Brand Strategy articles from December 2006

Brand Strategy archives from December 2006

LEADER: An Indian winter.(Wal-Mart's deal with Bharti Enterprises)
December 18, 2006... The two larger-than-life men approach the Indian maiden with gentle steps. "Please," says the noble English giant. "Pick me to be your partner - our families have a history together; it was meant to be." But the maiden turns her head away and...

News Round up - Marketing: Youtube strikes deal with Verizon.(Verizon Communications Inc.)(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... The video sharing site Youtube has struck a deal with American telecoms firm Verizon to show a selection of the site's clips on its phone service Vcast. The move is the first step for Youtube in broadening its services to mobile. It is...

News Round up - Marketing: Saudi Arabian health ministry.(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... The Saudi Arabian health ministry has warned global tobacco firms that it will sue them unless they pay the full costs of treating patients suffering from smoking-related illnesses. The ministry claims to have already rejected one offer from...

News Round up - Marketing: Wal-Mart.
December 18, 2006... Wal-Mart and Indian business group Bharti Enterprises have announced a deal to jointly explore business opportunities in India. This will allow Wal-Mart to work around legislation restricting foreign investment; the brand plans to open...

News Round up - Marketing: Pfizer.
December 18, 2006... American pharmaceutical company Pfizer plans to cut 20% of its US sales force - 2,200 jobs - to limit costs and offset the loss of patents on brands such as Zoloft. Competitor businesses Eli Lilly and Merck have also announced plans to cut...

News Round up - Marketing: Nike.
December 18, 2006... Nike is reportedly considering legal action among other options over an ad campaign for Australian sports brand Skins. The ads show a sportsman with his mouth depicted as an upside-down swoosh; the tagline boasts that Skins does not pay...

News Round up - Marketing: OfCom.(Office of Communications (United Kingdom))(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... British media regulator OfCom has ruled that no high fat, salt or sugar foods can be advertised on TV around children's programmes or those attracting large numbers of under-16 year old viewers. Ofcom predicts that dedicated children's...

News Round up - Marketing: Time Warner.(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... Time Warner's New Line Cinema has secured the first agreement by the Roman Catholic Church to endorse its product by holding the premiere of its film The Nativity Story at The Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI led an audience of 7,000 in watching...

News Round up - Launches & Rebrands: Reliance.
December 18, 2006... Indian business operator Reliance is launching a 4,000-store retail project across the subcontinent to capitalise on the burgeoning retail growth industry in the country. Three primary grocery brands have been developed in association with...

News Round up - Launches & Rebrands: Coca-Cola.
December 18, 2006... Coca-Cola is rumoured to be considering the launch of a green tea variant. It has registered both the names 'Coca-Cola Green' and 'Green by Coca-Cola'. The soft drinks giant currently has a joint venture with Nestle which markets the "calorie...

News Round up - Launches & Rebrands: Football portal.
December 18, 2006... Coca-Cola is launching a global football portal. In addition to sponsoring the 2006 World Cup, the drinks giant has associations with a number of football programmes from grassroots level up to sponsorship of the UEFA European Championship. The...

News Round up - Launches & Rebrands: Hennes & Mauritz.
December 18, 2006... Fast-fashion business Hennes & Mauritz is planning to launch a separate upmarket brand of clothing stores during 2007 in selected markets. The company sees the new store brand as a way to reach a female and male audience at a higher price...

News Round up - Launches & Rebrands: Blockbuster and Wal-Mart.
December 18, 2006... Both Blockbuster and Wal-Mart have announced that they will launch downloadable video content over the internet. Each company will take on established brands in this market, such as Apple's iTunes in an effort to gain a slice of the future...

News Round up - Financial: Air France.
December 18, 2006... Air France has reported a 26% rise in quarterly profit on increased demand for travel to Asia and North America and higher ticket prices. Europe's biggest airline says net income for the three months to October rose to E374m (#253m). ...

News Round up - Financial: Procter & Gamble.
December 18, 2006... Procter & Gamble has reported a 33% rise in third-quarter net income to $2.7bn (#1.3bn), aided by strong sales from its acquired Gillette razor business and new Crest toothpaste products. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

News Round up - Financial: Dell.
December 18, 2006... Dell says efforts to improve customer service have helped prevent customers defecting to rival PC makers, resulting in quarterly profits that beat analysts' estimates. The world's second-biggest PC maker has reported net income of $677m...

News Round up - Financial: Bayer.(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... Germany's largest drugs company, Bayer, has unveiled better-than- expected three-month profits. Net income fell 35% in the period to E320m (#216) following its E17bn (#11bn) purchase of the Schering healthcare business. Sales rose 26% to...

