Brand Strategy articles from August 2002

Brand Strategy archives from August 2002

Moving beyond valuation. (Leader).(brand valuation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Since brand valuation came into use just over a decade ago, it has played a role in convincing nonmarketers to take brands and marketing more seriously. However, some marketers question the use of a financial figure to express the value of a...

SMS marketing. (Leader).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The growth of SMS over the past two years took everyone by surprise--no one expected a communications channel based on just 160 characters to become so popular. Yet there has been bad press suggesting SMS should remain a toy for the kids....

Brand truth and consequence. (Leader).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The concepts of trust and the consumer's belief in the values of an organisation have arguably never been as fragile as now. Where does trust lie in today's world of corporate meltdown? The debacles of Enron, Worldcom, Global Crossing and...

The Switch brand is set to disappear from debit cards as it is rebranded to Maestro. (Launches and Rebrands).
August 1, 2002... The Switch brand is set to disappear from debit cards as it is rebranded to Maestro. The Switch Card Scheme Board, comprised of 19 banks that run the service, has struck a deal with MasterCard Europe to use its Maestro brand in the UK. The new...

Deloitte Consulting has changed its name to Braxton in a move to distance itself from accountants Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. (Launches and Rebrands).
August 1, 2002... Deloitte Consulting has changed its name to Braxton in a move to distance itself from accountants Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. The company already owned the Braxton trademark after an acquisition of management consulting firm Braxton Associates in...

Saatchinvest. (Launches and Rebrands).
August 1, 2002... Maurice and Charles Saatchi are launching a new venture to develop unwanted brands. The two brothers, who founded ad agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and M&C Saatchi, are calling the initiative Saatchinvest. The company will buy and develop brands...

Diageo GB has announced plans to target men with a premium packaged spirit called Smirnoff Black Ice. (Launches and Rebrands).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Diageo GB has announced plans to target men with a premium packaged spirit called Smirnoff Black Ice. The drink is an extension of the Smirnoff Ice brand and will be supported with an 11m [pounds sterling] marketing spend. The ads, created by...

Freeserve, the UK's largest internet service provider, is taking the name of its French parent brand: Wanadoo. (Launches and Rebrands).
August 1, 2002... Freeserve, the UK's largest internet service provider, is taking the name of its French parent brand: Wanadoo. The name change will reportedly cost around 30m [pounds sterling] and force 2.5 million Freeserve customers to change their email...

Thomas Cook has launched Blue Sky, a direct-book holiday brand. (Launches and Rebrands).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Thomas Cook has launched Blue Sky, a direct-book holiday brand. The new unit aims to capture the 10% of holidaymakers who book holidays without using travel agents. The brand targets consumers by mindset, listing holidays in brochures by...

MyTravel, the holiday operator, has launched its new low-cost airline, MyTravel Lite. (Launches and Rebrands).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... MyTravel, the holiday operator, has launched its new low-cost airline, MyTravel Lite. The new service, which competes with brands like Ryanair, Go and bmi baby, will fly out of Birmingham. MyTravel is yet to announce the details of its...

Nestle Rowntree has launched a new 2m [pounds sterling] advertising strategy for its Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Rush brands. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Nestle Rowntree has launched a new 2m [pounds sterling] advertising strategy for its Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Rush brands. The company has dropped its child-friendly `Search for the Rowntree' campaign in favour of more adult-orientated ads....

Supermarket Tesco is extending its brand further with the introduction of a US clothing brand in 300 of its stores. (Marketing).
August 1, 2002... Supermarket Tesco is extending its brand further with the introduction of a US clothing brand in 300 of its stores. The supermarket aims to compete against retailers Marks & Spencer and Asda and high street names such as Gap and Next with the...

Schweppes has created another execution for its "Sch ... You Know Who campaign?" which uses pictures of celebrity lookalikes. (Marketing).(advertising campaign)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Schweppes has created another execution for its "Sch... You Know Who campaign?" which uses pictures of celebrity lookalikes. The ad campaign shows pictures of a woman resembling Victoria Beckham, with the word `Essex' tattooed across her back....

