Business Diary: Software rap is, well, just...

When big companies try to get down with the kids and tackle the yoof market, you know you're in for trouble. When they try to do it with rap music, disaster is sure to follow. The latest example of this is internet security company Norton, which has enlisted Snoop Dogg for its latest campaign against cyber crime. There's a website – "Hack is Wack" – and a competition inviting you to upload your own two-minute rap video on cyber crime, the prize being a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet the great man, who is probably going to rapidly regret his involvement in such a cringeworthy venture.

Kelkoo forced to crawl to BAA

Surveys, eh. Always a good way to get cheap coverage during the Summer silly season. Unless you're Kelkoo, whose independent report commissioned from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR), examined the difference in prices between high street stores, "tax free" shops in airports and online retailers across Europe, and wrongly criticised the goods available at Heathrow. Cue grovelling apologies. "We have accepted Kelkoo's apology, which greatly undermines their research and underlines the need for companies, and particularly PR people, to be more careful when criticising others," said BAA. Quite.

A private-equity alphabet soup

There but for the grace of God... but diary can't resist a chuckle at The Wall Street Journal. America's financial bible reported that Burger King was up for sale this week, with the likely buyer named as 3i, the UK private equity firm. Kudos to the paper for getting breaking news of the deal, then, which was duly confirmed yesterday with just one teensy difference. The actual buyer was a private equity firm called 3G.

AutoCAD stunt is just so sad

Saddest attempt to cash in on the latest bout of Applemania? Step forward something called AutoCAD which apparently makes software for Macs and sent around a load of apples in boxes to the Indy. Paper's recycled, it said. Plastic wrapper wasn't.

businessdiary@independent.co.uk