China is the second largest economy in the world and every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse)—but who's got the time?! Here's the week's reads that will make you look like a keen China observer in case you find yourself immersed in a cultural conversation.

This week: Shanghai's Gangnam Bar... Maxi pad branded-content... Huang Xiaoming for Busen... Mocking Forrest Gump... Hershey and Nestle... Lenovo PC profits... China buys Fisker... Gatsby, Tesco woes... Hello Kitty melons... Art Basel hits Hong Kong... and more.Continue reading...

Yum! Brands third quarter earnings report is being closely watched.

Barclays to buy ING online assets.

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer urged to repurchase stock, profiled in New York magazine.

AT&T shares network with IBM to lure more customers to the cloud.

Amazon veers more into advertising.

American Airlines loses traffic over operational issues.

Apple asked by Taiwan to blur satellite image as Samsung spat dings brand perception.Continue reading...

Johnson & Johnson’s Band-Aids have been around since 1920 and it feels like its logo has been around even longer. But now the iconic brand owned by Johnson & Johnson is changing its look a wee bit, something that hasn’t happened since the ‘80s.

There’s a new logo coming soon to a scraped knee near you. It's designed by Kevin Dresser of the New York design firm Dresser Johnson. The challenge: Since the iconic Band-Aid logo has been around for so long, the hope with the redesign is to show that the adhesive bandage has “a new direction that represented the future of the brand.” So Dresser created “a bolder, more distinctive look that better stands out on drugstore shelves,” J&J's press release notes.

"My goal for the logo restoration was to create a timeless design," stated Dresser. "Band-Aid is an iconic American brand. I wanted to honor that heritage and at the same time create something that feels contemporary and modern."Continue reading...

Call it awww-gmented reality: Starbucks has updated its Cup Magic augmented reality app, introduced before Christmas, in time for Valentine's Day. Send and receive 3D virtual messages by scanning limited edition love heart adorned cups — more info here.

More Valentine's brand love below, from Pizza Hut, Heineken and more:Continue reading...

After weeks of dominance by vampires, the box office is about to be overrun by a cyborg.

Indeed, if ever there was a film version of a lifeless automaton, designed in a lab, with the sole purpose of unstoppable domination, it would be the ensemble New Year's Eve. A sibling to 2010's Valentine's Day--in which we counted nearly 60 brand appearances--New Year's Eve promises to be loaded with brands.

But a much more indie film opening this weekend may have more.Continue reading...

Allstate looks to jettison weak agents.

Amazon's iPad challenging Kindle Fire set to be revealed today.

Arnott's promotes Roadies beer chip brand in Australia.

Aston Martin named UK's coolest brand, while Asos tops British digital brand love ranking.

Barclays is Britain's most beefed about banking brand.

BP launches "My Gulf" web series promoting Louisiana Gulf Coast tourism and culture on YouTube.

CBS News confirms Andy Rooney's last 60 Minutes is Sunday.

Esprit value tumbles.

Facebook wins first round in fight with Teachbook.Continue reading...

Sanrio is bringing Hello Kitty to China, with its first theme park in the country exporting the mouthless feline and her friends from Japan to mainland China.

The designated site is in Anji, a rural area in eastern China's Zhejiang province, about three hours drive from Shanghai, Nanjing or Suzhou — or less than a two-hour drive from Shanghai once a new highway is constructed by 2014, the target launch date for the opening.Continue reading...

Read anything interesting on brands and branding lately? Post a link in the comments! Our recommendations:

The New Yorker on Haim Saban (the Guardian hears he's eyeing Newsweek).

Amazon to Drop Free Books from Kindle Bestseller List. [PW]

Tommy Hilfiger replants its American flag. [NYT]

How P&G weathered the recession. [Fortune]

(Gucci, Nivea, Nordstrom's and more.)Continue reading...