Brands

Just in time for the holidays, Senator Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota is getting up in Wal-Mart's grill. According to The New York Times, Dorgan said that Christmas tree ornaments sold at Wal-Mart Stores and other major retailers were made in a Chinese sweatshop employing workers as young as 12 and others who work more than 100 hours a week. “There is virtually no enforcement anywhere on these issues,” said Dorgan. …

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In this time of Facebook this, MySpace that, a nice print ad has the power to bring me back. One like this, from McCann Erickson, London. [via Shedwa] …

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Eyebrows were raised earlier this year when Nike awarded a piece of its business to CP+B. After all, Nike's top of mind presence can be traced directly to the decades of outstanding work from Wieden + Kennedy. I guess, loyalty doesn't mean much when you have shoes to sell. According to The Wall Street Journal, CP+B hoped to break away from all that history. "We didn't want it to feel like a Nike commercial in the …

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Nokia is morphing into a media business, according to The New York Times. Next year the handset maker will team with Universal Music Group, and other labels that opt in, to offer consumers free music. Under the agreement, Universal will let users download its entire catalog at no cost for 12 months, and keep the songs at the end of that time. Users will be able to download the songs to new Nokia phones or to their …

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Creature, the Seattle agency that creates things and reinterprets advertsing, has come up with some quirky materials to support Microsoft's new Windows Home Servers. Their Stay at Home Servers campaign includes online films, a microsite, banners and a children’s book, Mommy, Why is there a Server in the House?. The campaign draws a parallel between the server and a father who chooses to stay at home, which is quick …

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According to The Wall Street Journal, Nestlé USA will start selling two types of Jamba Juice fruit drinks at grocery stores in eight Western U.S. states next year in a move that will advance Nestlé's push into ready-to-drink beverages. For Jamba Inc., operator of the Jamba Juice chain, the licensing deal will mark the juice brand's first foray beyond its retail stores. "We've always felt the Jamba Juice brand was …

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According to The New York Times, Dr. Martens are looking to rebound from a bad ad campaign and slumping sales. After Dr. Martens ran advertisements that depicted dead rock stars like Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Joe Strummer of the Clash wearing its shoes in heaven, the musicians’ survivors (who had not granted permission) and fans were outraged. The outcry was so great that the British company that makes the shoes, …

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Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist in the tech sector with a popular following thanks to his A VC blog, thinks Apple brand is bruised and on the road to worm-ridden. I am afraid to upgrade to a new version of iTunes because it might make my music and video unusable or it might brick my iPhone. I am afraid to upgrade to Leopard because it might brick my MacBook. I have a brand new iPhone sitting right next to me on my …

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