Brand Strategy articles from December 2004

Brand Strategy archives from December 2004

LEADER: Less is more.
December 6, 2004... The phrase "less is more" was coined by Victorian poet Robert Browning. It appeared in an 1855 poem called Andrea del Sarto, about a real fifteenth century painter. Sarto was addressing his beautiful, young wife on the loss of his...

Vodafone live! across 13 countries.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Vodafone live! with 3G, the company's first 3G mobile service, has launched across 13 countries using global advertising via TV, press, outdoor, and web, and experiential marketing. Vodafone expects over 10 million customers to be using the...

MTV African channel.(MTV Networks Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... MTV Networks is launching an African channel; a localised version of urban music station, MTV Base. The station, which will reach 1.3 million households, will be broadcast via satellite to 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa from February 2005....

Apple store.(Apple Computer (UK) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Apple has opened its first European store in London's West End; its third store outside the US (there are two stores in Tokyo). The store features a 'genius bar' for customers to receive advice and a theatre and studio for training sessions....

Chanel No 5 campaign.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Chanel No 5 has launched an international advertising campaign starring actress Nicole Kidman, rumoured to have cost $18m (#9.6m). The TV ad, by film director Baz Luhrmann, is accompanied by a print campaign. Chanel No 5 is the world's...

Whisky with a secret.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Drambuie whisky is promoting itself as 'Whisky with a secret' in a new advertising campaign being shown in the UK and Greece. Nearly #2m has been invested in UK television advertising showing the Scottish brand's romantic history dating back...

Food advertising.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Food companies may be banned from advertising before 9pm in the UK following the recent government white paper, Choosing Health. Companies have been warned that legislation may be introduced if the industry hasn't regulated itself by 2007. ...

Cobra Beer in Russia.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Cobra Beer has launched in Russia and is being marketed through restaurants, PR and point-of-sale in order to attract younger, professional drinkers. The launch is part of Cobra Beer's strategy to become a global brand; it is currently in 30...

Samsung appoints agencies.(Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Samsung Electronics has appointed five WPP agencies to support its #400m global marketing account, led by J Walter Thompson ad agency. Mindshare, also part of WPP, has won Unilever's European media business worth E1bn (#700m) across 15...

Sony joint venture.(Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Huasuo Film and Television Digital Production Company)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Sony Pictures Entertainment has formed a joint venture in China; Huasuo Film/Television Digital Production Company. The move follows China opening its media sector to foreign investors. The venture is 51% owned by a subsidiary of the...

Wrigley buys confectionery brands.(Wrigley Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Wrigley is buying the Altoids mints and Lifesavers confectionery brands from Kraft Foods for $1.48bn (#790m), along with regional brands from Europe and the US. The move aims to strengthen and broaden Wrigley's position in the world...

EMI Music sales.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... EMI Music's digital sales increased six-fold in the six months to October 2004 and the company's operating profit increased by 18.4% to #30.9m. The company stated that the legitimate digital music market is continuing to take off with new...

Sainsbury's first ever loss.(J Sainsbury PLC)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Sainsbury's has experienced the first ever loss in its 135-year history of #39m against a profit of #323m in the same period last year, according to half year results. Before exceptional charges of #168m, Sainsbury's pre-tax profits fell to...

Fair trade products in North America.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Almost 70 new fair trade products have been introduced in North America in the last two years, increasing from 15 new products in 2002 and six in 2001 according to Productscan Online. Since 2003 the imported fair trade coffee market has...

Only 56% of Chinese consumers will buy Chinese sedans.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Only 56% of Chinese urban consumers will buy Chinese sedans (saloon cars) despite 96% recognising the importance of developing domestic brands, according to a survey by CCID Consulting in China. The research showed that Volkswagen, Buick,...

Hennes and Mauritz set to become Europe's biggest retailer.(H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Swedish clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) is set to become Europe's biggest clothing retailer overtaking Marks & Spencer, according to Mintel. H&M made E4.9bn (#3.4bn) in 2003-2004 sales, achieving 73% sales growth between 1999 and...

