Confirming a deal that was rumored in the New York Post last week, Ellen DeGeneres says that she will be the new face of CoverGirl cosmetics. She will first appear in campaign for the Procter & Gamble brand breaking in the January issue of Us Weekly. She joins a high-powered lineup of pitchwomen for the brand that includes Rihanna, Drew Barrymore and Queen Latifah. "I am here to set the record straight right now," Degeneres said on her syndicated TV show Tuesday. "I am the new face of CoverGirl." She went on to do some mock poses as a …

Billion-dollar e-tailer Zappos's breathless pursuit of the ultimate customer experience is the stuff of legend. It offers extremely fast shipping at no cost and will cover the return shipping if you are dissatisfied for any reason at any time. Customer service reps are given a lot of leeway to make sure every customer is an enthusiastic customer. When Zappos hires new employees, it puts them through an intensive four-week training program, immersing them in the company's culture, strategy, and processes. Then, about one week in, Zappos makes what it calls "The Offer," telling newbies: "If you quit today, we …

Vivendi CEO Jean Bernard Lévy believes his group will soon see strong revenue growth from its Universal Music Group division -- home of Amy Winehouse, Metallica and McFly -- thanks to new means of raising money from the sale of music. He cites Nokia's plan to charge a premium for handsets that include its Comes With Music service that allows consumers to download unlimited music tracks to their handset for a year. Other innovations with potential to increase revenue included possible future deals with companies such as Apple as well as existing arrangements with the social networking site MySpace, announced …

Dawn Plus Hand Renewal, Procter & Gamble's newest liquid dish soap, plays up the benefits to the dishwasher's hands, mentioning that it is a dishwashing soap only in the finer print. The positioning puts it squarely on its biggest competitor's turf. Palmolive, made by Colgate-Palmolive, has long touted its mildness on hands. For years, Palmolive ads featured "Madge the manicurist," who used to stun her clients by telling them their fingertips were soaking in the green soap. P&G, by contrast, has always marketed its soap's cleaning efficacy, but that is changing as it transforms itself into a beauty company. …

While the subprime-mortgage crisis hit many lower- and middle-income consumers, the latest financial crisis will have more of an impact on the upper and upper-middle classes, analysts say, further shifting people away from luxury goods. Among other repercussions, massive layoffs are expected in the banking industry. "The loss of Wall Street jobs and, more importantly, the effects of a less-liquid market on the economy will mean a few more percentage points of decline in revenues," says Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. Pedrazza notes that high-end brands have been under pressure for several months. Brands such as …

Four corporations represent a distinctive and distinctively American contribution to 21st-century capitalism: Starbucks, Apple, Google and Amazon. Collectively, call them SAGA. At the most basic level, each has transformed not only a specific commercial marketplace but also some important aspect of contemporary life. Each has a ubiquitous presence, although being everywhere doesn't mean that they are necessarily market leaders. The proportion of computer users who own Apples will probably never catch up to the formidable PC, for example. But in many countries, iPod usage is surging, and all the world wants an iPhone. SAGA companies follow their founders …

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will acquire the brand name of Tully's Coffee Corp., as well as the company's wholesale and supply chain businesses, for $40.3 million. Tully's can license back the rights to its brand name for $1 per year, in perpetuity, said Tom Tully O'Keefe, founder and chairman of the board. Tully's shareholders will keep the Seattle company's retail business, which includes company-owned, franchised and licensed retail cafes. Tully's also will hang onto its growing international business, which includes retail stores and a recently established wholesale segment. The company's domestic wholesale division, to be acquired by Green …