a few fast ones along the way to make sure that it doesn’t have to.

This kind of anticompetitive accusation typically leads to litigation, so no surprise that Mega has filed a federal antitrust complaint against Lego.Continue reading...

FedEx gets zombiefied — get your Halloween makeup tips here.

Below, Ford's new Lego concept car, selling bottled water in India, and more.Continue reading...

Apple "iPhone 5 in October" rumors heat up and cases appear, while Samsung sues to pre-emptively block the device in Korea.

Netflix's Qwikster spin-off proves a turn-off to observers, subscribers and Wall Street.

Tyson Foods releases social campaign for Feeding America, and settles 12-year legal battle with employees with $32M settlement.

AT&T faces tough battle with seven states backing DoJ suit.

Facebook and Time Warner's CNN and Cartoon Network team up on anti-bullying pledge app.

Jarritos Mexican soda appeals to non-Hispanic young men with new campaign.

Kenshoo expands relationship with Omnicom's Annalect.

Lego enhances augmented reality packaging.Continue reading...

Amazon to release new album by Blondie as an exclusive.

Apple criticized for China supply chain pollution.

AT&T's T-Mobile setback seen as test case for tougher US antitrust limits.

BNY Mellon ousts chief in shake-up.

BP offices in Moscow continued to be raided by government officials in document search connected to lawsuit.

Bennigan's begins brand-wide overhaul.

Billie Jean King launches USTA-backed arthritis PSA campaign at US Open.

Conde Nast aggregates popular content with Social Sidekick.Continue reading...