McDonald's - Appointment.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... McDonald's has appointed Jim Skinner as its chief executive following Charlie Bell's step down after only seven months to fight cancer. Bell was responsible for consolidating the brand's global advertising under the 'I'm Lovin' it' slogan....

Bacardi-Martini - Appointment.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... John Burke has been promoted to brands director at spirits company Bacardi-Martini. He was previously director of marketing for spirits. The company is also searching for a successor to chief executive Javier Ferran who resigned last month for...

InterContinental Hotels Group - Appointment.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Steven Powell has been promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing (EMEA) at InterContinental Hotels Group. He is now responsible for the company's 600 hotels in this region including the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, and...

Egg - Appointment.(Egg Banking PLC)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Online bank Egg has created the new post of chief brand and communications officer for Emma Byrne. She was previously group corporate communications director and will oversee Egg's #40m marketing budget. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

TRENDSPOTTER: Brands working for the community.
December 6, 2004... Lesley Salem encourages brands to become active citizens instead of profit makers There is a belief that people are becoming increasingly apathetic to the world around them but contrary to this, we are seeing a surge of community spirit,...

THAT WAS THE BRAND THAT WAS: VW's Rabbit - too small for some.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Now usurped by the Golf, the Rabbit was a pioneer in its day, Ruth Mortimer investigates its demise The Volkswagen Rabbit hopped into car history in 1975 and out again nine years later. The little car was an attempt to replace the Beetle...

BRAND MOT: Coca-cola.
December 6, 2004... Coca-Cola's profits fell by 24% in the third quarter to $1,097m (#590m) with poor performance in North America, Germany and Northern Europe. Nevill Isdell, chairman and CEO admits that Coca-Cola hasn't responded quickly enough to consumer...

Low-cost fitness brands exercise their rights.
December 6, 2004... The government's white paper will give low-cost fitness brands opportunities to improve the public's health. Ruth Mortimer investigates the choices available to the patient/consumer It is time for low-cost health and fitness brands to...

OPINION: The insight supply chain.(decision makers within organisations unable to use insight)
December 6, 2004... Eric Salama says that too many insights are not helping decision makers within organisations Companies and CEOs are under increasing pressure to cut costs and to drive top-line growth - just look at Unilever and Sainsburys in recent...

OPINION: Less is more.(Nicholas Negroponte argues that the consumer electronics industry is getting carried away with complexity)
December 6, 2004... Nicholas Negroponte argues that the consumer electronics industry is getting carried away with complexity Complexity is out of control. And in the consumer electronics industry, most of the complexity is created for the wrong reasons. The...

PROFILE - NICK MERCER: Planes, trains and Eurostar's Mercer.(Interview)
December 6, 2004... Joanna Doonar talks to Nick Mercer, commercial director at Eurostar Group from his role as diplomat and good listener to his marketing experiences across the travel industry There's an air of panic as Nick Mercer, Eurostar's commercial...

Q&A: Catering for business and pleasure.(Interview)
December 6, 2004... Flying is not necessarily the most accessible way to travel, stresses Nick Mercer. Joanna Doonar quizzes him on high speed travel and Eurostar's promise to 'get you ahead' JD: What challenges have you faced at Eurostar? NM:...

IDOL: A brand that's never idol.
December 6, 2004... Since its launch in the UK in 2001, the talent contest TV show has entertained viewers across the globe. Ruth Mortimer investigates the rise of the real star of the show: the Idol brand It's the brand that has got everyone listening. You...

BRAND AMERICA: Yankee doodle branding.
December 6, 2004... With growing anti-US sentiments worldwide, Bush's unpopular war on terror and a country split over the election, Ruth Mortimer says it's time Brand America redressed its global reputation The movie is called Churchill: The Hollywood...

