Disclaimer: We hate to give undue attention to Donald Trump, but this story simply offers too much Schadenfreude to pass up.

Despite the controversy inspired by The Donald’s presidential run, conspiracy theory stunts and Twitter freakouts over the past year or so, Macy’s apparently plans to stand by its (spokes)man. An official company statement called him “important to Macy’s, both as a brand and as an endorser”, noting that his ties are top-sellers.

“The world’s largest store” doesn’t just carry Trump’s clothing and his signature fragrance “Success by Trump”; it also included him in a huge upcoming Christmas ad campaign starring Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Martha Stewart, Tommy Hilfiger and more in a blatant re-purposing of the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street.

Yet the man may prove to be more of a liability than Macy’s would like. Signon.org, a subsidiary of political advocacy group Moveon.org that claims to have helped engineer several political PR wins, recently posted a petition urging Macy’s to “Dump Donald Trump”–and as of today, the page has nearly reached its goal of half a million signatures.

The petition statement reads:

“Macy’s: Donald Trump does not reflect the ‘magic of Macy’s.’ We urge you to sever ties with him. Macy’s says it has a strong obligation to be ‘socially responsible’ and that ‘actions speak louder than words.’ Indeed. It’s time to act.”

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And now we bring you a very, very welcome respite from politics. Yes, it felt great to type that.

In the eyes of the average brand, product placement is a good thing–especially when the product in question plays a role in a hit feature film. But representatives for worldwide King of Suds Anheuser-Busch aren’t too happy with the fact that a bottle clearly bearing the Budweiser logo appears in the new Denzel Washington thriller Flight.

Why would any brand demand to have its logo removed from a critically acclaimed movie starring one of the industry’s biggest names? It’s fairly simple, really: his character has a drinking problem.

That’s right, Denzel stars as a commercial airline pilot who works an evening shift as a hopeless alcoholic–and that fact turns into a big problem after he survives a “horrific crash” for which we can only assume he bears responsibility (no spoilers please–we’re waiting for the DVD).

Turns out that DVD may well be missing a certain dark-brown bottle with an iconic red logo. This week, Anheuser-Busch asked Paramount and its parent company, Viacom, to remove all traces of the offending Bud from subsequent cuts of Flight. The company’s vice president issued a statement: “We would never condone the misuse of our products, and have a long history of promoting responsible drinking…It is disappointing that Image Movers, the production company, and Paramount chose to use one of our brands in this manner.”

Really?

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Looks like The New York Times has finally decided to place both feet firmly in the 21^st century.

The “paper of record” suffered a few days of bad PR this week thanks to a “walk out” organized by 375 unionized employees, but the newest member of the Times management team has received excellent marks: recently appointed public editor Margaret Sullivan.

How did she win media plaudits? By being bold: A perfect example may be the public smackdown she issued to “Talk” writer Andrew Goldman today for repeatedly asking female interview subjects whether they ever used sex to advance their careers.

As New York Magazine’s Joe Coscarelli notes, Sullivan’s predecessor Arthur Brisbane hesitated to join the digital world, arguing in an exit interview that the PE job “is not a conversation”. But his replacement clearly sees things in a different light. She posts on her “Public Editor’s Journal” blog nearly every day, encouraging debates over controversial issues like Jack Welch’s nutty number-fudging conspiracy theories and the Times’ continued use of the term “illegal immigrant” in the face of protests by advocacy groups and activists.

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NBC’s perennial ratings champion “Today” recently made some fairly big changes by pushing old hand Ann Curry out in favor of fresh-faced Savannah Guthrie. Amazingly, the world continued to turn.

But there’s a bit of tension over at 30 Rock these days, because “Good Morning America” has finally started to beat “Today” in the ratings after a nearly unbroken 16-year streak playing runner-up.

Right after the switch, media gossips began to wonder whether “Today’s” biggest star (apologies to mid-day drinking aficionados Kathy and Hoda) was behind the change. Even Al Roker came down on Ann’s side by accusing Matt of “throw[ing] one of us under the bus.” Leave it to the New York Post to come up with a fitting nickname for “Anchor Animal” Lauer and accuse him of being too demanding on set. Juicy!

Well, in an apparent attempt to control the rumors and counter the negative press, executive producer Jim Bell gave interviews to both The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times “Media Decoder” blog this week.

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It’s tough being a CEO. No, seriously: How can the head of a retail giant maintain a positive pseudo-relationship with hundreds or even thousands of employees when it’s hard enough for C-levels at small businesses to let all their people know that they care?

Hubert Joly, newly appointed CEO of big-box chain Best Buy, decided to pull a twist on the “Undercover Boss” concept and work on the floor in a retail capacity for the first week of his new job.

What’s the reasoning behind this move? Apparently Joly wants to counter criticisms about his lack of retail expertise while also “engaging with…employees” and emphasizing his dedication the Best Buy’s tech customer service “Geek Squad”, which is one of the most important elements of their brand.

Sounds good, but will it work for Joly? More importantly, will it work for Best Buy? Or will it go down as another halfhearted PR stunt?

