Cincinnati Enquirer
Procter & Gamble is rolling out a new line of Olay Regenerist beauty products to boost sales in the $60 billion-a-year skin-care business. The new products have new ingredients, and higher concentrations of existing ones, help promote brighter, smoother, firmer skin, per a presentation of the new formulas at the 71st annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Miami Beach.
Chicago Tribune
Delta Air Lines, responding to customer surveys that sleep is the most important in-flight experience, is upgrading the bedding and seats for long-haul passengers in the BusinessElite section. Starting in June, upper-class passengers on international or transcontinental flights get a pillow and comforter made for Westin Hotels. The "Westin Heavenly" bedding is stuffed with a combination of goose down and feathers.
Los Angeles Times
Monster is stepping out from behind its flack shields to launch salvos against accusations that its products contributed to a 14-year-old girl's death. The company, facing regulatory and consumer pressure, was accused of negligence and wrongful death in a lawsuit filed in October by the family of Anais Fournier, who died after consuming two cans of the drink in 24 hours.
New York Times
Hess Corporation is going to sell off its retail operation, the network of service stations for which it principally known by Americans. The goal is to focus on upstream operations: production and refining. The company, though dealing with restive stockholder Elliott Management, said the new strategy is the culmination of a multiyear campaign.
New York Observer
Brand-sponsored blogs have been successful because they offer legitimate content, rather than ads camouflaged as content that follows the formulas used by non-branded analogs. Urban Outfitters has a women's lifestyle blog something like The Hairpin or The Gloss. Degree men's deodorant wants to compete with National Geographic, not Gillette, with its Adrenalist web mag, "powered by Degree Men," with articles on extreme sports, gear, gadgets and outdoor adventure. Are the writers doing real journalism or the canary-colored kind?
Burger Business
A McDonald's franchisee says the chain will remove Angus Third Pounder burgers, Chicken Selects and apple-walnut salad, a move likely intended to clear menu space for an expected rollout of McWraps and other new items. McEnaney Enterprises, a Princeton, Ky.-based McDonald's operator, announced via Twitter that the Selects, the salad and Angus burgers all "are being discontinued." The company says it is mulling the change.
NYSportsJournalism.com
The high-tech decked-out destination in New York will be home to 16 fans, each representing one of the 16 teams in the World Baseball Classic, and they will be watching games around the clock beginning March 2 - with the aid of MLB marketing partners and the use of social media - in an attempt to reach the WBC final four in San Francisco March 17-19.
Detroit Bureau
Horrific air pollution may do more to curb auto sales in China than the frail global economy, nagging regional issues that include an ongoing territorial dispute with Japan, and declining foreign investment. Unbreathable air has led Chinese regulators to call for a rapid switch to battery-powered vehicles. Some think the central government may soon put in place steps to curb automotive ownership.
NYSportsJournalism.com
The last time Rafael Nadal was seen on a tennis court in the U.S. was last April, the next time will be today in New York at the BNP Paribas Showdown, where fans and a plethora of companies will see if the 11-time Grand Slam winner and former No. 1 ranked player can return to form following nearly a year of rehabilitation due to tendinitis in his knees.
Detroit News
Whole Foods Inc. is testing a downtown Detroit store. The approximately 21,000 square-foot-market at the northwest corner of Mack Avenue and John R is a test for both the Austin-based grocery chain and the city, officials have said in the past. Both sides believe it will help shape the perception whether Detroit can support a national chain known for high quality. The city has long struggled in attracting national retailers.