Hoping to take a bigger bite out of Europe's $8 billion single-serve coffee market, Mondelez, the No. 2 coffee maker, will start producing coffee pods compatible with its rival Nestle's Nespresso machine.

This isn't the first time that rival brands have tried to collect some profit off of Nespresso's single-serve brewer, which requires special, premium-priced pods. Nestle has filed patent-infringement suits against several companies for producing the copycat pods, but hasn’t had much success in stopping distribution. In fact, in some markets, Nespresso-branded pods have lost 10 to 20 percent of market share due to more competitively priced alternatives, Bloomberg reports.

The issue lies within Nespresso's distribution model, which still relies on a direct-to-consumer format, leaving grocery store shelves vacant for competitors' offerings. While the system has seen sustained success in Europe, Nespresso is looking to expand further into the US, where single-serve competition is even more intense.Continue reading...

Lululemon CEO steps down.

Mondelez to launch coffee pods for rival Nespresso machine. 

Google cuts illegal drug site search ads and videos.

Adidas sued by church over Adizero trademark. 

American Airlines unveils post-merger top management team.

Apple allows iTunes Radio users to pay to avoid ads.

Boeing sees no jet bubble.

CBC apologizes for botched national radio rebranding. 

Citibank could face $7 billion loss on currency swings, analyst says.

Comcast beefs up in-home Wi-Fi.

Dole Food gets buyout offer from CEO.Continue reading...

Chinese have a sweet tooth but, unlike Americans, it's not mainly for chocolate. So the iconic American chocolate maker is finally adapting itself to the tastes of China as Hershey makes its first major product launch beyond the U.S. market.

Lancaster, known in Chinese as Yo-Man, is a condensed-milk candy aimed at the fastest-growing segment of the quickly expanding Chinese confectionery market. Hershey estimates the segment to be worth $1.2 billion a year, and it accounts for about a quarter of all candy sold.

"We've spent the last two years working with core suppliers, with our consumers and our customers to really develop something that makes sense for the Chinese palate," Steven Schiller, a senior vice president of Hershey, told CNBC. "It's got a premium nature in terms of the slow roasting milk quality to it and we really think that we've hit on something that Chinese consumers are going to love."Continue reading...

Tumblr brings sponsored posts to users' feeds.

P&G lines up race for Lafley's successor.

Camel cigarette brand under fire for targeting kids. 

Caterpillar reaches tentative deal with union in Milwaukee.

Conde Nast opens up Vogue cafe in Dubai. 

DC Entertainment unveils new 75th anniversary Superman logo.

Dell proceeds with its buyout effort.

Fiat awaits court's verdict on share price before proceeding with Chrysler merger.

Jaguar speeds to early success with F-Type launch.Continue reading...

Two unlikely global titans have partnered on a “mobile only” media deal whose footprint covers 16 countries, from developed markets in North America and Europe to emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Mondelez International, the CPG giant behind billion-dollar brands like Oreo and Cadbury, announced today that it has inked a landmark deal with Google: a one-year partnership that will include mobile search, display and websites. While financial terms were not released, the deal will include branded mobile websites, training and mobile capability building, analytics and opportunity to opt in to Google's mobile beta programs.Continue reading...

Adobe abandons boxed software for the cloud.

Samsung keeps hammering Apple in new ad strategy for Galaxy S4.

Tim Tebow tops Forbes' new list of most influential athletes.

Acer plans to launch windows tablet in June.

Aereo asks judge to prevent new lawsuits by CBS.

Audi considers building plant in Brazil but seeks clarity from government.

Disney plans new Star Wars games through Electronic Arts.

Estee Lauder sets sights on big September fragrance launch.

Facebook made the Fortune 500 list for the first time.Continue reading...

To paraphrase the late US Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois: "A billion dollars here, a billion dollars there—pretty soon you're talking about real money."

That's why investors, analysts, journalists and CEOs all tend to listen to activist investor Bill Ackman: He can throw around $1 billion at a time, and it is very real money. Right now, for example, he's got a $1 billion short position on Herbalife, betting that the multi-level-marketing company's shares eventually will be worthless.

But for today, at least, there's reason to doubt the acumen of Ackman on Herbalife, a marketer of weight-loss shakes and skin lotions that he has condemned as a pyramid scheme. The company beat analysts' expectations about its quarterly earnings again this week and raised its full-year outlook, as well as celebrated the growing influence of Carl Icahn, an old-school corporate raider who's increased his stake in the company and publicly defended it against nouveau gadfly Ackman.Continue reading...

Mondelez International's first-of-its-kind Mobile Futures Network is teaming brands with top entrepreneurial minds to bring pilots to market in as little as 90 days. 

"The Mobile Futures program has been an extraordinary experience for all of us at Mondelez International,” said Bonin Bough, vice president of global media and consumer engagement. “It has given us the opportunity to work with and learn from leading mobile innovators to enhance how we engage with our consumers.” 

The pilots, focused on mobile-at-retail, social TV and SoLoMo (social/ location/ mobile) technology to enhance consumer experiences and drive impulse purchases have launched across multiple brands under the Mondelez umbrella. The global company hopes that the service-y and social tie-ins will help build brand relevance beyond obvious user engagements for brands like Chips Ahoy! and Stride Gum.Continue reading...