Meanwhile, the third-gen Prius gasoline-electric hybrid is going gangbusters in Japan. The company had set a sales target of 10,000 units a month in Japan; customers face a seven-month delay in delivery.

The NBA Finals pitted L.A. against Orlando, sites of Disney destinations, and the games were on Disney-owned ABC, so a parade and merchandise at Disneyland makes marketing sense.

Columnist Mark Phelan says that the Nissan Cube, which rolled out in Japan in 1998 and quickly became a cult favorite around the world, had the "so-weird-it's-cute looks some dog breeds have" (though he's not naming names). But he's not coy at all about the fact that Japanese automakers blew their chance to make it big in this country. The third-gen Cube is the first to make it to the U.S. because the Nissan brain trust felt that we have a hankering for larger vehicles and don't cotton to small cars. Meanwhile, other "defiantly boxy" brands such as the Honda …

Before A.G. Lafley took over as CEO nine years ago, Procter & Gamble was a chemistry company molded in the image of the engineers and scientists who ran it, says "innovation guru" Bruce Nussbaum in a video commentary. Lafley changed all that. He broke down silos. He designed new products. He upended the culture. And since he is one of the blessed few CEOs worldwide who really understands innovation and design thinking, Nussbaum suggests that President Obama should appoint him Chief Innovation Officer once he gives up his day-to-day responsibilities at P&G. Nussbaum realizes that Obama has already …

Hennes & Mauritz, the world's third-largest fashion retailer, will make the dream of owning a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes -- which were given mass appeal by Sarah Jessica Parker's character in "Sex and the City" -- a reality by selling them for as little as £30. They normally go for £400 -- or about $650, Alexandra Frean reports. The limited-edition line will be available Nov. 14 in just 200 of the 1,800 H&M stores that operate in 34 countries worldwide. They will probably sell out within hours of being put on sale, Frean writes, and are expected to …

Walt Disney the brand has overshadowed Walt Disney the creative genius. Now the animation pioneer's family hopes to raise awareness of the man behind the trademark with a museum that will attempt to capture the "childhood sense of wonder and of curiosity" he never lost. It opens Oct. 1 in San Francisco, Michelle Nichols reports. "My father's name is probably one of the most well-known names around the world, but as the 'brand' or trademark has spread, for many, the man has become lost," Disney's daughter and Walt Disney Family Museum founder, Diane Disney Miller, says. The museum …

Rounding out a roundup that has inexplicably veered toward design and the design-minded this morning, award-winning product designer John Edson tells us "Why Ugly Sells." First of all, you've got to remember every mother's maxim, including Edson's, that there's no accounting for people's taste. Second, as anyone who has ever observed a focus group knows, you can't pay undue attention to opinionated loudmouths when making decisions. The bottom line is that people bring their own emotional baggage to what they find attractive. Edson makes his point by citing a clock, laminated with red roses and the sentiment "LOVE," that …