New York City’s Citi Bike bike share program is finally ready to launch, with 6,000 bikes and 330 docking stations spreading in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but plenty of New Yorkers have already found something to complain about. 

The just-placed docking stations are causing parking and delivery problems for residents and business owners. According to CBS Local, drivers are being forced to stall their vehicles in no standing zones while others have noted that the docking stations block loading docks and drop-off points. “I don’t know how we’re going to be able to operate really now effectively. It’s sad, dramatic negative impact,” Carlo Giurdanella, owner of Bella Tile told CBS. 

'Installation frustration' is just the beginning of the gripes that city-dwellers have with the bike share program. It's been noted that the Citi Bike rules include a statement about overweight riders, effectively banning persons over 260 pounds from using the bicycles. Appalled by the statement, many are calling the program discriminatory and the rules unfounded.Continue reading...

When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg steps down from his current job on January 1 of next year, he might want to go find employment with a vice squad. Bloomberg was dealt a recent blow when his move to stop New Yorkers from purchasing oversized sodas was struck down by the court, but never one to give up, he's now got his eyes on controlling cigarette sales in the Big Apple.

The mayor on Monday introduced proposed legislation that would require New York cigarette sellers to hide cigarette packs from consumers so the brands aren’t given any free advertising and consumers don’t break down at the point of purchase and pick up a few smokes. The mandate is similar to one recently proposed in Singapore, to the dismay of Big Tobacco.Continue reading...

“How’m I doin?” has been quieted forever.

With the passing of Ed Koch, the former three-term mayor who died early today, New York City has lost one of its most enduring modern-day icons. Few in New York public life have been as synonymous with its late 20th century bluster and personality.

By embodying a certain bombastic brand of city dweller, Koch and his trademark candor helped the world understand New York's overall image — its frenetic energy, its outspoken charm. He rooted the New York brand in warts-and-all, take-it-or-leave-it reality.

Ironically, Koch's death has come on the very day that "Koch," a documentary that looks at his life and long mayoralty, is being released in U.S. theaters nationwide.Continue reading...

Japan's Softbank acquires 70 percent of Sprint for $20 billion.

Santander walks away from $2.7 billion RBS deal.

Microsoft makes new push into music via Xbox.

Red Bull basks in post-skydive glory.

ABA sues New York City over soda ban.

Advent offers to buy beauty retailer Douglas.

Allstate scores points with peers with "Mayhem" campaign.

Amazon flags e-book refunds.Continue reading...

The “I Love NY” advertising campaign in the mid-‘70s was one of the most memorable of all time and certainly ranks up there at the top as far as tourism promotions go. But it’s been more than three decades now and the logo (by ad legend Milt Glaser, who reinterpreted it for JetBlue), tagline and accompanying song are pretty well lodged into the collective cultural consciousness.

So whatcha gonna do? Change it up, natch. New York State has taken the heart (but not the love) out of the logo for its "Follow Your Heart" summer campaign and replaced it with user-submitted symbols and images of things to do around the state.

The goal is to have visitors not just think (or visit) the Big Apple — a smart move for a place branding campaign that is so often mistaken as an image campaign for New York City instead of New York State.Continue reading...

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky today announced the winner of the city's Taxi of Tomorrow competition: the Nissan NV200.

“It’s going to be the safest, most comfortable and most convenient cab the City has ever had,” said Bloomberg at today's press conference about the winning vehicle, which will feature a paint job that pays tribute to the city's iconic Checker Cab company, which closed last year.

“We started this process to leverage our taxi industry’s purchasing power to get the highest quality taxi, one that that can expand and redefine the legendary image of New York City taxicabs," he added about the prize, which is worth $1 billion to the winning automaker.Continue reading...

As Wal-Mart fights a potential class action suit on equal pay by a whopping 1.5 million current and former female employees with a hearing today before the Supreme Court in Washington, it's fighting smaller battles across the country.

After expanding about as much as it could throughout American suburbs and rural areas, Wal-Mart has been pining for entry into the nation’s biggest cities lately, counting on them for new growth.

In particular, its charm offensive (including spots such as the one above) to win over New York City is being closely watched, as Wal-Mart corporate steps up its campaign there with all the political savvy of a mayoral race.Continue reading...

It’s one thing for a brand to recognize the error of its ways and attempt to return to what made people love it in the first place. But it’s quite another thing to complete the journey successfully.

Walmart, America’s largest retailer, is finding out that truth about branding these days. It is mired in its worst U.S. sales slump ever, kept there for now by the chain’s inability to return to its roots as a basic purveyor of value-priced merchandise after an ill-considered move upscale.Continue reading...