Popularity can be fickle: One day America loves your brand; the next, you're passe. But every year brings some surprising rebounds, and you won't believe some of the companies that made 2012's list for most improved images in the eyes of U.S. consumers.
Gas stations along the Eastern Seaboard experienced high demand Friday and some sold out of fuel as Hurricane Irene bore down and residents scrambled to evacuate. In Norfolk, Va., one Exxon station was sold out by noon and boarded up its windows as attendants readied themselves for the storm.
Abercrombie & Fitch has caused a ruckus by announcing that it plans to pony up a "substantial payment" to Jersey Shore's six-pack flashing Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino not to wear its apparel. Before the retailer scolds reality-TV stars, it should examine its own checkered past.
Abercrombie & Fitch has offered to pay Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, a cast member on MTV's "Jersey Shore," money to stop wearing its clothes. But does the brand really hate Sorrentino, or is the move simply a way to score a free affiliation with the star?
The origins of Memorial Day date to the aftermath of the Civil War, when people would decorate the graves of fallen soldiers to honor their service. The holiday still retains its reverential and patriotic spirit, but its economic consequences, though smaller than those of other holidays, cannot be overlooked.
College tuition is already absurdly high even before you start adding on the extra fees. But with students graduating deeper in debt every year, it could be time to draw the line. Let's start with the mandatory fee at Rutgers for the fund that paid $32,000 to bring Snooki to campus.
Hulu reached an agreement with Viacom that will once again allow the video site to air episodes of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" and Stephen Colbert's "The Colbert Report," 11 months after the shows were pulled from the site.
MTV's Jersey Shore may bring in big numbers on TV. But recent attempts by the program's stars to become best-selling authors have met with, at best, modest success. And the same goes for other Jersey Shore-related books.
MTV's third-quarter ratings had its largest-ever year-over-year jump for its target 12-to-34-year-old audience, reflecting strong ratings from the Viacom Inc. unit for shows such as "Jersey Shore" and "The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards."
Even Hurricane Earl can't break the spirits of those living in beach towns along the East Coast. Thanks to the hot weather, convenient location and Canadians, tourism along the coast has skyrocketed this summer.
The cast of MTV's Jersey Shore invaded the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, where they provided a living, breathing lesson in free-market economics. They rang the opening bell, drawing so many gawkers that the facility ran out of guest passes, and tutored fans in economic basics.
As severe heat grips most of the East, sales in the ice cream, air conditioner, pools, seashore-related and bowling center segments have spiked with the temperature. The solid sales are welcome relief for industries burned by the recession.
