Staples seems to think school starts the instant school ends. The company is launching the back-to-school push on June 29. Gee, several Massachusetts schools are still finishing up the year this week. The official start of Staples back-to-school season last year was a more reasonable July 10. Staples, struggling to make the grade, will match or beat competitor prices.

Two men in New York City are suing Fage and Chobani, two major producers of Greek yogurt, accusing them of deceptive advertising. And they say packaging makes health claims that don't exist. One complaint is that the companies show a 0% on the top and front of their product packaging, but don't give a context for it. Chobani counters that everyone knows that their packaged Greek yogurt is not from Greece.

Three emerging consumer segments comprise more than half of the wine-drinking population in the United States, per Project Genome, The Evolution of the Wine Consumer, a study conducted by Constellation Brands. "Engaged Newcomers" are 12% of wine consumers, young, new to the category and interested in learning more. "Everyday Loyals" constitute 20% of wine consumers, and drink wine as part of their regular routine and are brand loyal. Price Driven consumers account for 21% of wine drinkers.

General Motors Co. on Monday named manufacturing and labor veteran Cathy Clegg as North America manufacturing vice president, replacing Gerald Johnson, who held the job for just a year. Johnson will have a newly created role of VP of operational excellence.

Google is now selling Glass to people outside the U.S. ahead of its I/O developer conference this week. In April, the company, which had been offering Glass to invites only, started selling the spyware... er...eyewear in the U.S. to everyone. In the UK, one can buy them through Google Play. The company will sell five colors of Glass plastic including tangerine and sky, with a free frame or shade thrown in by Google. Nerdtastic!

The San Francisco 49ers have added another key brand to the team and venue's roster of marketing partners. Esurance, an online division of Allstate, has signed a multi-year deal to become the exclusive car, motorcycle, homeowners and renters insurance sponsor of the team. In addition to marketing and activation platforms, Esurance will be the presenting sponsor of the team's new fan engagement program, Faithful 49.

Will the NBA join soccer, or even NASCAR and have ads on players? It looks possible. The NBA logo will appear on the back of players' jerseys next season, which frees up the shoulder for pitches. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has called ads on jerseys "Inevitable." Previously, the NBA logo only appeared on the shoulder of jerseys.

Most automakers have two or three dogs in the alternative-powertrain fight for the future of driving: electric, hybrid and hybrid plug-in. But Nissan and Toyota are totally committed to electric and hybrid, respectively. Nissan aims to be the global leader in EVs. On June 9, Nissan released the second of four promised EVs. Toyota pulled the plug on its own EV program by ending a two-year deal to build electric Toyota RAV4 crossovers with Tesla Motors Inc. Who's right?

At Cannes Lions last week, rock icon Bono urged marketers to help create an AIDS-free generation by supporting the goals of his global nonprofit, (Red). "The idea that we might get close to an AIDS-free generation, and then not get there, and for what? Because the heat isn't on the issue," he said, during a presentation the closing hours of the festival. His message to the audience: they are the ones who can create that heat.

Stating that its goal is to promote interest in and use of digital currency, BitPay has signed a multi-year deal with ESPN for naming rights to the college football Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl. That adds another knot to its string of alliances. It also has deals with the NBA's Sacramento Kings, and Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes, as well as some 33,000 merchants.