The Olympic Games is one of the biggest platforms for branding, with its international spotlight shining on more than four billion TV viewers in some 200 countries and territories worldwide. 

Sustainability has been front and center in the London 2012 Olympics, as the London Olympics organizing committee (LOCOG) bid was based (and awarded) on the promise on making the 2012 Summer Games the "greenest ever," starting with the initial bid through the building of the low-carbon Olympic Park. Of course, with any lofty (particularly environmental) goal comes great scrutiny — and peril if perceived to be falling short.Continue reading...

The Olympic Games is one of the biggest platforms for branding, with its international spotlight shining on more than four billion TV viewers in some 200 countries and territories worldwide. 

Sustainability has been front and center for the London 2012 Olympics, as the London Olympics organizing committee (LOCOG) bid was based (and awarded) on the promise on making the 2012 Summer Games the "greenest ever," starting with the initial bid through the building of the low-carbon Olympic Park. Of course, with any lofty (particularly environmental) goal comes great scrutiny — and peril if perceived to be falling short.Continue reading...

• BMW talks up sustainability as automaker unveils colorful designs for Olympics loaner fleet of 4,000 cars and SUVs.

• Some London residents may get missiles stationed on their rooftops as city firms up security plans.

• London mayor Boris Johnson complains that Heathrow airport chaos is damaging UK reputation ahead of the Games.

• McDonald's Coca-Cola and Cadbury criticized for Olympics sponsorship.

• Yahoo plans biggest Olympics coverage ever thanks to P&G and Visa sponsorship.

• China signs Wurth as Olympics basketball team sponsor.

• Organizers struggle to keep up with web ticket sales to football/soccer fans.

• New technology will measure impact of extra traffic on London.

Pepsi's biggest bid to re-assume brand and cultural relevance begins this week under the rallying cry and new global tagline of "Live for Now." PepsiCo is looking to this new pop-culture-based campaign to deliver on executives' promise to reignite growth in the company's flagship beverage brand.

Songstress Nicki Minaj will be the initial poster child for the campaign, which will get going with a homepage takeover of Yahoo.com on Wednesday by Pepsi, which will cross-promote Pepsi Pulse, as Pepsi's website is branded, reflecting the interactive hub that will serve as the social-media nexus for Pepsi's campaign.Continue reading...

Lululemon, the billion-dollar Canadian yoga-inspired athletic apparel brand founded by former surfer Dennis "Chip" Wilson in 1998, continues to cause a stir in retail, lifestyles and its focus on a tight community with bizarre principles. 

In its earnings report last month covering its fiscal year that ended on January 29th, the company's CEO, Christine Day, announced:

"Reaching a billion dollars in revenue is clearly an important milestone that as a company we can all be very proud of. But far more important than the number itself are the beliefs, values, culture and people that achieved it. We really are so much more than our numbers; it is the everyday actions of our dedicated team that translates into an unparalleled guest experience and allows us to achieve our ultimate goal of elevating the world."

The original mission that Wilson set out for the brand, to "elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness," has morphed into "create components for people to live long, healthy, and fun lives."Continue reading...

Apple profit rises 94% on global iPhone demand, while iPhone also boosts Sprint.

Benetton founder hands reins to son.

bmi airline future hangs in the balance.

BMW stretches 3-Series for China.

Burger King makes commitment to animal welfare standards, expands Whopper Bar in Canada.

Citigroup takes over ATP World Tour tennis sponsorship from Legg Mason.

Facebook may be developing a smartphone with HTC.

Ford faces UK strike action.Continue reading...

What does a brand do when most of its competitors are recasting or overhauling themselves in a highly competitive industry? If you're McDonald's, well, you keep doing what you've been doing. Because everyone else is — still — trying to catch you.

And as he takes over from Jim Skinner as skipper of a smooth-sailing ship in a high-profile year with the London 2012 Olympics looming, new CEO Don Thompson has pledged to do exactly that: double down on the fundamentals that have enabled McDonald's basically to skate above the Great Recession and global economic stagnation even since then, and keep finding ways to improve its brand, menu and customer experience.Continue reading...

You've got a city in such bad shape financially that it's being dictated to by the state. A school system in utter tatters, with perhaps the worst yet to come. A heroic and adulated mayor laid low by health issues in the midst of it. A poster child for urban decay. Yes, Detroit.

So what better place than the Motor City for a genuine feel-good story to arise? Consider how Ford and the United Auto Workers are jointly pledging $100,000 to Detroit's Martin Luther King High School Jazz and Marching Band so that the kids can take a trip to the Summer Olympics in London and perform around London.Continue reading...