The NHL was on life support following the 2004-05 lockout, but evp-marketing Brian Jennings explains in a Q&A how the league is now thriving with partners, fans and consumers.

Rick Barrack, chief creative officer and a founding partner at design firm CBX, is not a babe in the woods when it comes to branding, and he admits that it is hardly news that sports events have become more commercialized? But golf? What's with that? "For whatever reason, this pastime has always seemed more sacred than the others, more refined somehow," he writes. But in recent years, multiple logos have turned up on stars like Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and K.J. Choi to the point that they resemble NASCAR drivers. Not to mention Tiger, …

Church & Dwight's Magnum line of large condoms, which has never been advertised but has figured prominently in the lyrics of dozens rappers such as Ludacris, Kid Rock, Lil Wayne and Eminem, saw its market share leap from 4.6% in 2001 to 18.8% today. Now, it's launching a campaign -- the Magnum Live Large Project -- in print, online and on the radio, Andrew Adam Newman reports. A contest invites participants to go to MagnumLiveLarge.com to download base tracks and record their own Magnum-themed lyrics. Site visitors will pick a winner, who will receive $5,000 and a trip …

Happy Meal toys and other promotions that fast-food chains target to children will be banned in parts of California's Santa Clara County unless the restaurants meet certain nutritional guidelines, according to a law approved Tuesday by the board of supervisors, Sharon Bernstein reports. The board agreed to put off implementing the measure for 90 days, giving the restaurants time to come up with a voluntary program for improving the nutritional value of their meals. "This ordinance prevents restaurants from preying on children's' love of toys" to sell high-calorie, unhealthful food, says supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored the measure. …

Wal-Mart's near-term expansion will center less on its Supercenters and more on far smaller, urban stores and locations where consumers can pick up merchandise they order online, Miguel Bustillo and Timothy W. Martin report. Among other competitive pressures, it is feeling the impact of no-frills grocery chains opening in cities. The discount grocers include Supervalue's Save-A-Lot and U.S. stores of Germany's Aldi chain, which have lured customers to relatively small locations that offer selections of staples such as milk and canned vegetables at cut-rate prices. "A typical grocer carries 100 types of mustard," says Save-A-Lot President Bill Shaner. …

The value of the top 100 global brands rose by 4% in 2009 to more than $2 trillion, according to Millward Brown's annual BrandZ ranking. Financial institutions grew 12% after falling 11% in 2008. Beer, technology and fast food were the other categories to see growth last year, Natalie Zmuda reports. Samsung (+80%), Baidu (the Chinese search engine, +62%), MasterCard (+57%), Next (+54%) and Visa (+52%) were the top risers. Millward Brown global CEO Eileen Campbell says that brands are more resilient than the economy, and their value is rebounding faster as the recession recedes. She also finds that …

No. 1 on the list? My First Craftsman Car Washer Set. The little shavers are welcome to practice on my fleet anytime.