Thames Water has taken its brand into bottles for a promotion aimed at schoolchildren in Reading and Slough. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Thames Water has taken its brand into bottles for a promotion aimed at schoolchildren in Reading and Slough. The company has given kids their own personalised bottles to encourage them to drink tap water throughout the school day. The `Be...

Diary. (News Round-Up).
August 1, 2002... New Approaches to Customer Segmentation Thistle Kensington Palace Hotel, London 5-6 September Segmenting customers in order to boost profits is the main theme. Alisdair Luxmoore, marketing director of the Mirror Group and Stuart...

Microsoft. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Microsoft has appointed Nick Barley as director of marketing for the UK. Barley joins after seven years at technology company Oracle, where he was vice president and director of marketing. Barley has also held sales and marketing posts at Bull...

BUPA. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Harriet de Swiet has been promoted to head of brand management for private healthcare company BUPA. She was previously head of marketing for BUPA Hospitals. De Swiet formerly worked at both Unilever and British Airways before moving to BUPA in...

Moss Bros. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Menswear retailer Moss Bros has appointed Julie Cook to its board as sales and marketing director. Cook, who is the first marketer ever to sit on the board at Moss Bros, joined the retailer from Viyella.

Virgin Group. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Virgin Group has promoted Ashley Stockwell to group brand marketing director. Stockwell has been at Virgin for 11 years and his last role was MD of Virgin.com. Stockwell will have responsibility for the presentation of the Virgin brand by the...

Keep Britain Tidy. (Marketing).(government starts anti-littering campaign)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The Keep Britain Tidy campaign has launched a new 200,000 [pounds sterling] ad push to alert consumers that the rat population has expanded by 24% since 1998, fuelled by thrown-away food. The ads show rats eating on the streets and finish with...

Fair trading groups across the globe are set to adopt a single international identity so that consumers can identify ethically sound products more easily. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Fair trading groups across the globe are set to adopt a single international identity so that consumers can identify ethically sound products more easily. Organisations in 17 countries are adopting the new international Fairtrade logo, designed...

BT. (Marketing).(British Telecommunications PLC offers online travel service)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... BT has extended its brand into online travel, only months after pledging to stick to its core telephone and broadband business. The company now offers a subscription-based BT Openworld Travel Club service that costs from 29.99 [pounds...

Oxfam. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Charity Oxfam has launched a poster advertising campaign called `One Off' to encourage consumers to visit its charity shops. The ads suggest that by wearing Oxfam garments, consumers stand out in an otherwise uniform high street and use...

Virgin Mobile. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Virgin Mobile has launched an ad campaign starring US R'n'B singer Kelis. The theme of the ads takes up on Kelis' most famous hit, Caught Out There, which describes dumping an unfaithful boyfriend--encouraging consumers to dump their old...

US marketing group Omnicom has posted a 9% gain in its second-quarter profits to $187.3m (119.6m [pounds sterling]). (International).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... US marketing group Omnicom has posted a 9% gain in its second-quarter profits to $187.3m (119.6m [pounds sterling]). Shares in ad group Interpublic dropped 24% as it delayed its second-quarter results for a financial review.

Diageo has agreed the sale of Burger King to a group composed of Texas Pacific Group (TPG), Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. (International).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Diageo has agreed the sale of Burger King to a group composed of Texas Pacific Group (TPG), Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. The sell-off is part of Diageo's plan to reposition itself as a premium drinks business. The deal sees...

PricewaterhouseCoopers has sold its PwC Consulting arm to IBM in a $3.5bn (2.2bn [pounds sterling]) cash and stock deal. (International).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... PricewaterhouseCoopers has sold its PwC Consulting arm to IBM in a $3.5bn (2.2bn [pounds sterling]) cash and stock deal. The move comes two months after the consulting arm announced that it had rebranded itself as Monday, with an identity...