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America’s favorite Northeastern ice cream fanatics found themselves in a bit of a sticky situation when they discovered that a porn production company had been selling X-rated DVDs with titles and graphics imitating those that grace Ben & Jerry’s famous pints.

Now the creamery (or their parent company, Unilever) has decided to sue—and bring a whole lot of attention to the smut merchants behind such classics as “Boston Cream Thigh” and “Peanut Butter D-Cup.”

We have to ask: Is it really in the company’s best interests to draw this incident out? And is “Hairy Garcia” really any more offensive than “Karamel Sutra” or the infamous Baldwin-inspired “Schweddy Balls?” We do acknowledge that the graphic rip-off is a blatant case of copyright infringement, but we wonder whether the incident will actually “cause confusion in the minds of consumers”–we can’t remember the last time we went looking for “adult entertainment” in the dairy section.

Fracking, which is a shorthand term for hydraulic fracturing (not a polite replacement for a colorful expletive), is a process that utilizes large volumes of high-pressured water, sand, and chemicals to fracture shale rock deep underground in order to extract the natural gas locked beneath it. While natural gas itself is the cleanest of the fossil fuels, and is often presented as a “green” solution, the safety and environmental impact of the fracking process has inspired increasing controversy and conflict. A PR war now rages between the energy companies that want to expand their fracking activities and the people and organizations who oppose the practice.

Oil and energy companies have invested a substantial amount of resources into natural gas, touting its viability and abundance while also attempting to reassure skeptics (especially those living in areas atop large shale reserves) that they are taking every precaution to ensure that the gas is being harvested responsibly and safely. However, a lack of regulation and disclosure rules regarding the chemicals used in the process haven’t exactly endeared fracking to opponents; it seems like folks would prefer to know exactly what these energy companies will be pumping into their land (and may potentially end up in their immediate environment via air and groundwater). Gee, who would have thought?

Some specific and well-documented concerns include chemical contamination of potable groundwater, surface water pollution from the dumping of salty post-fracking wastewater into rivers, air pollution near fracking sites, and methane leakage. Yikes–we can see why the energy companies may have some trouble spinning this to their advantage.

Negative environmental impacts notwithstanding, fracking can have a positive economic effect on the communities in which it takes place–and that fact is the primary selling point behind the energy companies’ PR efforts.

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Tony Hayward finally got his life back, thanks for asking. According to recent profiles, the former beleaguered CEO of oil leader BP PLC is making the most of his moment away from the PR spotlight by spending some “me time” hanging out on yachts, starting new businesses and making massive distribution deals with oil-rich Middle Eastern nations like the ever-pleasant Iraq.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for his former company. The United States Department of Justice just hit BP with a “gross negligence” charge relating to the big Deepwater Horizon Gulf spill that happened way back in 2010 (remember those heady days of first-stage Bieber Fever and Tea Parties celebrating tri-corner hats?). The trial is set to begin in January, 2013. Everyone let out a collective groan.

This development is only the latest in a series of very large-scale PR challenges for BP, but it represents the most extreme position taken so far by the American government, whose lawyers are effectively throwing up their hands and saying “let’s do this.” The announcement all but erases the possibility of an out-of-court settlement—and it’s especially harsh considering recent speculation that oil still submerged from the spill washed ashore during Hurricane Isaac last week.

Try to determine the mindset of the government lawyer who wrote this line:

“The behavior, words and actions of these BP executives would not be tolerated in a middling size company manufacturing dry goods for sale in a suburban mall.” Ouch!

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You may remember that Susan G. Komen — the company responsible for turning October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) into a sea of pink– pulled funding from Planned Parenthood  back in February, resulting in a tidal wave of outrage. The hypocrisy of Komen, which urges women to be screened for cancer, pulling funding from an organization that provides access to cancer screenings and preventative education for underprivileged women proved too much for many to swallow. Komen eventually reversed its decision, but the move came too late for many former supporters.

As the company gears up for this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many in the industry doubt whether the brand can recover its damaged image and retain corporate sponsorships. For that reason, this year’s campaign will focus on salvaging Komen’s credibility where past efforts leaned more toward educating women about screenings and inspiring others to join the fight by purchasing branded items and participating in sponsored races. So will it work?

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Have you heard? New Yahoo CEO/former Google exec Marissa Mayer is one of the most powerful women in the world—and she wants to prove it by dragging her company into the present day and re-branding them to improve their reputation as a fading remnant of the ill-fated tech bubble.

Last week she made the small but symbolic announcement that every Yahoo! Employee should use a company iPhone—no BlackBerries, thanks—to achieve a better sense of “consistency” across the company. While Mayer clarified that she is open to giving employees Android phones as well, the point was clear: Yahoo isn’t a relic—it needs to be perceived as a company both in and of the moment.

Yesterday she made her first big hire, bringing on digital entrepreneur Kathy Savitt as chief marketing officer. Savitt has quite a history, founding social media venture Lockerz and working in prominent communications positions at retailers Amazon and American Eagle. It will be her job to redefine Yahoo in the eyes of the public, and it’s quite a challenge.

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