News Round up - Financial: Burberry.
December 18, 2006... Premium fashion brand, Burberry, says strong sales of its womenswear and handbags have helped push up half-year underlying pre-tax profits by seven per cent to #84m. Gross margins have also improved, reflecting an increase in revenues from...

News Round up - Financial: Sara Lee.(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... FMCG company Sara Lee has announced a five-fold jump in quarterly profits after introducing new wholegrain breads and breakfast foods. Net income in the three months to October rose to $333m (#171m) with revenue increasing at all six of Sara...

News Round up - Financial: News Corporation.(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation reported a 6.4% fall in its first- quarter operating profit to $851m (#446m) primarily due to its filmed entertainment division failing to repeat its record income in the same period last year. Online...

APPOINTMENTS: PSA Peugeot Citroen.
December 18, 2006... Europe's second-largest car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen has appointed Christian Streiff to take over as chief executive, assuming the top post in February 2007. Streiff was formerly the CEO of the commercial aircraft manufacturer Airbus until...

APPOINTMENTS: Hamley's.
December 18, 2006... Toy retail brand Hamley's has appointed Stella Hartley as marketing director taking responsibility for overall brand strategy. She will be in change of driving the company's reputation as it grows on an international scale. Copyright:...

APPOINTMENTS: Volkeswagen.(Martin Winterkorn is new chief executive)(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... Volkswagen has named Martin Winterkorn, formerly chairman of the car group's Audi brand, as its new chief executive, taking over from Bernd Pischetsrieder who resigned abruptly last month. Winterkorn is expected to call for reviews of...

APPOINTMENTS: ITV.(Michael Grade appointed at ITV )(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... British television's second-largest channel ITV has appointed former BBC chairman Michael Grade chief executive in a bid to deal with weak audience and advertising figures and tough competition, both from the internet and digital TV...

Trendspotter: Mad or mistaken?(confused consumers)
December 18, 2006... Jonathan Banks discusses the rise of the schizophrenic shopper Consumers today face a bewildering amount of choice and confusion. In their struggle to piece together 'the truth', a new type of purchaser has emerged: the 'schizophrenic...

Brand Stunt of the Month: Facing up to fast food.(KFC Corp.)(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... Claudine Baker recognises a familiar face in a deserted spot Kentucky Fried Chicken has taken galactic measures to ensure its new logo is seen globally by constructing a record-breaking 87,500 square- foot version in the Area 51 desert in...

OPINION: How to be a player with a striking brand.
December 18, 2006... Philippe Le Floc'h, marketing and media rights director at UEFA explains how to create a valuable and lasting experiential brand on the world stage Your brand needs a strong vision behind it to bring your values to life. This is...

OPINION: Segmenting for success.(Market segmentation)
December 18, 2006... Jo Harlow, senior vice president of global marketing at Nokia, argues that you can understand customers through rigorous segmentation Understanding the consumer is vital as the business world becomes increasingly dynamic and competitive....

BRAND THERAPY - HOUSE OF FRASER: Changing the house style.
December 18, 2006... Ever since Icelandic investor group Baugur bought the House of Fraser department store group for #351m in November this year, rumours have abounded as to what the new owners have planned for the old British staple. A disjointed retail...

GLOBAL TRENDS WATCH - RETAIL RANKING: Spoilt for choice.
December 18, 2006... Claudine Baker discusses the trend for stores that rank products on various merits which break down the wealth of choice for consumers and make shopping a more therapeutic experience Fictitious Kazakhstani journalist Borat, star of the...

PROFILE - MIREILLE GUILIANO: Bubbly by nature.(Biography)
December 18, 2006... Ruth Mortimer dines out with Mireille Guiliano, not only a bestselling author and chief executive of Clicquot Inc. but also a woman of substance with a passion for the good things in life I meet Mireille Guiliano, president and chief...

PROFILE - MIREILLE GUILLANO: Salut to you.
December 18, 2006... Mireille Guiliano tells Ruth Mortimer how she got the Veuve Clicquot brand to number two in the US cmahmpagne market and warns it won't be stopping there RM: You famously built the Veuve Clicquot brand in the US up from virtually nothing...

CASE STUDY - MTV: High-techno vision.(MTV Networks Inc.)(Company overview)
December 18, 2006... Ruth Mortimer looks at how MTV is breaking into social networking platforms and asks how it can sustain its appeal to young people who spread their time across several forms of digital media The MTV brand has a very strange effect on...

CASE STUDY - MTV: Meet or Delete.
December 18, 2006... Meet or Delete is the result of a global partnership this year between MTV and Hewlett-Packard. The technology brand was keen to target young people with its marketing strategy: 'the computer is personal again'. MTV decided to create...

