It's the dance trend that will not die. Watch Lululemon's Harlem Shake (yoga-style) version above, and below, Pepsi's two Harlem Shake videos and other brands shaking their thang worldwide, from Australia to Israel:Continue reading...

Kohler was a brand caught squarely in the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble a few years ago. But it's only because of that debacle that the Wisconsin-based maker of bathroom fixtures now is busy supplying a still-promising boom in demand for its most expensive toilets by upper-middle-income consumers in China.

The century-old company made porcelain, mainly in Wisconsin, and became a multi-billion-dollar brand by supplying it for homes and businesses as the American building boom continued from after World War II to a few years ago. Along the way, the family that owned the privately held company was able to build up a five-star resort in its hometown, an elaborate "toilet museum" nearby, and world-class golf courses such as Whistling Straits, on the banks of Lake Michigan several miles a way.

But Kohler sales fell from about $5.5 billion in 2008 to about $5 billion last year largely because of the U.S. housing bust, forcing a cut in the Wisconsin manufacturing workforce to about 1,800 people from about 2,700 people. And that's where the silver lining comes in.Continue reading...

Meet Numi — the toilet so swanky it deserves to sit in the living room of a minimalist pad overlooking LA.

Kohler's "most advanced" toilet ever is not only water-efficient (of course); the luxury bidet hybrid comes with a charcoal filter deodorizer, a night light, an electronic control panet that lets you program classical music, FM radio or plug in your iPod, heat your feet and the seat, automatic seat-opening and -closing, and a plethora of other high-tech features. (If it made martinis and gave back rubs, the $6,400 unit might displace a few husbands and boyfriends, too).

Showing it has a sense of humor about its business, Kohler also just released a mock PSA, below.Continue reading...

Wisconsin is the home to a number of iconic brands. Kohler, Mercury Marine, Briggs & Stratton, Kohl's, Marcus theaters, and Masterlock all call the cheese state home. But in the mind of consumers how connected are those brands with the state itself?

The brands that are strongly tied to a Wisconsin state identity include Miller Brewing, OshKosh B'gosh and Harley-Davidson. However, Harley is now contemplating how its brand might fare without a Wisconsin pedigree. 

Last week, it became public knowledge that Harley-Davidson was entertaining the possibility of moving out of Wisconsin for a more cost-effective environment unless "millions" could be saved at its manufacturing facilities in Milwaukee and Tomahawk.

Such a move would certainly be bad news for Wisconsin's people and state pride; but might it also be a penny-wise pound-foolish move for the Harley brand?Continue reading...