Sprint Nextel is hoping to reinvent its image around a new tagline-- "Sprint ahead"--that ignores Nextel. It will also eliminate the Nextel name from its sponsorship of the main NASCAR racing series, one of Nextel's most successful branding campaigns before the merger. After the merger, Sprint Nextel embarked on what analysts said was a disastrous marketing campaign. And problems with Nextel's network prompted an exodus of customers. New television commercials, online ads, billboards and movie theater ads will roll out Sunday. The campaign will focus on Sprint's data network. The ads drop Sprint's yellow color and feature …

Wal-Mart and many of its big-box brethren--from Home Depot to Best Buy--are attempting to make their premises less overwhelming for shoppers. Their tools range from brighter light bulbs for quicker comparison-shopping to personal assistants catering to customers' whims. And they are determined to eliminate lengthy checkouts -- perhaps the biggest turnoff for harried customers. Among the changes at Wal-Mart: better signs to help shoppers find merchandise, more convenient placement of hot-selling items and staffing changes to speed up checkout times. In a pilot program, electronics retailer Best Buy is employing "personal shopping assistants" in 60 stores who are …

Dexter brand shoes -- formerly found at retailers such as Kohl's and J.C. Penney -- will be sold exclusively at Payless ShoeSource's 4,600 stores. The 50-year-old brand will begin appearing at Payless in a limited men's line this Christmas. A full line of men's and women's casual and dress shoes will go on sale next year. The announcement is in line with Payless' strategy of distancing itself from its bargain-bin past. But the company isn't completely abandoning its low-cost image. It plans to develop the shoes in its New York design studio and charge between $25 and …

Geico, the auto insurer that has increased its ad spending a whopping 75% since 2004, ranks No. 1 in new-customer acquisition and is the only top insurance brand to achieve double-digit growth during the past four years -- 13.1%, according to A.M. Best's Aggregates & Averages. Despite being the No. 4 player based on market share in the category, Geico ranks No. 1 in new-customer acquisition at 5.8%, followed by Progressive at 4.4%, State Farm at 4.2% and Allstate at 4.2%, according to a J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Insurance Shopping Study. The study also notes …

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly yesterday declined to address a petition by Google that asked the government to extend its antitrust oversight of Microsoft. She is satisfied that Microsoft has settled a dispute by agreeing to alter Windows Vista so users can more easily access alternative search programs offered by rivals like Google. The judge said any additional concerns about Microsoft's adherence to a 2002 consent decree settling an antitrust case should go to federal and state regulators.

Dell is shedding its dull grays and blacks for colors like ruby red and bubble-gum pink in a high-profile launch at Macy's department store in Manhattan's Herald Square today. Alex Gruzen, a senior vice president in Dell's consumer business, says the company realizes how fast the consumer market moves and aims to launch new models at least twice as frequently as in the past. The new Inspiron products are designed to look and feel sleeker, thinner, and lighter than the existing lineup. The laptops are available in eight colors with a satin-like finish on the lid. They are available …

Drinks Americas Holdings is set to announce an agreement with Universal Music Group's Interscope Geffen A&M label group to come up with brands of drinks--both alcoholic and nonalcoholic--that bear the imprimatur of artists on Interscope's roster, which includes Eminem, producer Dr. Dre and Sting. Drinks America is the company behind Donald Trump vodka, Willie Nelson's "Old Whiskey River" bourbon and Paul Newman's line of branded juice drinks. Steve Berman, president of sales and marketing at Interscope Geffen A&M, says the deal is a response to "the rapidly changing landscape of the record business," in which many record labels …

Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corp. say they will spend $150 million to build the first of what could be several plants to refine animal and vegetable fats into diesel, jet fuel and fuel for the military. Tyson created a renewable fuels division last year and in April announced a deal with ConocoPhillips to produce and market diesel fuel for U.S. vehicles using beef, pork and poultry fat. The new plant will use Syntroleum's patented "Biofining" process in producing the synthetic fuel. Each company will have an equal stake in the venture. Tyson will supply animal fats, greases and vegetable …

A federal judge suggested a compromise yesterday that could allow Internet phone company Vonage to sign up customers while it develops technologies that do not infringe Verizon's patents. The proposal came after Vonage made its latest plea to reverse a March jury verdict that found the company had infringed on three Verizon patents. In April, a U.S. district court in Alexandria ruled that Vonage could no longer use the crucial technology that connects its online network to the public telephone system and barred the company from signing new customers. Vonage has said it is working to design …

Google escalated its antitrust battle with Microsoft yesterday in a filing with the U.S. District Court that oversees Microsoft's landmark 2001 antitrust settlement. Major portions of it are set to expire in November. Unsatisfied with the changes Microsoft is making to Windows Vista's desktop search feature in response to an antitrust complaint, Google is pushing for further changes and more judicial oversight of Microsoft's practices. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith says that the company "already went the extra mile and worked things out with 19 different government agencies" -- the plaintiffs in the settlement. David Drummond, Google's chief …