Postmaster General John E. Potter says the post office may need to cut back to five-day delivery for the first time in the agency's history because of rising costs and the global recession. The move, which would have to be approved by Congress and postal officials, could mean the elimination of mail on the system's slowest days, Saturdays or Tuesdays. Third-class advertising mail -- recently renamed "standard mail" -- has been one bright spot in the system, Dan Eggen reports, but that market has also dropped off because of the economy. Cutting a day could have a dramatic effect …

Over the coming 12 months, Wal-Mart will, for the first time, add more store square footage internationally than in the U.S., Jonathan Birchall reports, in formats ranging from 5,000-square-foot "bodegas" in Mexico to a new Sam's Club discount warehouse in Shanghai, and its first wholesale joint venture store in India. Wal-Mart now has stores in 14 markets outside the U.S., with international sales accounting for about 30% of its overall revenues.

Timothy Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, talks with Renee Montagne about how companies are reassuring consumers who don't have money to spend on their products.

Hint: "We," in all of its global manifestations, will see "us" through these times of uncertainty.

Go ahead. Treat yourself again. Everything from Joe Namath shaving in a rust-colored velour shirt as Farrah croons to him to, well, Go Daddy.

And while you're at it, WWD has exclusive footage of Calvin Klein's new commercial "so provocative it initially was banned from even late-night cable TV." Shoo away the little shavers first.

David Aaker, vice chairman of the strategy consulting firm Prophet and the author of Spanning Silos: The New CMO Imperative, tells Edward H. Baker that marketers must learn to appeal to consumers whose interests transcend individual products and regions. CMOs must "become more strategic, more connected to overall business strategy, as opposed to being tactical, the guy who merely generates sales leads or creates advertising or builds Web sites," he says. "As soon as you become strategic, you can start tearing down silos." Silos breed inefficiency, waste, and brands with unclear identities -- qualities that are particularly …

Supervalu, the third-largest grocery retailer in the U.S., announced last week that it was starting a nutrition iQ program in its wide range of stores as part of "a business strategy to drive consumer loyalty." Color coding on store shelves, rather than on packaging, will draw attention to the top nutritional benefits of about 10% of the stock. But chef-tuned-journalist Caroline Scott-Thomas says the seven colors themselves seem to be almost randomly selected. For example, dark green stands for low sodium, purple for low calorie and red for low saturated fat. She …

Flight attendants for Spirit Airlines are balking at wearing a new uniform with an apron containing logos for Budweiser and other alcoholic beverages. "Turning flight attendants into walking billboards is unacceptable," says Deborah Crowley, president of Spirit's chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants. "The proposed aprons diminish the primary and federally mandated role of flight attendants as safety professionals." Union officials also complained about recent fare promotions, reports Nathan Hurst, that have featured randy innuendoes. The "Threesome Sale," for example, invited travelers to "come join in the fun," and "We're Proud of our DDs" touted deep discounts. …