When the Olympics kick off in London in the summer of 2012, it won’t just be the best sprinters, swimmers, gymnasts, basketball players, rowers, table tennis players, and pole vaulters in the world going head to head. It means the world’s biggest brands incessantly pushing their products hard from the lead-up to the July 27 Opening Ceremonies to the Closing on August 12 in the hopes of ruling the international roost of their market.

Adidas, the official outfitter of the London 2012 Olympics, expects to sell £100 million worth of themed merchandise, according to the Financial Times, sparking hopes that the event will help the brand unseat Nike as the sportswear leader in the United Kingdom.

“The Olympics is a springboard for our plan to take UK leadership by 2015,”  Herbert Hainer, Adidas Group CEO, commented to Marketing Week. “Nike has always been first with major cities but that trend is shifting in our favor and we have the momentum and the Games to help us grain control.”Continue reading...

Fashion collaborations have produced some odd bedfellows before, but none that intrigue our inner child—while befuddling our outer grown-up—like the projects of Walt Disney Signature, Disney’s adult lifestyle consumer products brand extension.

Working with high-profile design talents in art, home and fashion design, the brand has produced a series of unlikely products, from Italian armchairs with a TRON: Legacy motif to $1,000 pavé diamond “dinosaur” bracelets inspired by Fantasia.

The latest Disney collaboration to set fashionistas abuzz is the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection from hip accessory label Hayden-Harnett. It seems an offbeat choice for the Brooklyn-based business, which is better known for It bags and retro rags than for swashbuckling style.Continue reading...

Microsoft revives "I'm a PC" tagline to promote Windows 7 PCs (above) in tough market ... to mixed reviews.

Below, new TV commercials from McDonald's, Disney, Volkswagen, Land Rover, George Clooney and more.Continue reading...

"I really don’t think women want to go around looking like a Saint Laurent shopping bag," Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld told the New York Times at today's Spring/Summer 2011 collection in Paris, referring to the bright colors that popped on the catwalks in New York, London and Milan — and the pink and orange of the classic YSL bag.

Instead, notes the Times, "Lagerfeld kept the colors soft and pale: pink, sky blue, peach, gold and silver tones — and heaps of black." After the jump: Chloé, YSL, the first Alexander McQueen collection (by the late designer's protege, Sarah Burton), Stella McCartney, and Dior for Spring 2011.Continue reading...

Mad Men's stylish cast (and their Barbie versions: Roger, Joan, Don and Betty) are ready for Sunday's season 4 premiere. Check out Barbie circa season 1 after the jump.

Betty White is putting her face on a limited collection of hipster hoodies.

Booty Pop spearheads fashion's rear view.

Diane Von Furstenberg and other fashion designers are in love with Twitter.

Katy Perry will launch her first perfume exclusively at Neiman Marcus.Continue reading...

BP halts plan to seal new cap as more testing is required. 

CNN is thisclose to signing Piers Morgan to replace Larry King.

Comcast wins E.U. approval for NBC Universal deal.

Apple shares dip on iPhone 4 recall uncertainty.

American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia get E.U. approval for alliance.Continue reading...

Hope springs eternal – even in luxury retail. Gucci is going green.

Delivering on the brand's promise last November to reduce paper use and its carbon footprint, Gucci says its signature luxury packaging now conforms to FSC Certified paper standards and is 100% recyclable.

It's the latest luxury brand to make good on a Rainforest Action Network-backed pledge to reduce paper in packaging, a commitment that has already signed up Valentino, Versace and Prada.

Gucci Group now joins those ranks, with a commitment that also extends to its Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga brands.

It’s a major change for Gucci. Bags, boxes, and tissue paper will no longer contain plastic laminate; ribbon and garment bags will change from polyester to cotton; and bags will be labeled: "This shopping bag is FSC certified and made of 100% recyclable material."Continue reading...

Clothing line Benetton will reorganize internally to keep up with competitors. [WSJ]

Casual Male is expanding its stores to include a big-and-tall warehouse. [Boston Herald]

Adidas capitalizes on its relationship with celebrities in a new commercial. [BrandFreak]

The NCAA basketball tournament is expected to bring in solid advertisers. [CNN Money]

Raquel Welch reprises her role as a Foster Grant spokeswoman. [LA Times]

Apple computers were given permission to use Amazon's Kindle application. [Reuters]Continue reading...