BRAND AMERICA: Whose brand is it anyway?
December 6, 2004... Brand America is not the only product under pressure. In an anti- American climate, US commercial brands must now also work out a strategy for presenting themselves outside their parent market. Only 35% of people say that they trust American...

CASE STUDY - NIKE: Nike's right to roam.
December 6, 2004... The recent dip in consumer trust has had little effect on sales for Nike. Ruth Mortimer asks if the sportswear brand has transcended its US origins to become a truly international brand Nike is the Ancient Greek goddess of victory. It is...

BRAND PAPERS: Time and traditions.
December 6, 2004... Professor S. Ramesh Kumar says that good timing and an appreciation of cultural traditions are everything when targeting the Indian market India is a country of contrasts. There's a mass market of people who depend on low-cost,...

BRAND PAPERS: The price is right?
December 6, 2004... Stephan Butscher and Balraj Kalsi explain how premium brands can use clever pricing and a two-brand strategy to expand into low-cost markets Premium brand owners are introducing second brands or product lines to access the low-priced...

BRAND PAPERS: Innovate on substance.
December 6, 2004... Martin Hayward argues that insight and sustainable trends can often be spotted from the old-fashi0ned skills of demographics and economics Even in the most basic of human activities, there is a natural tendancy to pursue the new at the...

BRAND PAPERS: Switching off TV.
December 6, 2004... Banning TV advertising to children may be a blessing in disguise argues Micky O'Brien; it will make brand owners embrace experiential marketing instead The UK government's recent white paper, Choosing Health, proposes a junk food...

BRAND PAPERS: Organic growth.(lost capability and worthy but dull are two factors blocking )
December 6, 2004... In the second concluding part of a series on organic growth, Charlie Dawson outlines the final two blockers to growth Organic growth is important and difficult to achieve. The growth cycle can break down at any point (see next page)...

BRAND PAPERS: Female intuition.(advertising fails to keep up with women's changing habits)
December 6, 2004... Becky Barry discusses the failure of marketers to keep up with women's changing habits especially when advertising to them Marketers are failing to keep up with how women have changed and consequently their advertising's outdated. Women...

BOOKS: Simply better is enough.(Book Review)
December 6, 2004... Mike Moran discovers a stocking filler for some CEOs that are getting it wrong. Simply Better authors Barwise and Meehan suggest companies should concentrate on the basics before adding the bells and whistles Simply Better, Patrick...

FROM THE BOOKSHELF OF: Andrew Perkins, planner, DDB London.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust Our job is to make the fleeting experiences that people have with brands more memorable. How can we make a strong impression? How to seed a lasting memory? For answers, you could do worse than...

BRAND STATS: Market focus - Soft drinks.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Coca-Cola dominates the soft drinks market across Europe - as well as being the top brand, its sister products command strong positions across Britain, Germany, Spain and France. Consumption of soft drinks varies within these territories;...

BRAND STATS: Big spenders - Mobile phone operators.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... UK top advertisers, October 2004 New position (previous month) Brand Spend 1 (8) O2 #5,858,631 2 (2) PC World #5,717,030 3 (-) ...

RESEARCH: New brands versus extensions.
December 6, 2004... No one likes taking risks. But brand and marketing directors like it less than most people. Eighty-two per cent of new products are brand extensions into the same or a different category and only 15% are totally new brands, according to a...

RESEARCH: KIDS LICENCES IN THE UK.
December 6, 2004... Kids licences are estimated to be worth #2.7bn in Britain in 2004, generating 2.5 times more revenue than the cola market. This equates to an average of #245 per child per year, according to NPD's licensing tracker which studied all categories...

RESEARCH: REACHING BRAZILIAN CONSUMERS.
December 6, 2004... The song says it all: "Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking. And when she passes, each one she passes goes "A- a-ah!" The apparently effortless exoticism and insouciant sexiness of young Brazilians portrayed...