Consider the latest round of attacks on BP:

• "Boycott BP" movement gains traction with Facebook glitch removing protest page.
• World Cup fever meets BP outrage with online plot to annoy company execs with vuvuzelas.
• The company was just smeared with a molasses attack at its sponsored Tate London exhibition, a stunt protest in New York's Times Square, not to mention an outpouring of ire at the G20 Summit in Toronto.

All of which raises a good question: Will the Gulf of Mexico disaster inspire innovation beyond creative protests and logo spoofs?

Virgin founder Richard Branson, promoting Virgin America's new flights to Toronto, says he hopes the spill inspires at least one positive outcome: more focus on cleantech and green energy solutions.

Tell us what you think by adding your voice to our BP debate.

(Images courtesy Interbrand)

Cristiano Ronaldo gets his own (unofficial) iPhone app; check it out after the jump.

Ambush marketing, such as Bavaria's orange-dressed dig at official beer Budweiser, should warn brands, according to Australian law blog.

Nike unveils mural at Selfridge's in London as nod to Team England and Brazil.Continue reading...

The battle for the U.S. mobile customer is heating up. Exhibit A: the latest commercial for AT&T's "Rethink Possible" campaign, "all about the possibilities that are out there when you expand your boundaries and embrace discovery." Airing during ESPN's 3D World Cup soccer coverage, it's also running in 3D movie screenings.

Verizon, meanwhile, is dropping its ubiquitous "Can you hear me now?" spots featuring actor Paul Marcarelli. Instead, its tough new campaign (watch the first spot after the jump) that touts "Verizon's signal. There to ensure the most powerful transmitter is you. Rule the Air." Signal strength has been something of a sore spot for AT&T in its partnership with Apple.

Verizon's new campaign comes as it's launching major assaults on AT&T: 4G this year, Motorola's Droid X next month and (reportedly) the iPhone starting in January, which if true would break AT&T's exclusive grip on Apple's prized product.Continue reading...

Adidas 2010 FIFA World Cup giant live-in Jabulani soccer ball stunt in Australia assailed for not being green enough. Watch Adam Santarossa, aka the man in the ball, above.

GE sends giant wind turbine blade to Washington, D.C. to rally support for clean energy and smart grid technology. GE also allocated an additional $10 billion for its Ecomagination initiative.

Does Tesla's successful IPO today bode well for green cars' growth?Continue reading...

As BBC Sports blogger Paul Fletcher notes, "Manchester City misfit Robinho might have failed to justify his £32.5m billing in the Premier League but in South Africa he is a pivotal part of Brazil's campaign to win the World Cup for the sixth time."

He's also a pivotal part of Nike's latest entrant in its viral smash Write the Future World Cup 2010 campaign, which debuted during last night's rousing 3-0 Brazil-Chile game. Robinho and his team-mates face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Will Nike's much-buzzed footwear shoo Brazil into the semi-finals? And will they protect Robinho from the (as Abe Sauer notes) Write the Future curse?

Thanks to those of you who take the time to not only read, but post a thought-provoking response, on brandchannel — and a special shout-out to loyal reader Bill Backus for taking time to post such thoughtful comments.

Aso, thanks to everyone who took time to fill out our reader survey. We've heard from more than 1,000 of you, and will start digging into your responses this week to help brandchannel better reflect your needs. Stay tuned!

World Cup: Nike vs. Adidas Heats Up

"As a South African, living the World Cup in South Africa, I have been impressed by some and bored by others. For me, the star performer has been Coca-Cola. The reason, I believe, is that many of the partners were looking for what exposure they can get out of the sponsorship as opposed to what they could give to the fans. Therefore, many campaigns are backed by pure muscle (read: money). They are loud, aggressive and in your face. Coca-Cola took the approach of giving something back - generous with what they distributed to the publci in SA, inspirational in their advertising and spirited in their support for football-mad fans everywhere. Their acquisition of the Wave Your Flag song was magical in generating goodwill for the brand and in entrenching their already dominant position in Africa with the clever use of an African artist and the iconic South African vuvuzela.Continue reading...

Opportunistic advertising takes quick advantage of events, sometimes at a dizzying pace. No sooner had England lost to Germany in the FIFA 2010 World Cup (attracting 19.5 million viewers on the BBC's live coverage yesterday) than two car manufacturers were using the defeat in ads.

Kia has a newspaper ad in The Times of London today that proclaims, "Oh well, at least our warranty beats the Germans." Nissan counters with an ad in The Sun pitching its GT-R model with the headline, "One match the Germans didn't win."Continue reading...

Can Facebook withstand the coming Facebook movie?

Kia and Nissan run ads noting England's World Cup defeat in U.K. newspapers.

McDonald's eyes beverages to take on Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.Continue reading...