Burger King is currently rolling out a new ad campaign. Part traditional marketing technique, part unique Burger King twist. This particular ad campaign is using the traditional taste test, utilizing “Whopper Virgins”: people and communities unfamiliar with a hamburger, let alone the global burger brand.

Traditional funding methods within the financial industry have become less reliable, or dried up altogether. Companies like Goldman Sachs are redefining who they are and what they do. Goldman Sachs just recently evolved into a bank holding company. Now they are continuing their evolution by contemplating the creation of an online banking operation.

Google, in its comparatively short history, has managed to rewrite several chapters of the corporate rulebook. Their Brand Power rank, a CoreBrand tracking statistic, has been rising steadily ever since we started tracking them. The biggest challenge facing Google today, is ironically, themselves. Their R&D practices, which have made them so successful, are now one of the main reasons the company is facing troubles in the economic downturn.

America’s corporate image has become tarnished over the years. A handful of companies are seeking to bring some of that shine back to our national brand. The Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) is a new initiative, which hopes to create ethical credentials that companies can obtain and utilize to rebuild global trust in American companies.

Snapple has always taken their brand seriously, even through lighthearted advertising campaigns. Recently Snapple has made efforts to better exemplify their motto “made from the best stuff on earth” and improve their recipe’s quality.

The largest global bottled water industry is having a hard time battling the image of bottled water being environmentally wasteful. As the green wave continues to roll against every industry in an attempt to curb excess waste and non-recyclable materials, bottled water, along with other bottled drinks are challenged to prove that their products are environmentally conscious. To break away from a negative brand image, Nestlé is shifting consumers’ attention to water’s health benefits compared to sugar-laden sodas.

Corporations are having trouble justifying the expense of reserving a 30 second commercial spot during the Super Bowl. This scenario is nothing new, but the economic backdrop has changed significantly since even last year’s Super Bowl. With countless corporations reporting losses over multiple quarters, they are cutting back on spending in every department they can afford to do so. Several of the brands that are regularly represented in the half time show are wavering this year, as money gets tighter and tighter.