PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi is considering laying off roughly 4,000 workers -- about 1% of the Purchase, N.Y.-based company's payroll -- and ending the company's 401(k) match in order to boost earnings. A decision could be made in days, per a source who characterizes the plan to generate some revenue as "burning the furniture."

Here's five bullets for doing digital this year from blogger Jonathan Gardner, who runs communications at digital contextual ad firm Vibrant. Among his suggestions especially for marketers pitching Millennials, "who are dominating the digital space," are to "keep [consumers'] desires, hopes and aspirations central to your marketing and you'll stay on top." He points out that Matt Briton, CEO of social media agency Mr. Youth, says brands must address five "need states:" utility, entertainment, information, rewards and recognition.

It wasn't too long ago that the NBA and its players were clawing at each others throats, yelling at each other across the negotiating table and threatening to bring the league to a halt for the entire season. But that was so 2011. Now that it's 2012, the NBA and its players are happy together. Literally, according to a new commercial from the league's "Big Things Are Coming" umbrella campaign.

Gatorade wants you to know that if you're trying to win the NBA championship, World Cup, Olympic gold medal or a high school or college track meet, what you have on your body and feet will help, but it's what's inside that will set you apart from the competition. This is not a "No guts, no glory" thing, but rather Gatorade's new mantra, "Win From Within," with which it is ushering in the new year.

The editors at Convenience Store News offer their top 10 predictions for the industry in 2012: A better economy; more building and buying of C stores; tighter tobacco regulation; booming mobile payments and digital marketing; alternative fuels will increase in popularity; more aggressive efforts to bring gasoline buyers from pump to the store; an emphasis on fresh foods, including fruits and vegetables; more experimentation around store-environment aesthetics to keep up with consumer expectations (think fewer garish colors and less obvious plastic); and (big surprise) government gridlock.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has hired Blaise D'Sylva, a former sales director at ESPN, as U.S. VP-media, and sports and entertainment marketing. He replaces Mark Wright, who left the brewer for AT&T last summer. D'Sylva oversaw multimedia sales in the Midwest for ESPN as a senior director-sales manager based in Chicago. He was also at Allstate as director-media integration, and at Starcom MediaVest Group, where he spent nine years in various positions, including senior VP and chief executive-northeast Asia.

A sponsored post campaign for Google's Chrome browser violated the company's paid link policy, according to reports.

Here is a great interview by Charlie Rose with Robert Lutz, former vice chairman of General Motors, a charismatic leader and an auto business giant, sometimes referred to as Maximum Bob, for good reason. The interview supports Lutz' release this past fall of Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business. A good primer on the automotive business with Lutz justifying the bailout.

Lowe's Cos. said Thursday it has acquired ATG Stores, an online retailer of home improvement and lifestyle products based in Kirkland, Wash. According to Lowe's, the transaction will add depth and expertise to its online business.

With a Christmas season that has seen record e-commerce sales coming to a close, the United Parcel Service expects to handle more than 550,000 returns on Tuesday, a record, and up almost 8% from a year earlier. Several other days during the first week of 2012 will also top half a million returns, UPS said.