Levi Strauss has won its long-running battle to stop supermarket Tesco sourcing its jeans from outside the European Economic Area. (International).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Levi Strauss has won its long-running battle to stop supermarket Tesco sourcing its jeans from outside the European Economic Area. The case began in 1998 when the denim manufacturer took Tesco to court for violation of European trademark law....

The age of uncertainty and renaissance of expression: Lesley Salem, insights director at FutureBrand, suggests the current cultural landscape is a precursor to extremist trends. (Trendspotter).(overview of trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... In 2002, a year of confusion, uncertainty and hope, people are more confident about telling others how they feel. Be it national pride during The World Cup, grief when the Russian children were lost in the recent plane crash, fear following...

Santa Claus isn't just for Christmas--he's for life; Nick Sunderland, senior planner at brand agency Lambie-Nairn wants to make every day like Christmas. (In An Ideal World).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry August. Santa Claus, the brand that is the magic of Christmas for hundreds of millions of people, has been underachieving. If you think all those red clothes, rosy cheeks and empty sherry glasses are a sign of success, think...

Google UK brand search July.
August 1, 2002... GOOGLE UK BRAND SEARCH JULY 1 Tesco 2 Ryanair 3 Thomas Cook 4 Eurostar 5 Nokia 6 Ferrari 7 Ikea 8 Railtrack 9 BT 10 British Airways

Hedgehog crisps were just too prickly a subject; Morag Cuddeford Jones looks past the eww factor to find a genuinely warm and cuddly organic offering in Hedgehog crisps. (That Was The Brand That Was).
August 1, 2002... Long the subject of playground speculation, the `did they, didn't they' debate surrounding Hedgehog flavour crisps ensured that the product swiftly entered into urban legend. Launched in 1981, it wasn't long before hedgehog lovers countrywide...

Brandspeak.(Banana plan)
August 1, 2002... Banana plan: a project that is relatively easy to start but no one knows how to end it. After a young girl who said "It's easy enough to start spelling `banana'--I just can't tell when to stop." Source: Buzzword Bingo

Cerne Abas Giant gets a lesson in safe sex. (Brand Stunt Of The Month).
August 1, 2002... The FPA--formerly the Family Planning Association--has found a novel way of reminding consumers about the importance of safe sex. The organisation used guerrilla marketing techniques this month to give the ancient Cerne Abas Giant in Dorset a...

Equitable Life. (Brand Mot).
August 1, 2002... Equitable Life, formerly a bastion of sober, sensible financial pensions and investments, is currently mired in scandal with accusations of misselling and incompetency at board level. Regardless of who is to blame, the company has broken the...

Food labels wide of the mark: Ruth Mortimer examines recent research that claims brands aren't doing exactly what they say on the label. (News Analysis).
August 1, 2002... What is healthy eating? It seems the British public doesn't know. An update last month from the Consumer's Association (CA) revealed that many so-called `healthy' products contain more fat or calories than standard products. Are brands...

World's top 100 brands--are they fact or fiction? Morag Cuddeford Jones discovers whether Interbrand's top 100 brands will make an impact at board level. (News Analysis).(statistical list of the world's top 100 brands; data for 2001 and 2002)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... August sees the release of global consultant Interbrand's annual league table of the world's 100 most valuable brands. With its release comes the sure and certain knowledge that its arrival on the chairman's desk will be met with varying...

What's in name? Charles Grimaldi explains why Rentokil decided against renaming itself despite the potentially negative connotations. (Opinion).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The concept of changing corporate names has been in the spotlight recently. The Post Office's rebranding to Consignia and then the Royal Mail Group is the most high profile example. But what's in a name? At Rentokil, we have considered renaming...

Marketing brands to fans: Peter Draper explains how he communicates the Manchester United brand to its disparate base of 50 million fans. (Opinion).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Thousands of people have gravitated to Manchester United and become fans over the years. Some come via their dad, some because they're born close by and a vast number of people come because of the power of the media. Total dedication ...

