Who can blame Markus Dohle, the CEO of the newly erected Penguin Random House, for speaking of code? With Simon & Schuster author Dan Brown's latest symbol-ridden fiction burning up the "New York Times" bestseller list, he says one goal of the merged entity that will control 25% to 30% of the global publishing market is to "crack the code of discoverability" - or, as the "New York Times"' Julie Bosman puts it - "of how to put books in front of potential buyers 'in a world with fewer bookstores.'"

Even as Bert and Ernie controversially cuddle in front of a television image of the U.S. Supreme Court on this week's New Yorker cover, marketers are hearing the resounding tintinnabulation of cash registers ringing as wedding bells chime after the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was struck down last week.

Schools across the country added an experiential subject to their curricula yesterday when the Agriculture Department issued a mandate that "vending machines will have to be stocked with things like whole wheat crackers, granola bars and dried fruits, instead of M&Ms, Cheese Nips and gummy bears" starting in July 2014, Stephanie Strom reports in the New York Times.

It's no secret that the world of sports marketing has come a long way since the days when Yogi Berra was pitching Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink, Camels cigarettes and Puss'n Boots cat food but Michael Wilbon's piece on ESPN.com this week is a exploration of just how far it has leaped past Air Jordan in the days of social media. More than ever, it's not just about television commercials. And LeBron James is the excellent case in point.

In a sign that prospects for the luxury market are rosy as a $3,495 Embroidered Feather-Skirt Dress, Neiman Marcus said yesterday it wants to raise $100 million or more in an initial public offering that some observers say had been delayed as its customers fended off the recession just like everybody else.

How do you know when your interactions with the consumer are not quite up to snuff? When the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) issues the results of its latest survey and says things are better than they have been since 1996 but the press goes with the angle that your industry -- in this case, airlines -- scores a lower rating than the oft-maligned U.S. Postal Service.

Pity the impatiens, which used to radiate everywhere this time of year in hanging baskets, window boxes and otherwise scruffy garden patches. Not only is it under attack by a lethal blight called downy mildew, it is in the midst of a public relations crisis. Impatiens are, as I just learned, as dclass as kale, pesto, pomegranate seeds and sundried tomatoes seem to be.

George Zimmer, the 64-year-old Men's Wearhouse founder and spokesman who made a catchphrase out of an avuncular promise -- "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it" -- was abruptly shown the front door of the company yesterday.

The American Medical Association's declaration yesterday that obesity is a disease is expected to increase medical interventions for Americans with high Body Mass Indexes -- including pills, surgery and counseling -- as insurance companies are more likely to reimburse consumers for treatment. And the numbers could be staggering.

Competition in the pharmaceutical business should intensify as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-3 decision yesterday that allows the Federal Trade Commission to file antitrust suits against manufacturers who pay off would-be rivals to keep their generic knock-offs off the market for a period of time.