Apple looks to secure content deals ahead of iCloud unveiling as company previews announcements and Steve Jobs involvement in rare move.

Big Ten Network rebrands as BTN.

CTIA dismisses World Health Organization finding on cancer/mobile link, as WHO also issues new tobacco warning.

Google estimated to take 54 cents of every web ad dollar spent.

LinkedIn establishes Asian base in Singapore.

Montreal promotes its festivals in NYC's Times Square.

Netflix stock hits all-time high as troubled Nokia's stock hits 13-year low.Continue reading...

Royal Wedding fever sets all-time record for web traffic, including striking 3 million Facebookers in the US and UK. Does this prove the British monarchy is still relevant? Weigh in!

NASA forced to reschedule Space Shuttle Endeavour launch due to tech problem.

NFL players head back at work today (and court, as lockout standoff continues) as NFL draft gets underway.

AIG claims it was a victim in new lawsuit. 

Clear Channel pulls pro-Palestine billboards in Seattle.

CNN hires Erin Burnett away from CNBC.

Donald Trump's political future in question after f-bomb tirade.

South Africa faces booze ad ban.

Toyota and other Japanese automakers trim US ad spending.

Twitter estimates that 70% of its traffic is non-US.

After running TV and print advertising mocking its rival Vodacom's recent rebranding in South Africa as "a lick of paint," the mobile carrier Cell C was ordered by the country's Advertising Standards Authority to pull its TV advertising (see another spot below) and tweak its print ads.Continue reading...

ABC's Desperate Housewives renew contracts with eight-figure salaries. 

Amazon launches $25 cheaper ad-supported Kindle.

NFL players, owners ordered to start federal mediation.

Donald Trump goes on the warpath against New York media.

BP gives Florida $30 million for advertising.

Costco undercuts cheapest gas prices but stocks $1M diamond ring.

David Beckham says he will collaborate on a kids clothing line with pal Snoop Dogg.

Experian says 30% of searches came from Bing last month.Continue reading...

Now that it's majority owned by the UK's Vodafone, the South African wireless brand Vodacom has rebranded, changing its official color from blue to red and adopting a new tagline ("Power to You"). But as it notes below, it's more than just a new paint job — and there are some interesting twists and turns to its new image.Continue reading...

It seems as if all the excitement surrounding global brand growth has been centered around China. In the past year, we've reported on everything from China's "Silicon Valley" to the nation's emergence as the new frontier for Western fashion. Similarly, India has gotten a lot of play as an emerging brand powerhouse and marketing hotbed. Even Facebook opened an office there over the summer.

But big brands, perhaps seeing a saturation point looming in those regions, are looking ahead to other growth areas — and putting the African continent on their radar screen. And they don't intend to sleepwalk their way across the continent, as in Coke's tongue-in-cheek Happiness spot above.Continue reading...

It's been overlooked in the ongoing BP spill saga that the embattled oil giant is an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, donating "millions of litres of fuel" to support the month-long global soccer-fest.

The oil giant's "SA United" TV campaign is aimed at fans of the sport in the host nation, and has already won awards, for good reason.

The TV commercials, which pit teams of unlikely local soccer fans against each other, are quite funny, and you can't go wrong with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, either.

Let us know what you think – check them out after the jump.Continue reading...

The upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is a showcase for both international soccer (or football) stars and brands. As we've reported, such brands as Adidas and Nike will be competing head-to-head for brand bragging rights. 

But there is another aspect of the 2010 FIFA World Cup that often goes under-reported from a branding perspective: the continent selected for this year's tournament.

When it announced the World Cup slogan back in November 2007, FIFA said, "Africa is a continent with a rich reservoir of resources, but the continent's biggest asset by far is the warmth, friendliness, humility and humanity of its people. This was the inspiration for the Official Slogan of the 2010 FIFA World Cup: 'Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa's Humanity.' "

South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, added at the time, "We want, on behalf of our continent, to stage an event that will send ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo -- an event that will create social and economic opportunities throughout Africa."

Sounds good, yet one has to wonder: what will the 2010 FIFA World Cup really do for Africa?Continue reading...