The American Beverage Association says labels are moving to the front of packaging as part of an industry initiative, "Clear on Calories." The changes would include labeling total calories per container on all beverages 20 fluid ounces or smaller. Companies in the alliance promoting the new standard include Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Sunny delight, Nestle Waters NA, Cott Beverages and Honest Tea.

Nokia Corp.'s new strategic partnership with Microsoft means the former will adopt Windows Phone as its smartphone platform. Additionally, Microsoft's Bing will be Nokia's search platform across all devices, and Nokia Maps could become part of Microsoft's mapping platform. Microsoft will put Nokia's app store Ovi in its Microsoft Marketplace.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned paper went to Madison Avenue to get opinions about whether the liberal position for which The Huffington Post is known will "taint the broader AOL brand." Said Catherine Warburton, EVP of national buying for Interpublic Group's Universal McCann, "All advertisers aren't open to all things." "One of the first questions we have is, 'Does this change the editorial style of AOL?' That is something to watch for," said Christian Juhl, a president at the Publicis Groupe SA digital marketing firm Razorfish. "If that were to become the full voice of AOL editorial, then I think, …

Jim Farley, CMO at Ford, told the audience at this week's Chicago Auto Show that the only media that grew in 2009 and 2010 were online and mobile, and therefore Ford will change how it reaches out to consumers. "With 500 million people on Facebook, we can reach more potential customers in a more personal way," he said.

Brands turning to social media for V-Day include Mattel, Victoria's Secret and CBS. Mattel's effort is an attempt to get consumers to use Facebook and Twitter to vote on whether Ken should get back together with Barbie. Victoria's Secret is doing viral e-Valentines and CBS, to promote "Mad Love," has a virtual gift app on Facebook that lets users send virtual hearts with a "Mad 4U" message.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that California retailers who ask for customer ZIP codes during credit card purchases are breaking the law and are liable to a $1,000 fine. What businesses can still do is request ZIP codes when selling and shipping products online. Additionally, service stations can still require customers to enter their ZIP codes when buying gas with a credit card, information that goes directly to a bank to verify the card number. And store clerks can still ask cash customers for information about where they live.

Whole Foods Market saw first-quarter net income rise to $88.7 million because of increased retail traffic and average transactions. Sales for the quarter, which ended Jan. 16, were up 14% to $3 billion and same-store sales were up 9.1%, a four-year high. Co-CEO Walter Robb said average weekly per-store sales rose 9% to $621,000.

The NHL has the Bridgestone Winter Classic and the All-Star Game under its belt. Now comes its third big event, the Tim Horton's NHL Heritage Classic in Calgary. The game might also be the toughest effort in terms of promotional challenges: the Classic happens at the same time as the NBA All-Star Game, The Daytona 500, college hoops and MLB spring training coverage. The league is confident, though. "We've got more sponsorship dollars against this game than we had [at the 2011 Winter Classic] in Pittsburgh, which was by far the biggest event business that we've had to date." …

The cost of Renault's electric cars may part of a bundle of secrets smuggled out of Renault SA. That data would give competitors an edge, according to Carlos Ghosn, Renault's CEO. Three top executives are gone from the company, fired for allegedly leaking info for money. Cloaks and daggers notwithstanding, the company is expected to post a profit for 2010 today.

The U.S. House of Representatives spent nearly a million dollars on bottled water last year. Most of the money went to Nestlé's Deer Park brand. Not-for-profit organization Corporate Accountability International said that between April 2009 and March 2010, House lawmakers spent an average of $2,000 per member on bottled water. The report says at least 70% of the purchases were Nestle products, and the company is fighting efforts to get lawmakers to try a water fountain. The company sent a letter to lawmakers on Monday telling them not to cut bottled water.