Coke has plugged its flagship cola at Olympiads for decades. But its marketing blitz in Beijing is especially important for the brand as the Games present a chance for it to vault ahead of archrival Pepsi-Cola in the race for China's 1.3 billion coveted consumers -- a market that Coke says could one day be its biggest. In a country where many prefer their beverages warm, Coke is trying "to teach consumers how to drink Coke and how to love Coke" that is being served in a giant pavilion downtown at precisely 37.4 degrees, according to Joseph Tripodi, …

Domino's is announcing today that it will deliver a line of four, $4.99 oven-baked sub sandwiches -- including Philly Cheese Steak and Chicken Bacon Ranch -- whether or not consumers also order pizzas. It will be a wake-up call for sub shops Subway and Quiznos, which find themselves competing with pizza chains. "We're looking at everything," says CEO Dave Brandon. "We have more non-traditional products in various stages of R&D." Brandon says the move should boost Domino's lunch business and expects lots of calls from groups of office workers. Rivals are unimpressed. Pizza Hut delivers hot sandwiches regionally …

Crocs plans to expand the products offered through the Bite Shoes brand that it acquired last year. Bite has been a small but respected maker of ergonomically friendly adventure, hiking and walking footwear, along with a wide range of sandals. It also has developed a dedicated following for its tech-oriented line of functional and comfortable golf shoes, including golf sandals and golf hiking boots. "Our plans are to grow the line strategically, including, over time, a multitude of options for different types of golfers," says Ed Wunsch, director of marketing at Crocs. For most of this year, Crocs -- …

Coca-Cola's whimsical ad dubbed "Bird's Nest" was one of the best-remembered and most-liked commercials during the first week of NBC's primetime Olympic coverage, according to Nielsen IAG. Emotional ads for General Electric and Visa also scored well. Emotional ads are a "natural fit" for the Olympics because it matches the content, says John Norman, an executive creative director at Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam. "The Olympics are always full of heartfelt and underdog stories about the athletes," says Norman, who worked on "Bird's Nest." The ad features computer-animated birds swiping drinking straws to make a nest modeled on …

As recently as last year, Wal-Mart and other retailers were touting in-store health clinics as the wave of the future, offering basic health care at low cost and with fewer hassles. But widespread acceptance of the clinics appears to be slow, with many consumers skeptical about getting a checkup where they get their groceries. Overall, there are about 981 retail health clinics currently operating in the U.S., according to Merchant Medicine, an industry consulting and research group. While some clinic operators have been expanding, others have given up. In the past year, Merchant Medicine estimates that 136 clinics …

Delta Air Lines thinks it has found a formula for making the process of loading hundreds of testy travelers into cramped planes more pleasant and efficient: Play some beats, and get 'em in the seats. Though playing "elevator music" during boarding is nothing new, Delta is among the first to concoct a contemporary music mix specifically targeted toward getting customers to their seats faster and keeping them there. Soon after Delta began playing upbeat music two years ago, flight attendants noticed that passengers were taking their seats and getting settled faster. "Once we started down that path, we …