Brand Strategy articles from August 2003

Brand Strategy archives from August 2003

Whose brand and reputation is it anyway?(Leader)(strike at British Airways hurts Brand Britain)
August 1, 2003... Ground staff at Heathrow have held the BA brand to ransom. The disgruntled employees have done considerable damage to the BA corporate brand, which is one of the company's major assets. Like most big corporations its good name is worth more...

No magic formula for valuation.(Leader)
August 1, 2003... It's that time of year again when Interbrand's annual valuation of the top 100 global brands raises its head above the parapet. It seems to have attracted less attention this year, which is probably a reflection of the general malaise about...

Snack food company, Walkers, is to extend its premium Sensations crisp brand into nuts for a limited period over Christmas.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Snack food company, Walkers, is to extend its premium Sensations crisp brand into nuts for a limited period over Christmas. The launch is in response to company-acquired information which suggests that 41% of all nuts are sold in the last three...

Following the recent relaunch of Barbie, US toy-maker Mattel is launching a new range of dolls that capitalize on the popularity of urban cool.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Following the recent relaunch of Barbie, US toy-maker Mattel is launching a new range of dolls that capitalise on the popularity of urban cool. Flavas are aimed at girls aged eight to 10 and are made up of four girls and two boys. The product...

BT is re-entering the mobile telecoms arena, in partnership with T-Mobile.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... BT is re-entering the mobile telecoms arena, in partnership with T-Mobile. The company spun off its original mobile product, O2 (formerly BT Cellnet), as part of a debt-restructuring plan two years ago. The new service, BT Mobile Home Plan, is...

Cracker company Ryvita has launched its first snack-based brand extension, Tondos rice crackers.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Cracker company Ryvita has launched its first snack-based brand extension, Tondos rice crackers. Targeting the healthy snacking market, the product comes in four variants, all under 3% fat. The launch follows the company's 2m [pounds sterling]...

HSBC has launched the first high street banking facilities to comply with Islamic (Sharia) law.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... HSBC has launched the first high street banking facilities to comply with Islamic (Sharia) law. HSBC Amanah Finance will allow Muslims to open current accounts and take out mortgages. Because the UK's two million Muslims are prohibited from...

Lloyds TSB claims it will be the first financial services provider to sell utilities when it unveils its gas, electricity and telephone package this month.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Lloyds TSB claims it will be the first financial services provider to sell utilities when it unveils its gas, electricity and telephone package this month. Ideal is a partnership between the bank, Scottish Power and Cable & Wireless. It will...

Car repair firm Kwik-Fit is expanding its brand into financial services with the launch of mortgage products.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Car repair firm Kwik-Fit is expanding its brand into financial services with the launch of mortgage products. Sub-brand, Kwik-Fit Insurance Services, will manage mortgages that will be sourced through a panel of lenders. The mortgage offering...

Heinz Babyfood has developed a free 16-page magazine aimed at mothers of babies at weaning age (four to six months old).(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Heinz Babyfood has developed a free 16-page magazine aimed at mothers of babies at weaning age (four to six months old). Created by Liquid Communications, Tinytums will contain information on nutrition and weaning, as well as Heinz product...

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is investing 5m [pounds sterling] in marketing its Pampers Baby Dry brand.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Procter & Gamble (P&G) is investing 5m [pounds sterling] in marketing its Pampers Baby Dry brand. Spend will cover both above and below-the-line campaigns, with TV advertising by Saatchi & Saatchi breaking this month. The ads will focus on...

Asda.(Appointments)(Boots hires former Asda COO Richard Baker as CEO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Boots has appointed Asda COO Richard Baker as CEO, with effect from mid-September. At Asda he was responsible for commercial activity including marketing, focusing on a number of elements including own-brand and customer service. In his new...

WHSmith.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... WHSmith has named Kate Swann as group chief executive following Richard Handover's move to chairman. Swann joins the group from GUS-owned retailer Argos where she was managing director. The move also marks the retirement of WHSmith's current...

Financial Times (FT).(Appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Financial Times (FT) has promoted Gill Hart from marketing and operations director for Continental Europe to marketing director EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). The appointment follows parent company Pearson's announcement that it is...

Camelot.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Former Orange head of brand communications, Nicole Louis, has joined Camelot in the newly created post of marketing controller. She will be responsible for the company's above-the-line relationships and will report to Jo Kenrick, director of...

Skoda.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Skoda has appointed Volkswagen Group UK's head of group services, Chris Craft, as managing director. Craft, who was also marketing director for the Volkswagen brand between 1998 and 2001, will oversee the launch of the Fabia vRS in September.

Diary.(Calendar)
August 1, 2003... An audience with Wally Olins at the London Business Forum Central London 23 September 2003 An evening with one of branding's founding fathers, it explores the ground rules for branding success in the 21st century. The talk explores a...