CASE STUDY - MTV: The C.M.O.N.S.(MTV Networks Inc. and General Motors Corp.)
December 18, 2006... The MTV C.M.O.N.S. campaign ran in the summer of 2006. It was the result of a partnership between the music TV brand and General Motors (GM) in Europe. The car company was keen for its Opel/Vauxhall Corsa model to appeal to a younger audience....

UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES: Forgotten man.
December 18, 2006... Maeve Hosea discusses the challenges facing global brands marketing in developing communities and asks how companies can provide and support this vast group of underserved consumers Pierre Baptiste takes a sip of beer and a mouthful of...

UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES: Pepsi Americas.(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... Marketing is often as much about getting product to people as communicating with them. Peter Swanson, vice president of global marketing, Global Exports Caribbean Flavors - a division of Pepsi Americas - highlights the challenges of dealing...

UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES: Case study - Project Shakti.(Hindustan Lever Ltd.)
December 18, 2006... Project Shakti, run by Hindustan Lever (a division of Unilever) since 2001, is an innovative channel that allows the FMCG company's products to reach rural consumers in remote regions of India. It uses a network of 27,000 entrepreneurs...

MARKETING INSIGHT: Satisfy your curiosity.
December 18, 2006... Giles Lury suggests marketers should follow Sherlock Holmes' technique in the observance of trifles. Sometimes the answer is staring you in the face Let me start by giving you two pieces of information: first, we are drowning in a sea of...

CSR: How to get an ethical advantage.
December 18, 2006... Ruth Saunders outlines three strategies to help companies integrate corporate social responsiblity with their brand building efforts Not long ago, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes were little more than a PR exercise. The Gap...

PREMIUM LUXURY BRANDS: Creating a cut above the rest.
December 18, 2006... Ibrahim Ibrahim describes how brands wanting to attract the sybarites among us must create their own space and reinvent the luxury brand experience Many mainstream brands are attempting 'premiumisation' or creating mass on a luxury...

TEST MARKETING: Testing times for brands.
December 18, 2006... Patrick Syms says test marketing your product is outdated and often inaccurate. Brands should gauge demand and success from other sources The traditional notion of a 'test market' is extraneous to the commercial realities we now face. The...

BRAND RESUSCITATION: Revival of the fittest.(Brand management)
December 18, 2006... After last month's cover story on reviving brands, Stuart Whitwell puts forward his take on which brands can be resuscitated and which should be put out to pasture Killing a brand is not as easy as putting it out of business. The main...

FEMALE CONSUMERISM: What women want.
December 18, 2006... Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts look at why marketing is failing the female audience and discuss women's motivation and what this means for branding Women make 80% of all consumer goods decisions, and are fast becoming the most...

BOOK REVIEW: A lesson in magic.(Book review)
December 18, 2006... Linda Garcia, managing director at branding consultancy Turquoise finds Andy Cohen's Follow the Other Hand gimmicky but good fun as a business read although she questions the title's American bias and some of the 'too good to be true'...

BOOK REVIEW: Three from me Linda Garcia also recommends.(Book review)
December 18, 2006... Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything By Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner Penguin Paperback (2006), #8.99 This book takes the somewhat dry subject of economics and makes it interesting by...

From the bookshelf of...Ralph Ardill.
December 18, 2006... Ralph Ardill, chief executive of The Brand Experience Consultancy On Bullshit by Harry G Frankfurt On Bullshit is the smallest, thinnest and plainest-looking book on my bookcase. It's got no chapters, pictures, diagrams or...

SILVER SURFERS: Golden opportunities for brands.
December 18, 2006... Older people have bucked their stereotypical 'technophobe' image to emerge as a powerful section of the world's internet user population. Twenty-five per cent of the internet users in the UK alone are over 50 years old, up from only 20% in...

CHILD CULTURE: Kid consumers and growing pains.
December 18, 2006... The average child receives 70 toys a year - that's more than one a week, according to recent research in the UK. Eight out of 10 children have their own televisions; half have a video or DVD; a million under- 10s have mobile phones; and a...

MARKETING LANDSCAPE: Pulling power of the digital age.
December 18, 2006... Technology is driving major changes in consumer behaviour but nowhere is this making a greater impact than among the first 'digital generation' - those now aged between 16-24 years old. As this group's use of media evolves, we must address...

Brand Stats: January 2007.(Brief article)
December 18, 2006... Market focus Instant desserts The consumption of instant desserts varies across Germany, Spain, France and the UK. Penetration levels for people claiming to 'ever eat' them are as high as 40% in Germany and as low as 28% in Spain. More...