A rider on the new Dubai subway system might someday be getting off at, say, the Citibank stop on the Nike line. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority is offering naming rights for 23 of the planned 47 metro stops, as well as for the two metro lines themselves. In addition to appearing on identification signs inside and outside stations, names of the winning corporate bidders will appear on subway-system maps. Winning companies also will have the right of first refusal on traditional advertising displayed at their stations. If Coca-Cola were to win a station's name, for example, it could …

Sean "Diddy" Combs knows he might raise a few eyebrows by calling his latest scent I Am King, but he says the phrase is a statement about all men. "We are all descendents of royalty--and if we carry ourselves and respect ourselves in that manner and believe in ourselves, then we are all kings," he says. I Am King is due as a Macy's exclusive in December before rolling out to wider distribution in February. Industry sources estimate that the scent could do upwards of $100 million globally in its first year, with about 70% of sales expected to …

In the debate over whether to risk scaring customers away from fish--which is a healthy food--or sharing government advice with consumers, Costco has landed on the side of providing more information. It has decided to post signs at its seafood counters that warn shoppers about the hazards of eating fish tainted with mercury. A scan of the literature reveals that expert advice regarding seafood generally boils down to: "You must eat fish to be healthy! But not too much, or you will harm your children!" Proponents of the signs say that they help consumers make healthy decisions. "I would …

In a move that would signal a dramatic change in the way Chrysler operates, the Detroit automaker is discussing the idea of jointly producing midsize cars with Japanese automaker Nissan. The companies agreed earlier this year to team up on pickup trucks and subcompact cars. Since then, they have been discussing an agreement under which Nissan would produce midsize sedans that Chrysler would sell in the U.S. under its own name, sources say. For decades, major automakers have taken pride in marketing their vehicles as products of their own engineering. Chrysler plans to continue developing new trucks, sport-utility vehicles …

While style attention has been focused on the crazy and colorful new underwear and skinny emo-boy clothes in the last decade, Under Armour underwear and athletic wear has stealthily infiltrated the closet and consciousness of the modern man's man. Well known and much loved by military personnel, sports teams, weight lifters and, more and more, those who aspire to the above, Under Armour has redefined gym-pumped machismo for a new generation. "This is more about marketing than anything else," says Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for the NPD Group. "They turned what was a niche market ... into something you …

Monsanto is putting its dairy hormone business up for sale. The company and its backers have battled with consumer activists for more than a decade over whether Posilac bovine somatotropin, an artificial growth hormone that makes cows produce more milk, is harmful to human and animal health. The company says concerns raised about the product had no role in the decision to sell. The debate has taken a marked turn in the last two years as a growing number of dairy and food companies started demanding hormone-free milk, citing consumer concerns. But "that didn't play a role at all" …

Safeway is rolling its organic house brand, O Organics, and better-for-you brand, Eating Right, into competitive grocery-chains nationwide this fall. The brands will benefit from "fully integrated" marketing support, according to James White, who serves as both president of Safeway's Lucerne Foods division and as its senior vp-consumer brands. Both lines will be positioned as lifestyle brands. O Organics, which consists of about 300 items in more than 30 categories, specifically targets new mothers looking for cleaner, healthier food. White says both lines represent a "great-tasting, highest-quality, more-affordable option [than established organic brands], which allows for the mainstreaming of …