Ad Age
Detroit Free Press
NY Sports Journalism
Barry Janoff asks if Adidas's new eight-year, $200-million (estimated) deal with Major League Soccer will be worth the money. It certainly is to MLS. "One of the major reasons Major League Soccer has become one of the top soccer leagues in the world is due to the support and commitment of Adidas," says MLS commissioner Don Garber in a statement. "They have a clear vision for the sport in North America, and they see MLS as a cornerstone of that vision." An integral part of the alliance moving forward will be "a dedicated focus on youth development and …
Bloomberg
Samsung Electronics is no longer a copycat appliance manufacturer. It's a consumer electronics behemoth, writes Yoolim Lee, that is the world's largest maker of flat-panel TVs, color laser printers that scan, fax and copy, liquid-crystal-display TVs and computer monitors. It's also No. 2 in mobile phones, with 22% global share, up from 14.4% in 2007. "The global list of top companies is being replaced by the likes of Apple, Google and Facebook," Choi Gee Sung, 59, tells Lee in his first interview since becoming CEO in December. "Our job is to prepare the organization for the next generation …
Wall Street Journal
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department have jointly proposed assigning letter grades from A to D to rate the fuel efficiency and emissions of automobiles, Josh Mitchell reports. The only cars that would receive an A-plus, A or A-minus would be electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Compact and midsize vehicles generally would be in the B range; bigger models such as SUVs and pickups would be C students. "We think a new label is absolutely needed to help consumers make the right decision for their wallets and the environment," says Gina McCarthy, the EPA's assistant administrator …
New York Times
Experts tell Andrew Pollack that the best ways for seniors to maintain the muscle mass and strength that is essential to balance and agility as people age is though exercise, particularly resistance training. But that's not stopping scientists, food and drug companies from developing the kind of no-sweat solutions that a society more prone to being prone and/or seated seems to prefer. The market potential, Pollack writes, "seems boundless." Nestlé and Danone are exploring non-steroidal nutritional products that can build muscle mass, and the drug industry is exploring ways to make scarpenia -- Greek for "loss of flesh" …
USA Today
Whole Foods "co-founder, cosmic thinker and conservative hippie" John Mackey tells Bruce Horovitz that he's most proud of having created a culture that doesn't depend on him. "Whole Foods is no longer my baby that I have to take care of and protect," he says in a far-reaching Q&A. "I get too much credit and too much blame for what Whole Foods is. We're a team." Horovitz writes that the organic and natural foods trendsetter, now with 300 units in 38 states, has had a cultural impact along the lines of the 11,000-plus Starbucks outlets. And Mackey & Team …
Fast Company
USA Today
USA Today