Stephen Colbert mocked "Colbert Report" sponsor Wheat Thins in February, reciting the Kraft's brand's brief that says the crackers are not "a creator of isolated, unsharable experiences." Colbert relayed this to audience guffaws, along with the assertion that Wheat Thins are "a snack for anyone actively seeking experiences" and "a connector of like-minded people." But Bonin Bough, VP-global media and consumer engagement at Kraft Foods, said Wednesday that the integration achieved exactly what Kraft needed.

Procter & Gamble's men's grooming division this week will break a TV spot with track and field speedster Gay and another with swimmer Ryan Lochte as part of the brand's marketing support of Team USA athletes competing in the 2012 Olympics.

Fresh off his historic four-homer game, Hamilton has signed a deal with the coconut water brand, joining singer Rihanna as well as other sports stars, and giving him a fresh start as a marketing spokesman after a troubled past filled with drugs and alcohol.

Hyundai in the UK chose Knowsley Safari Park baboons for a hilarious endurance demonstration because of the primates' infamous penchant for tearing park visitors' cars apart - most famously England soccer star Wayne Rooney's vehicle last year. Hyundai's next-generation i30 (Elantra) hatchback survived the ultimate childproofing test, using a troop of baboons. Watch at the jump. Or better yet, have your teenager watch.

Ford Motor President and CEO Alan Mulally isn't offering any insight into when he might step aside. At the company's annual meeting Thursday in Wilmington, Del., Mulally declined to say how long he wants to stay at the helm of the automaker. But he predicted the company would eventually regain investment-grade status from the major rating agencies. "We have a very robust succession plan," Mulally said. "The strength of the leadership and the succession plan bode well for continuing to profitably grow Ford."

LinkedIn has launched its inaugural Financial Services Summit in New York, which focuses on the role social media is playing in the financial services industry. The first panel brought together representatives from American Express, Citi, Fidelity Investments, Prudential Retirement and Hearsay Social to talk about using social media in financial marketing. Only two out of six individuals on the panel have Twitter accounts, though. One was Clara Shih, who runs the agency Hearsay Social, and the other, Frank Eliason, SVP of Social for Citi.

An industry-wide upstream price squeeze has forced Kellogg, which spends over $1 billion on advertising and marketing every year, to rethink and retool. The company, which is an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, is boosting product innovation, buying Pringles, and doing a major brand overhaul. A program called "Project Signature" internally is its most significant in the company's 106-year history, said CMO Mark Baynes. A year of research and work with Interbrand informed the changes across the portfolio. There's also the tag, "Let's Make Today Great."

Most Starbucks consumers use Starbucks lingo. A leadership expert says that this is no coincidence. "Starbucks had a problem when it first got started in that customers were coming up and using their own vocabulary and taking their own time to order a drink," says Anne Morriss, author of Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business, in an interview with the Harvard Business Review. "Very quickly, this process was eroding the service experience because the lines were getting longer." The video interview is at the jump.

JC Penney is being sued for $40 million by Hudson + Broad, a display vendor. In June last year, JC Penney hired Ron Johnson, the head of Apple's retail store division as its new CEO. Penney rolled out a new strategy in February, under the mantra of "Fair and Square." Part of the strategy was everyday low pricing. There was also a new logo, that Hudson + Broad claims it designed and the retail giant stole, giving it to another vendor. Hudson + Broad's PR campaign alleges that JC Penney's internal business methods are at odds with the "Fair and …

Groupon is selling a $749 "all-inclusive urban adventure weekend" package offering a full slate of activities around Chicago, including a concert by the Counting Crows and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. The Camp Groupon package is a first for the Chicago-based daily deals company. It combines live events via a partnership with Live Nation and its travel partnership with Expedia. The $749 price tag does not include airfare to Chicago, but it does cover two nights at a downtown hotel, activities, meals and local transportation. The weekend runs from July 6 to 8 and can accommodate 2,000 participants.