A logo redesign conveys the brand's move from phone book to digital platform, observes Abe Sauer, but does it undermine its legacy in the process?

Deere & Company is pitching its John Deere mowers as art tools that mowers of lawns can use to redecorate their yards, Laurie Burkitt reports, in three 30-second commercials that star customers showing off their greenswards. Deere hopes homeowners foregoing vacations because of the tight economy might be inspired to redecorate their yards ("with the help of a $4,000 riding mower," Burkitt wryly adds). "Who had ever heard of a staycation two years ago?" says David Niederkorn, manager of marketing communications at Deere's agriculture and turf division. The spots are part of a $15-million …

The beverage category declined 3.1% in volume in 2009 -- the second consecutive year it has dropped, according to Beverage Marketing Corp. data. Carbonated soft drinks only fell 2.3% in volume, Natalie Zmuda reports, which optimists might read as a more appealing result than the previous year's 3% decline. Value-added water (-12.5%) and sports drinks (-12.3%) were hit the hardest. But PepsiCo's SoBe Lifewater brand jumped 63% on the strength of the SoBe Lifewater Zero launch, which uses the company's stevia-based PureVia sweetener. It's still a small player, Zmuda points out, but the growth indicates that consumers are looking …

Ben & Jerry's, arguably the most free-wheeling of Unilever 's 400 global brands, will retain its roots in Vermont, new CEO Jostein Solheim promised a crowd indulging in Free Cone Day at the company's ice cream parlor in Burlington yesterday, reports Dan McLean of the Burlington Free Press. Citing the "the history and the authenticity of the culture and values," the 19-year veteran of Unilever said the company is "100% committed to the community." Ben & Jerry's has more autonomy than most of Unilever's brands, Solheim pointed out. "It's not an ice cream brand. It's a …

The Financial Services Roundtable, which represents the 150 largest banks and insurance companies in the U.S., is rolling out a public relations campaign to enhance the reputation of its members and earn back the trust of the public, Julianna Goldman and Robert Schmidt report. "The only ones out there talking are our critics, and it's our turn to set the record straight," says Scott Talbott, chief lobbyist for the Roundtable. "Our focus is two things -- one, to have a conversation with our customers and, two, to demonstrate the positive benefits the industry brings to the economy and …

Mass-market drugstores such as CVS Pharmacy, Wal-Mart and Duane Reade Stores are "glamming up" their makeup sections with features such as eyebrow bars, on-site facials and massages and makeovers from specially trained beauty advisers, Katherine Rosman reports. They are also carrying more upscale, independent brands such as 'Tini Beauty and POP Beauty in addition to the standard Maybelline and CoverGirl lines. And Duane Reade has a perfume bar with scents such as Demeter's "Frozen Margarita" and "Green Tea" -- a brand that until recently was sold at Bloomingdale's. Laura Geller, whose makeup line had been available mostly …