Vodafone's Batchelor navigates a sea change; Lance Batchelor talks to Elen Lewis about his new role as UK marketing director at Vodafone and reveals how his experiences in the navy, at P&G and Amazon have prepared him for the challenge. (Profile).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Changing careers and continents for Lance Batchelor, the newly appointed UK head of marketing at Vodafone, is like water off a duck's back. Three days into the job he's fresh-faced and well-versed about the UK telecom industry, albeit with a...

Tightening the utility belt: as Npower gets ready for the launch of `home essentials' and attempts to reposition itself as a lifestyle services retail brand, Morag Cuddeford Jones asks if the company can live up to expectations. (Npower).
August 1, 2002... Mercurial? Stellar? No doubt some of the words marketing director David Andrew would be keen to hear about the rise of the Npower brand from regional obscurity to the nation's prince regent of utilities. Since deregulation of the gas and...

Crisis, what crisis? Elen Lewis examines how to manage a brand in crisis and discovers that no company is immune. What's the secret formula to clinging onto market share and how do you defend a brand when it's been shot to pieces? (Crisis Management).(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2002... Does the name Sea River Mediterranean mean anything to you? It's more likely to conjure up images of balmy, holiday evenings than an oil slick which devastated 25,000 sq km of eco-system. Sea River Mediterranean was the new name for Exxon...

Brands behaving badly: Ruth Mortimer on how the Ford and Firestone brands redeemed themselves after the safety crisis of 2000. (Case study: crisis management).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Automotive brands take safety very seriously. It is the top-selling feature across car brands, according to a Claritas research survey of June 2000. Any automotive brand crisis involving safety puts the integral core of the industry at risk....

Creating regional appeal: Ruth Mortimer asks why local communities are turning to brand agencies in search of a cohesive identity and discovers that branding a region calls for patience, time, money and acceptance from inhabitants. (Special report: travel).(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2002... Brand consultants could never be accused of missing an opportunity. The branding and marketing process was once the domain of business, but it has now moved into the public sector, geographic areas and local communities. The concept of nations...

Travel brands have far to go: digital and interactive TV enables travel and leisure brands to bring their product to life. Ruth Mortimer investigates the challenges facing the travel industry translating itself on to this format. (Special report: travel).(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... The UK travel industry has not been lucky over the past year. The combined effects of foot-and-mouth disease and September 11th have knocked the confidence of tourists coming into the country and those going abroad. But digital and interactive...

Portfolio managing matters: Hugh Davidson offers new insight on brand portfolio management and says there's a clear analogy between managing brands and managing a football team. (Brand Papers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... When Niall FitzGerald became chairman of Unilever in 1996 his major challenge was to achieve profitable growth, even though his brands competed mainly in mature markets. One of the main blockages was Unilever's portfolio of 1,600 brands,...

An untapped source: Geoffrey Wheating argues that the computer games industry needs to use broader marketing techniques to target its consumers--and that the appeal of sport could offer the solution. (Brand Papers).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2002... The computer games industry needs to re-examine its current marketing practises and introduce a more consumer driven approach to the development and launch of its gaming titles. Sport could present this industry with the single, greatest...

Mapping relationships: Chris Macrae suggests a valuation exercise to help organisations measure their true value and decipher whether a brand's intangible assets are compatible with its stakeholders' needs. (Brand Papers).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2002... The bad news is that we don't have any tried and tested methods for connecting branding and organisational measurement, at least not in the way that could have pre-empted recent accountancy crises. Good news is that there's a window of...

Why Harry met Hermione: Giles Lury discusses why brand communication needs to be more than a one trick pony and why brand managers must create ideas, slogans and visuals that tap into the consumer's subconscious. (Brand Papers).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2002... Two of my sons were discussing Harry Potter recently. The eldest, Jack, argued that all the books were basically the same--Harry has a bad summer with his Muggle (non- wizard to the few of you who haven't read the books yet) relations, goes...

