At top: Attention art directors looking for something new and cool. Check out the perspective art of this Beijing Chemical Engineering University student. 

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: ad spend... what China wants in 2013... suspicions about VW's recall... Apple... Buick's recall... Microsoft on Taobao... BMW partnerships... one evil mechanic's genius business development idea... Gangnam grannies take on Harlem noodle shake... and more.Continue reading...

A large swath of Americans have loved grappling of one sort or another for decades, whether it was the pro-wrestling version with Gorgeous George, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker or the UFC version that’s gotten hot in recent years. 

There will soon be a new game in town—at least it will be new for Americans. For Latin Americans, Lucha Libre has been around for nearly a century. Now the sport, showcased to the U.S. public by the 2006 Jack Black film Nacho Libre and a kids' cartoon called ¡Mucha Lucha! that ran from 2002-2005, is planning to make its mark on U.S. culture and shed its cult status as a fringe sport.Continue reading...

Swedish fashion house H&M is continuing its green streak with the official launch of its Garment Recycling Program.

The second-largest clothing retailer in the world will accommodate the program in all of its 269 U.S. locations as well as all 48 of its global markets. Beginning today, customers can bring any garment from any brand in any condition into an H&M store. For every bag of clothes donated, customers will receive a 15 percent off voucher for their next item purchased. 

"We believe this program will really make an impact in reducing the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills all over the world," said H&M spokesperson Marybeth Schmitt in a press release. 

Additionally, H&M is teaming up with Global Green USA, who will be the sole beneficiary of the recycling program. The donated clothing will be handled by H&M's partner, I:Collect, which repeatedly reprocesses the garments for new use.Continue reading...

It’s been slightly more than a year since Coca-Cola failed quite publicly in attempting to help fight climate change — an effort that made plenty of consumers unhappy with the beverage company's embrace of a controversial political cause.

But Coke hasn't backed down, continuing its partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help keep the Arctic ice intact and protected from melting — and help save its iconic polar bear.

To help the cause, Coke will hand over $4 million to the WWF for its Arctic Home project over the next three years. Further, 300 million Coke products will feature the image of a mother polar bear and her two cubs, according to a press release from the nonprofit Responding to Climate Change.Continue reading...

Google is wielding its worldwide clout with a new platform that subtly promotes its foundation and corporate citizenship work by shining the spotlight on worthy non-profits.

The brand's first Global Impact Awards were announced today, recognizing seven startups that are applying innovation and technology to the world's most daunting human challenges.

Google is putting its money where its brand promise lies — "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" along with its unofficial slogan, "Don't be evil.”

“From real-time sensors that monitor clean water to DNA barcoding that stops wildlife trafficking, our first round of awards provides $23 million to seven organizations changing the world," stated Jacquelline Fuller, director of giving at Google, in a blog post.

The seven nonprofits winning the first Google Global Impact Awards:Continue reading...

Looking to boost its profile globally, one city deep in China's interior turned to its most famous resident: The Panda.

Earlier this year, the “Pambassador” campaign was born, a project aimed at reinventing Chengdu as an economically sustainable, friendly city open to the world. Pambassador stunts have managed to spoof the royal family (upsetting a few Brits in the process), dance Gangnam in London, and "go wild" in Hong Kong while racking up over 404,000 fans on Facebook, hundreds of thousands of YouTube views and 60,000 commitments  worldwide from people looking to live in Chengdu.Continue reading...

Sustainability just got that much stronger as Coca-Cola, Ford, Heinz, Nike, and Procter & Gamble have created the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC) to accelerate the development and deployment of 100% plant-based PET materials and fiber in their products.

PET, a.k.a., polyethylene terephthalate, is the durable, lightweight plastic used by these five companies in their bottles, apparel, footwear and automotive fabric and carpet.

Building on Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle packaging technology, these products have a lesser environmental impact than traditional PET plastic bottles. Heinz licenses the technology for select ketchup bottles in the U.S. and Canada.Continue reading...

Samsung today released the "The Next Galaxy" — the Galaxy S III, which launches May 29 in Europe — at a press event in London.

The brand's PR team tweeted from the launch about the handset's "experiential features: 3 Hubs (Game, Video, Music), mobile payment & ‘S Health’ personal wellness app to name a few" and tied the launch to its Olympics sponsorship, also tweeting: "Samsung is the worldwide Olympic partner and the #GALAXYSIII will be the hero of the Olympic Games!"

"Outside of the next iPhone, the Galaxy S III is the most highly anticipated phone launch this year," CNET commented on its live-blog. "The Galaxy franchise is one of the main reasons Samsung has been so successful at selling Android phones, avoiding the pitfalls that have tripped up so many of its competitors."Continue reading...