Apple is redefining and reshaping the retail experience via the company's growing roster of stand-alone stores. Things once considered the dark side of Apple -- such as tech support -- are on the verge of becoming strategic assets, with the Apple Store's geek-stocked Genius Bar able to tackle just about any issue or concern. There's an unmistakable "service is marketing" mantra pervading every aspect of the Apple Store. And that's something every brand -- even those not as shiny as Apple's -- can learn from. The opportunity to solve problems, find solutions and even address "the darn thing doesn't …

A newly built Holiday Inn hotel opening in Manhattan's Chelsea section Thursday is one of the first in the USA to bear the modern version of the green-and-white Holiday Inn logo - a sign meant to convey radical changes underway. As many as a thousand of the chain's existing 3,200 hotels worldwide are expected to earn the new sign this year, with the entire chain revamped by early 2010. You'll see hardwood flooring, columns made from hand-laid river rocks, and slender Japanese planters outside the Chelsea Inn. The new look is just one part of a sweeping, $1 billion …

The candy business is likely to fare better than other nonessentials in these economically trying times, even as prices for commodities such as sugar, milk and cocoa have risen. The bottom line is: As vices go, candy is still relatively cheap for most consumers. Americans buy billions of dollars worth of the stuff each year -- with more than $29 billion in retail sales in 2007, according to the National Confectioners Association. That's about a 3% increase from the previous year. Analysts at The Nielsen Co. go as far as calling the candy business "recession-proof," compared with other …

In hopes of spurring vehicle sales, General Motors says it will offer zero-percent loans for up to 72 months or cash rebates of up to $7,000. Mark LaNeve, GM's top marketing executive for North America, says the offers should help dealers move some of the pickups and SUVs they have in inventory, which have become hard to sell and are rapidly falling in value. Last month, with sales of such vehicles in free-fall, GM's share of the U.S. vehicle market sank to 19.4%, according to Autodata Corp. -- the first time in a half-century or more it was below …

"The Shack" -- paperback novel by an unknown author about a grieving father who meets God in the form of a jolly African-American woman -- had its debut at No. 1 on The New York Times trade paperback fiction best-seller list on June 8 and has stayed there ever since. It is No. 1 on Borders Group's trade paperback fiction list, and at Barnes & Noble it has been No. 1 on the trade paperback list since the end of May. Written by William P. Young, a former office manager and hotel night clerk in Gresham, Ore., the novel …

The Corn Refiners Association is trying to rehabilitate the reputation of high-fructose corn syrup with a big ad and public-relations campaign to convince consumers that HFCS isn't the evil it has been made out to be. The group is running full-page ads in more than a dozen major newspapers around the country today saying its product is no worse for you than sugar. The ad, which features a stalk of corn, carries the headline: "And Now a Little Food for Thought." It goes on to tell readers that lots of foods and beverages are sweetened with "sugars made from corn, …

Miller Lite likely will ditch its trademark tweaking of Anheuser-Busch after the U.S. combination of Miller and Coors takes effect next week, according to current and former executives from both companies and their respective agencies. And Coors Light will lose the "Ultimate Light Beer" positioning that has helped it significantly outperform its Milwaukee soon-to-be sibling. Both approaches are seen as anathema to Coors CMO Andy England and CEO Leo Kiely, who also will be CMO and CEO of the new entity. Until now, Miller and Coors have had to compete for the attention of the roughly 60% of wholesalers …