Mark Phelan indicates that the history of the beloved PT Cruiser is a good case history of why Chrysler is in the trouble it is: It has created unique, desirable new vehicles only to see them die on the vine for lack of cultivation. PT Cruiser sold far beyond the automaker's expectations when it went on the market a decade ago during the SUV craze, becoming one of America's rare small car hits. Its quirky styling and useful interior also helped to establish Chrysler as a design leader. But instead of turning the car into an icon for …

The Double Down, the hit KFC sandwich without a bun, is getting one on July 5, Mark Brandau reports. "If you thought our sandwich without the bun was a hit," states an email promotion, "wait until you see what we're doing with a bun!" Dubbed the Doublicious, it won't be run-of-the-mill grain holding the Original Recipe fillet, Monterey Jack cheese, bacon and Colonel's sauce together. It will be a sweet Hawaiian bread roll. A grilled version will have a grilled fillet, Monterey Jack, lettuce and honey-mustard barbecue sauce. "The great thing about the Double Down -- …

Nicolas Hayek, whose idea for the Swatch is credited with reinventing Swiss watch-making in the 1980s and saving the industry, died unexpectedly of heart failure yesterday in Biel, Switzerland. He was 82 and saw himself as an "artist-entrepreneur," Jessica Dacey and Morven McLean report. Le Temps newspaper gave over its first three pages to eulogizing his accomplishments. The two main manufacturers were on the verge of bankruptcy when Swiss banks commissioned a report from Hayek's consultancy. Hayek maintained the venerable firms could compete with digital watches made in the Far East by making less expensive products and …

As part of its largest-ever marketing campaign ever, across 160 countries, Coca-Cola has provided World Cup gear to 1,000 South African shabeens -- restaurants and taverns that traditionally serve black South Africans and are social hubs in many communities. In one, for example, a TV encased in red plastic enables patrons to watch the matches from eight new bar tables emblazoned with the Coke logo, Valerie Bauerlein and Robb M. Stewart report. Coke also has been running promotions to give away 20,000 tickets to the majority of people in the country who cannot afford them. It already has …

Proctor & Gamble's Cascade is launching a microsite this week called "Cascade's Best Food Mergers Hall of Fame" along with a social media campaign that asks consumers to vote for the "messiest food pairings of all time" -- spaghetti and meatballs, macaroni and cheese or fried chicken and gravy, Elaine Wong reports. Ted Allen, host of the Food Network's "Chopped," is spokesman for the campaign, which aims to highlight Cascade Complete ActionPacs' ability to clean tough stains through its gel and powder ingredients. Sales of the measured-dose ActionPacs grew 9.7% to $104.5 million versus a 0.1% …

The annual Top Brands study, which monitors consumers' unaided expectations for brand names at mass market retailers, finds that top labels such as Coke, Nike, Hanes, Crest, CoverGirl and Sony have weathered the recession and were stronger last year in 13 of the 17 categories that Retailing Today measures. The surge in brand preference is noteworthy because it took place against the backdrop of one of the worst recessions anyone can remember, the publication says. The top brands also withstood efforts by retailers to reduce expenses and simplify operations by reducing assortments as well as to emphasizing their …

Emily Bryson York takes a look at McDonald's burgeoning efforts to become a beverage destination, stealing share from the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. It will be a huge reversal, as John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, tells her. "McDonald's franchisees have been unhappy in years past seeing consumers bring in beverages from convenience stores either into their restaurants, or seeing them in cars go through the drive-thru," he says. Smoothies, which the chain has been testing for a year, roll out with a national ad campaign next month. McDonald's is also looking …