British Airways.(Marketing)(is launching a public relations campaign)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... British Airways (BA) is launching a PR campaign to combat negative press following ground staff strikes at Heathrow which stranded many for days, and sent others on holiday with no luggage. The company has already pulled its TV ad campaign and...

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is aiming to broaden the appeal of its kids' juice brand, Ribena.(Marketing)(new ad campaign)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is aiming to broaden the appeal of its kids' juice brand, Ribena. A new 1.5m [pounds sterling] TV ad campaign created by Grey London claims to give the brand an 'edgy' new look with the strapline 'Ribena pulla squeeza...

Volkswagen (VW) is putting 7m [pounds sterling] behind the launch of Touran, its first mini MPV (multi-purpose vehicle).(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Volkswagen (VW) is putting 7m [pounds sterling] behind the launch of Touran, its first mini MPV (multi-purpose vehicle). The ad campaign, which focuses on families with small children, was created by Dutch agency, Result DDB. It will be...

Woolworth's is launching a 20m [pounds sterling] above the line campaign to emphasise its new focus on kids and supplies for family occasions.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Woolworth's is launching a 20m [pounds sterling] above the line campaign to emphasise its new focus on kids and supplies for family occasions. Marking the end of "Well worth it" strapline used for the last five years, the new execution from BBH...

Five weeks from launch, Italian car brand Fiat SpA is being forced to reconsider the name of its latest small car.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Five weeks from launch, Italian car brand Fiat SpA is being forced to reconsider the name of its latest small car. Lawyers for competitor Renault claim that Fiat's proposed name--Gingo--was too close to its own small car, Twingo. Fiat is...

Communications group WPP has won the lengthy battle to gain control of Cordiant Communications, despite last minute challenges from shareholder consortium, Active Value, and private investor Najed Ojjeh.(Financial)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Communications group WPP has won the lengthy battle to gain control of Cordiant Communications, despite last minute challenges from shareholder consortium, Active Value, and private investor Najed Ojjeh. The company's 266m [pounds sterling]...

Despite a relaunch and new 7.5m [pounds sterling] marketing campaign in the UK, P&G's kids' drink, Sunny D, is to be sold.(Financial)(Procter & Gamble)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Despite a relaunch and new 7.5m [pounds sterling] marketing campaign in the UK, P&G's kids' drink, Sunny D, is to be sold. The company is also looking to sell US drinks brand, Punica, and claims the move is to refocus efforts on core snacks and...

McDonald's.(International)(reports drop in profits)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... McDonald's has reported a second quarter decline in profits of 5% to $470.9m (290m [pounds sterling]) from $497.5m (306m [pounds sterling]) in the period the previous year. However the fast-food chain claims that the introduction of new...

Orange.(International)(posted a 43% increase in its operating profit)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Mobile operator Orange has posted a 43% increase in its operating profit to 3.3bn [euro] (2.3bn [pounds sterling]). While its customer base has increased by 1.3 million to 45.6 million, the company claims that the biggest contribution to growth...

A new policy for ensuring your lasting wellbeing: consumers are buying into the cult of the self with a view to improving body and mind, argues Gavin Galloway.(Trendspotter)
August 1, 2003... People increasingly expect more from their bodies--greater longevity, trouble-free functionality, and enhanced performance. They also recognise that body and mind are inextricably linked and the performance of one impacts on the other. ...

If I could get my hands on the Royal Opera House ... I'd shake off the fusty image and bring it to the people, says Garry Lace, chief executive of Grey Advertising.(In An Ideal World)
August 1, 2003... People underestimate the great populist appeal that opera can have. I came to love it through football--the 1990 World Cup and Nessun Dorma. My mother found out, sent me a CD of popular opera and I was hooked. The Royal Opera House (ROH) is...

Sun Dog popcorn--was it just too cheesy? Greg Chivers investigates why a successful snack foods brand such as Walkers failed when it came to cheesy popcorn.(That Was The Brand That Was)
August 1, 2003... On paper at least, there was no reason why Sun Dog popcorn should not have been a successful addition to Walkers Snack Foods' product folio. At the time of its launch in early 1999 the UK popcorn market was worth 66m [pounds sterling] and Sun...

A bullish approach to sky diving.(Brand Stunt Of The Month)(Red Bull invited 40 teams to design man-powered flying machines)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... As the soft drink that "gives you wings", Red Bull invited 40 teams to design man-powered flying machines for a flying competition called Flugtag--its first in the UK. Entrants launched themselves and their inventions from a six feet high...