Purposeful positioning: Simon Milton says brands that communicate a meaning or purpose stand a better chance of success. Upholding a vision and establishing the core brand values will ensure loyal customers. (Brand Papers).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2002... Total branding seems to be all the rage. But why has it taken so long for senior management to recognise the importance of putting the brand at the centre of their business strategy? Why have the boards of most organisations failed to develop a...

3-D trade marks: Ravinder Chahil from Bird & Bird law firm examines the court case between Philips and Remington and unravels the limits of shape protection under the trade marks directive. (Brand Papers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... When the European Union passed the Trade Marks Directive in 1989, one of its principal purposes was to harmonise the laws of the EU member states. It also created a change in what the law would allow to be a registered trade mark. Gone was the...

Agencies under the cosh: Sean Pillot de Chenecey says ad agencies need to evolve and buck up their ideas in order to change current consumer apathy. Creatives can no longer rely on the old tried and tested methods. (Brand Papers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... This year's political catchphrase `I'm fucked, you're fucked, we're all fucked' applies equally to many working in that other ongoing soap opera; the advertising industry. The death of which may have been much foretold, but, if the seemingly...

Mega brands make advertising demands. (Trends).(Brands rated in terms of how much they spend on advertising)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... * AT&T telecommunications is the biggest megabrand in the US, according to a ranking in Advertising Age magazine. The tables rate brands in terms of how much they spend on advertising. Automotive brands spend the most on advertising as a...

Kids prefer films for older viewers. (Trends).(children are watching films rated as unsuitable for their ages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... * Kids are growing up too fast, suggests new data from children's market research agency OPERA Primary. Children are being exposed to films rated as unsuitable for their ages, with 35% of those surveyed by the company choosing favourite films...

Brits are among Europe's couch potatoes. (Trends).(television watching and penetration statistics)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... * The British are among Europe's biggest TV watchers, according to research from media agency Mediaedge:cia. The UK watches an average of four hours a day on the box, along with the Italians, Turkish and Spaniards. Northern Europe spends least...

Exploding myths about marketing to Ds and Es. (Research).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... * It is axiomatic that every marketer's dream consumer is ABC 1--affluent, aspirational, articulate and well educated. We have a natural affinity with them, they can afford to buy our brand, they experiment with our new launches and even...

Mobile marketing and youth targeting. (Research).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... * It's time for brands to start utilising mobile marketing. Businesses are missing out on targeting the youth market because they are failing to appreciate the potential of text messaging, according to research from youth marketing agencies...

Clawing back audience share. (Last Word).
August 1, 2002... The catty behaviour of Eastenders' Slater sisters and the Alexis/Krystel catfight on Dynasty is about to be upstaged as malevolent moggies take over the American airwaves. This coming autumn Meow Mix is launching Meow TV, believing that the...

New balls please. (Last Word).(Vodafone ad featuring naked rugby player)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Vodafone--you've gone too far. Paying some poor bloke to streak during a rugby match dressed in nothing but his birthday suit with your logo plastered all over him is just lunacy. Is there no limit to the lengths you guys will go to rise above...

Fat chance. (Last Word).(McDonald's sued by overweight Americans for not warning about weight gain, some sarcasm ensues)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... News reaches us of a shocking revelation: Products from fast food joints like McDonald's and Burger King AREN'T VERY GOOD FOR YOU. No, really! According to the New York Post, some overweight Americans are taking these companies to court for not...

Stop press--drugs bust at M&S. (Last Word).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Bastion of high street respectability and purveyor of `slacks', the sober reputation of M&S has been shattered by news of drug peddling rife throughout the organisation. Its Savoury Crackers range has been found by the Singaporean vice squad to...

Enriched brand relations: branding is not just about selling a product or service--it is about creating a bond with a multi-faceted proposition.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... According to the American Marketing Association, a brand is "a name, term, sign symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods or services of one seller group and to differentiate them from those of the competition."...