Wendy Koch reports that a new study finds that 73% more products are making environmental claims this year than last but it avers that more than 95% of those claims are misleading, false or unproven. TerraChoice, an Ottawa-based marketing firm owned mostly by Underwriters Laboratory of Canada, visited 34 stores in the U.S. and Canada from March to May and surveyed 5,296 products that make environmental claims for its "Sins of Greenwashing" report. "The biggest sin is making claims without any proof," says Scot Case of UL Environment. "Vagueness" -- such as a shampoo that claims …

In a move that was controversial in some quarters -- notably those surrounding Cleveland -- free agent LeBron James decided to leave the Cavaliers earlier this year to play with fellow All-Stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosch in Miami. Now Nike has launched a new campaign that it says addresses LeBron James' "off-season controversy head-on," Aris Georgiadis reports. A 90-second spot from Wieden & Kennedy dubbed "Rise" broke today on YouTube and will appear on TNT tonight when the NBA season kicks off with the Miami Heat playing the Boston Celtics. …

Dell is moving away from price-focused, transactional ads and toward ads that develop the company's global brand image, Andrew McMains reports. A new consumer-directed campaign that includes print, TV, Web and outdoor ads illustrates that the brand offers something for everyone. "We believe there's a real space for us to become the most-loved PC company in the industry," says Paul-Henri Ferrand, global CMO for the consumer and small- and medium-business unit of Dell. "[It's a] tall order but this is what the marketing strategy is aiming at." The new ads from Wunderman broke yesterday even as …

Chrissie Thompson reports that Joel Ewanick, General Motors' U.S. marketing boss, threw the heads of his four ad agencies together in a room last Thursday to talk about their campaign ideas for Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC respectively, and then the "marketing board of directors" engaged in an exercise in ... let's call it "constructive criticism." An arbitrator was present to help them decide who could use what idea. The board consists of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (Chevrolet), Leo Burnett (Buick-GMC), McCann-Erickson Worldwide (GM corporate) and Fallon (Cadillac). Ewanick says GM needs to return to the vision of …

New BP CEO Bob Dudley went on the offensive yesterday, accusing both the media and some members of the oil industry of a "rush to judgment" and a "protracted media and political firestorm" that only made matters worse, James Herron reports with contributions from Guy Chazan and Tapan Panchal. Dudley also said BP will continue to operate in the U.S. and will keep drilling in deep water in the Gulf of Mexico. Other oil companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico -- such as ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron - have criticized BP. Shell CEO Peter …

Experts are projecting a rise in diabetes cases that is even higher than the scary figures they've thrown out in the past, Alice Park reports -- a development that has huge implications for both food and healthcare marketers. The number of Americans with diabetes will likely triple by 2050, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and may rise from one in 10 adults today to 33% of the adult population within decades. The National Institutes of Health Diabetes Prevention Program recently reported that lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet and increased exercise could reduce the …

Maybe you've seen someone wearing the Vibram Five Fingers (www.vibramfivefingers.com) running shoe that sports five toes and looks like something a pollywog playing dress-up might wear around the lake house. If you have, says Vibram USA CEO and president Tony Post, you've probably been tempted to ask him or her about it. And that's been the success of the product. "It's all been social media, grassroots marketing, a lot of one-on-one conversations, frankly, is what it's been that's built this business," he tells Natalie Armstrong. And when bigger companies copy his product, he's counting on those relationships to …