Brand MOT.(Pearson Group's Financial Times' profits)
August 1, 2003... The Pearson Group's Financial Times' profits slid from 31m [pounds sterling] in 2001 to 1m [pounds sterling] in 2002 and the paper has just announced a first half-year deficit of 15m [pounds sterling]. To halt the decline, the paper introduced...

Now with added regulation: as product health claims grow, Morag Cuddeford Jones assesses the reaction to more stringent food labeling.(News Analysis)
August 1, 2003... The British public can no longer claim to be ignorant of the quality of the food they consume. Deluged with magazine features on 'healthy alternatives', consumers surely have all the ammunition they need to navigate the aisles in Tesco. Yet a...

Technological breakthrough in the top 100 brands: Joanna Doonar identifies that technology brands are the Interbrand survey's three highest climbers.(News Analysis)
August 1, 2003... Coca-Cola, Microsoft and IBM have taken their usual hot spots at position one, two and three in Interbrand's Annual Ranking of 100 of the Best Global Brands. But this year, the clear message is that the technology sector's fortunes are...

Stuck in the middle: Kevin Thomson warns marketers it's time to battle against HR and communications for control of the internal customer.(Opinion)
August 1, 2003... Something strange is happening in brand land. Suddenly, a respected group of marketers is talking about internal branding. Take a recent Marketing Society event: "People are your most cost effective route to market" (Clare Salmon, marketing...

Building professionalism: Rob Malcolm argues that senior marketers must accept the responsibility of committing to internal training.(Opinion)
August 1, 2003... How do we build marketing professionalism and real functional capability? This is simply a must whether we have a seat at the top table or not. We marketing leaders must raise our game and do so significantly. Make marketing functional...

Simon Woodroffe is on a California roll: Elen Lewis meets founder of YO! Sushi, Simon Woodroffe, and discovers that there are plans to continue the Japanese theme with a 'spaceship' hotel chain and a YO! Sushi fashion label.(Profile: Simon Woodroffe)
August 1, 2003... Interviewing Simon Woodroffe, founder of YO! Sushi restaurant chain, is an unusual experience. I feel as if I know all there is to know about him before we even meet. I know YO! Sushi was founded on the back of an upsetting divorce, I know that...

Pitting Jordan against the rest; Morag Cuddeford Jones finds out how fun and value for money sponsorship help Formula One racing team, Jordan Ford, keep ahead of the pack, and discovers that the team has a money-spinning idea or two of its own.
August 1, 2003... The Jordan Ford racing team is like a ray of sunshine in the high stakes world of Formula One (F1). Quite literally in fact, as its canary yellow cars bomb round circuits from Italy to Indianapolis at 200mph. Arguably the most successful...

Brands play the world's stage; in an attempt to differentiate, brands are looking to create experiences for their customers. Elen Lewis investigates the challenges for those brands detracting from their core competence to become entertainers.(Brand Entertainment)
August 1, 2003... Shakespeare would be spinning in his grave. He may have proclaimed that, "all the world's a stage," but he wouldn't have expected brands to be the entertainers. Fortunately, this transformation is not about a tap-dancing can of Coca-Cola or a...

Guinness Storehouse success: Elen Lewis talks to Paul Carty, Guinness Storehouse's general manager, about how the tourist attraction impacts the Guinness brand. Ultimately a good experience could make ambassadors out of your visitors.(Case study: Guinness)
August 1, 2003... The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is shaped like a giant pint of Guinness. Once visitors have progressed through the six-storey former brewery, they can enjoy a complimentary pint of the "black stuff" in the gravity bar, the head of the pint,...

Ann Summers: it's a love thong: raunchy retailer Ann Summers can now advertise for employees in jobcentres. Morag Cuddeford Jones finds out if this is the first stage in a movement which sees sex leaving the street corner for the high street.
August 1, 2003... It's wedding season again. Balmy Saturday evenings are punctuated by the clatter of high heels as a gaggle of girls weaves uncertainly down the high street. One lucky lady will be decked out in a flattering combination of fluffy handcuffs, mock...

Viagra faces stiff competition: Joanna Doonar investigates how the pharma sector has used branding in the sensitive area of erectile dysfunction and asks whether Viagra's brand is strong enough to stand up to the challenge of two new competitors.(Special report: pharma)
August 1, 2003... Viagra, the drug that brought pharmaceutical branding to life, is facing tough competition from two new entrants to the market. For five years it sat unperturbed as the king of pharmaceutical brands. Everyone knows Pfizer's 'little blue...

A dose of brand medicine: Jonathan Hoare urges the pharmaceutical industry to use strategic branding to differentiate its products.(Special report: pharma)
August 1, 2003... To put it bluntly, most pharmaceutical companies have yet to come to terms with branding. With direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs banned in Europe and Asia, the assumption pharma companies make is: "We can't use TV or press,...

