Here's a switch. The pizza company that earlier this year suffered at the hands of social media when workers posted nasty videos of themselves on YouTube has taken to social media to get the word out about its recipe redo's. Bruce Horovitz reports that the world's largest pizza delivery chain will unveil plans today to change every part -- crust, cheese and sauce -- of its core pizza. Brand gurus have weighed in, suggesting the strategy is a risk of the sort Coca-Cola once took when it created New Coke. But, perhaps even riskier is the way …

Natalie Zmuda reports on a Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey, conducted by BIGResearch, which finds that Walmart's holiday commercial topped Target's, ending the latter's holiday-ad dominance. Only 17% of consumers said their favorite ad motivated them to shop at a particular retailer, while 50% said it did not. One-third of consumers said their favorite ad didn't have an impact, because they already shop at that retailer. When it came to what does influence holiday shoppers, coupons emerged as the most influential, with 45% of consumers citing them. Word of mouth and advertising inserts influence 27% of consumers, while …

Verizon Wireless has taken over four vacant stores in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles, where more than 800 pedestrians a day are playing the Droid Game as thousands look on. It's all part of marketing for the launch of the Droid smartphone. The interactive events take place daily through Dec. 27. Using hand gestures, pedestrians control the robotic arms of the Droid with their hands to collect as many falling Droid Apps as they can in 30 seconds. Players compete with other players. They are also prompted to enter an e-mail address to receive information about the …

While there's still no confirmation that Google will launch its own smartphone, some of its 47 hardware, software and chip partners are worried that Google might keep the best new Android apps and features for its own phone, reports Olga Kharif. One analyst even went so far as to suggest, "This could destroy the Open Handset Alliance." Google is lending considerable engineering talent, brand cachet, and marketing muscle to the project. Phones powered by Android are becoming best sellers for hardware makers including Motorola and such carriers as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA. Meantime, developers are hard at …

Maybe straight women don't buy cars?

In order to compete against, nay, topple Amazon.com, Wal-Mart Stores has begun offering Chicago-area customers drive-through convenience in picking up online purchases. In other cities, Wal-Mart has posted new service desks at the front of stores to make it easier for shoppers to get their orders. "There was a time when the online and offline businesses were viewed as being different," said Walmart.com CEO Raul Vazquez. "Now we are realizing that we actually have a physical advantage thanks to our thousands of stores, and we can use it to become No. 1 online." Heading into Christmas, the company said 40% …

Natalie Zmuda writes that Gatorade, granddaddy of the sports drink category, is going back to its roots with two new products and a redesign -- "G Series -- designed to be imbibed before, during and after exercise, spending $30 million on product and packaging in the process. New products will include Prime, in 4-ounce pouches and three flavors. Prime is meant to be consumed just before exercise and includes carbohydrates, sodium and potassium. Recover, another new product, is meant to be used after exercise and will be sold in 16.9-ounce bottles, with three flavors and 16 grams of whey …

Remembering how heavy her first guitar was ("and I'm not a little petite girl"), Tish Ciravolo founded Daisy Rock, a line of such instruments designed for women and girls. Matt Krantz writes the back story to an unlikely small business. Daisy Rock is still a small player in the roughly $1.6 billion market for "fretted instruments," as measured by industry trade group NAMM. The company is private and doesn't provide financials, but says it has sold 150,000 guitars since 2000 at an average price of about $200. But the company is being closely watched by the guitar-making …