Coca-Cola promises to reduce marketing to kids as part of global anti-obesity commitment.

Levi Strauss buys naming rights to planned new stadium of San Francisco 49ers.

Lay's reveals chip-flavor contest winner.

Abercrombie & Fitch draws fire for stocking only "skinny" sizes for women.

Activision Blizzard warns "World of Warcraft" is losing subscribers.

AT&T severely slashes Facebook Home phone prices.

BT enters British-sports broadcasting.

Claire's IPO will test market for debt-laden companies.

Ford takes over as title sponsor of Detroit's annual fireworks.

Google Maps will reportedly unveil new interface.Continue reading...

Havaianas, best known to the world's consumers as the brand that represents the ubiquitous flip-flop, turned 50 in 2012. It was a year in which the Brazilian company made enough flip-flops to circle the world 50 times.

Carla Schmitzberger, who oversees the brand in her role as head of the sandals business unit at Havaianas' parent company, Alpargatas, said that until the 1990s, "mostly poor people wore" Havaianas. "However, there was a small group of wealthier people that were wearing the product, but they were wearing them at home, and they were embarrassed to be seen with them because they were considered a poor person's footwear," she shared in an interview in the latest edition of Interbrand IQ.

Indeed, the brand was launched in 1962 with the goal of outfitting Brazil's peasants — not by a Brazilian but by a Scotsman, Robert Fraser, who was inspired by traditional Japanese shoe design.Continue reading...

Hostess is in talks to sell off bread brands, as makers of Thomas' English muffins and Tastykake snacks emerge as two of the bidders for Wonder Bread according to the Wall Street Journal.

Hulu CEO resigns as web TV startup faces impasse.

NHL resolves labor dispute, faces shortened season.

Apple envy one of Fast Company's suggested New Year's Resolutions for brands.

Bank of America settles with Fannie Mae for $10 billion.

BMW is paring back car discounts in Germany.

CES lures brands and marketers to Las Vegas.Continue reading...

QVC is selling Titanic-branded merchandise for sinking centenary next month. "Legacy 1912 –Titanicä" perfume, anyone?

H&M is rumored to have a high-end luxury fashion line in the works, while its Conscious Collection lands on April 14th.

Converse Chuck Taylor Premium line recasts iconic high-top sneaker in luxe leather.

Move over, Ralph Lauren's Big Pony and Lacoste's Big Croc — Benetton is joining the big logo brigade:Continue reading...

Our most-read blog posts of the week include Facebook's Timeline, General Mills Magic Brownie Campaign, The 2014 Super Bowl Logo, and more:

#1 What Was General Mills Smoking to OK Cheech and Chong Magic Brownie Campaign?

#2 Facebook Timeline's New Breed of Apps Lets Brands Get More Social

#3 Baseball Giant Brian Wilson Pitches Virtual VUE

#4 Facebook Unveils Timeline for 'Friction-less' Serendipity

#5 Do African-Americans Need Another African-American TV Channel?

#6 Target x Missoni: The Social Fall-Out

#7 Porsche Runs QR Campaign on Airline Tickets. Will It Fly?

#8 2014 Super Bowl Gets a Frosty Logo

#9 Angry Birds Live: The Legal, and Illegal, Versions

#10 With 'Rioting' at New Hong Kong Store, is Apple's China Strategy Off-Track?

Our most-read blog posts of the past week include Social Media Wars, Starbucks, Coke's Bottle Sizes, and more:

#1 Coke Resizes, Broadens Less-Is-More Strategy

#2 Starbucks Makes a Splash with Designer Tees

#3 Social Marketing: The Latest Research on Boosting Facebook Engagement

#4 'Cool Japan' Branding Evolves with Uniqlo Logo Designer and 'Japan Next'

#5 Facebook Unveils Timeline for 'Friction-less' Serendipity

#6 Social Wars: Chilled Out Google+ Woos Irritated Facebook Users

#7 Target x Missoni: The Social Fall-Out

#8 China VW Dealer Uses Naked Models to Sell Das Auto (NSFW)

#9 Sonic Happiness: Coca-Cola Releases "The Great Happyfication"

#10 Starbucks Eyes Global Grocery Domination

It was a brilliant idea, brilliantly marketed. Pegged to New York Fashion Week earlier this month, Target teamed up with upscale Italian designer Missoni to create an exclusive collection of clothing and housewares for the retailer.

Promoted in a novel way with a social media 'character' (a giant doll named Marina), the amount of hype and anticipation by fans crashed the store’s website when the line launched online on Sept. 13. And things haven’t gotten better since.Continue reading...

Amazon launches YoYo portal for kids toys.

American Express buys virtual currency monetization platform for $30 million.

Angry Birds is poised to expand as Rovio works with Starbucks and other brands to expand footprint.

Apple's stock closes at all-time high.

Braun announces theme for 2012 BraunPrize.

CNN opens first CNN Cafe, in Seoul.Continue reading...