Take it from the top: Erika Uffindell reveals some worrying research which shows that senior management employees are less committed to long-term brand programmes than staff Lower down the chain.(Brand Papers)
August 1, 2003... There is a high level of cynicism in the boardroom around the words 'brand' and 'communications'. In a recent survey conducted among senior in-house brand and communications professionals, we compared the levels of brand understanding and...

Brand integrity: Laurie Young argues that consistency is the key ingredient to successful service branding. The environment in which the service is delivered must match the brand promise.(Brand Papers)
August 1, 2003... There are a number of fundamental differences between product marketing and service marketing. In fact, if marketers adopt the fundamental techniques of consumer product marketing when dealing with a service, the marketing programmes are likely...

Mapping British brands: Eleni Papadakis outlines recent research which maps British brands against traditional and modern parameters and looks at reasons why some British brands appear to be flagging.(Brand Papers)
August 1, 2003... The typical British brand lacks dynamism, inventiveness and accessibility. Those that have achieved a level of dynamism such as Burberry or the BBC are exceptions to the rule. And while this probably isn't a huge revelation the question...

Next generation soaps: Mike Falconer argues that it's time for brands to entertain their consumers through programming content and co-creativity. However, to succeed, this content must stand up on its own two feet.(Brand Papers)
August 1, 2003... Steven Heyer, COO of Coca-Cola, declared earlier this year that we are in the midst of a transformation in the practice of brand communication. "This is the era of co-creation--a convergence of the marketing trinity: brands, content and media."...

Battling for the title: many readers abbreviate names of newspapers but Anna Duffus examines to what extent a national newspaper brand can be protected when synonyms and associations play such a big part.(Brand Papers)
August 1, 2003... The newspaper publishing industry is highly competitive. If newspaper groups are not swooping in on each other's staff, they're getting involved in price wars in a constant battle over readers and of advertisers. A recent court battle between...

Marketing budgets get the chop.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Marketing budgets for Q2 2003 have been cut by 11%, the biggest drop since late 2001 (Q4), according to the Bellwether Report conducted on behalf of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). For the first time since Q3 2001,...

Women are doing it for themselves.(Trends)(more likely than men to look after the day-to-day management of money)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Women are taking control of financial matters and are more likely than men to look after the day-to-day management of money, according to research from Mintel. Approximately 55% of women deal with the daily finances such as paying bills...

South Asians turn on and tune in.(Trends)(more than 70% of UK South Asians have pay TV)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
August 1, 2003... Over 70% of UK South Asians have pay TV and this is almost double the national average, according to a report by Continental Research. The percentage of Indians and Pakistanis possessing Sky digital or Cable TV is 72% compared to only 39%...

The shopping forecast.(Research)(hurricanes)
August 1, 2003... According to the old saying, in Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly happen. Residents of the UK are rarely surprised by the weather but as BBC meteorologist Michael Fish knows to his eternal shame--hurricanes do happen. ...

E-Commerce: it pays to be PC.(Research)
August 1, 2003... Ask anyone a question these days, and the standard response is: 'Google it'. With the inexorable rise of this US-based search engine (with access to three billion websites to date) and the prevalence of email over almost every other form of...

Going solo becomes the norm.(Research)
August 1, 2003... Over a third of European consumers now live alone, presenting manufacturers and retailers with a highly lucrative market, according to a new report from analysts, Datamonitor. With a spending power of 140bn [euro] (97bn [pounds sterling]) per...

What's in a number?(Last Word)(long commute)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The number of miles travelled to work every week by Asda Blackburn checkout girl Lynne Siddiq--who hives in Marbella: 3,354

Global village idiot.(Last Word)(Coca-Cola faced problems translating its name to Chinese)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... B&Q's 'Bai an Ju' may have entered the Chinese language with little trouble (BS, July), but it's not always plain sailing. Coca-Cola in China first read as 'Ke-kou-ke-la', meaning 'Bite the wax tadpole' or 'female horse stuffed with wax'. Coke...

Blowing hot and cold in the mobile sector.(Last Word)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Despite criticism from founder Hans Snook about the relevancy of its new ads, Orange has credited them with a 43% increase in operating profit. The company is also launching its biggest ever outdoor campaign promoting new value services,...

The monthly brand brainstorm.(Last Word)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Pop star Michael Jackson may be accused of many things, but being tight with money isn't one of them. The sight of Jackson prancing through an LA store during a recent BBC interview would be enough to make Elton John weep: "I'll have that......

Rethink brand experience: brand experiences are narcissistic unless marketers make the consumer the lead producer in the process.
August 1, 2003... The term 'brand experience' is on marketers' lips everywhere nowadays. But is everyone thinking clearly about what experience really means, and what its full implications are? Marketers use the E word in three different ways. The first has...