Brand Strategy articles from December 2007

Brand Strategy archives from December 2007

LEADER: Redefining media.
December 10, 2007... On the MTV show Pimp My Ride, a teenager with a beat-up truck is shouting with joy after having her vehicle revamped by rapper Xzibit. The show, which takes beat-up automobiles and 'blings' them with over- the-top fittings, is notable because...

MARKETING: Reebok TV Series.
December 10, 2007... Reebok has created a six-part US TV series called Framed. The 30-minute programmes for the Independent Film Channel feature sportspeople interviewed by entertainers. Participants include Thierry Henry interviewed by actress Paz Vega and...

MARKETING: FedEx ad campaign.
December 10, 2007... FedEx has launched a global ad campaign, which claims to emphasise the brand values of 'access, success and growth'. The ads will appear in print and online in nine languages across countries including the UK, US, Mexico and Taiwan. ...

MARKETING: Orange ad campaign.
December 10, 2007... Mobile phone operator Orange has launched a #6m ad campaign across TV, outdoor, press and online. It aims to express the brand's 'unlimited' product benefits and the campaign website claims to be the first 'never- ending' webpage of...

MARKETING: Red Ht Chilli Pepers plan to sue.
December 10, 2007... The rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers has announced plans to sue US TV station Showtime Network over its use of the name 'Californiacation' for a TV show. The band claimed the name was "immediately associated in the mind of the consumer" with...

MARKETING: Carling end sponsorships.
December 10, 2007... Carling has ended its sponsorships of the Reading and Leeds music festivals after nine years. Festival Republic, the events' promoter, says it is not looking for a replacement sponsor but will be seeking new partners going forward. The beer...

MARKETING: Stringent anti-piracy measures.
December 10, 2007... France has unveiled stringent anti-piracy measures with online copyright abusers facing being cut off from using the internet. Web firms will pass on information about persistent pirates to a new, independent body while rights owners in the...

MARKETING: Staples repositions in the UK.
December 10, 2007... Office supplies brand Staples is repositioning itself in the UK to bring itself in line with its US marketing campaign. The TV, online, outdoor and direct marketing campaign centres around the concept of making things 'easy' and the company...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: First standalone store in Manhattan.(Topshop launches store)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... Topshop has announced the September 2008 launch of its first standalone store in Manhattan, New York. Until now, the retailer has sold its Kate Moss range through upscale department store Barneys. This will be Arcadia's first US store....

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Jaguar launch.
December 10, 2007... Luxury car brand Jaguar - currently up for sale from owner Ford - has launched its XF model. The company hopes it will help attract a good price for the Jaguar Land Rover business, which aims to have a new owner in place by early 2008. The...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Electronic reading device.(Amazon.com Inc. launches wireless portable electronic reading device)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... Amazon has unveiled Kindle, its long-awaited wireless portable electronic reading device, which allows consumers to download and read books on the move. Its display aims to mimic the look of real paper. Amazon has announced deals with...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: New video-on-demand system.
December 10, 2007... The UK's three largest broadcasting brands - BBC, ITV and Channel 4 - have announced the 2008 launch of a new video-on-demand system, codenamed Project Kangaroo, to rival the US download services such as Apple and Amazon. It will offer...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Trials of OnePulse system.
December 10, 2007... Barclaycard has confirmed that it will begin trials next year of its combined OnePulse system - offering both an Oyster travelcard for London and contactless Visa payment card - on mobile devices. It will test the new system using Nokia...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: McDonald's to remodel restaurants.
December 10, 2007... McDonald's is preparing to remodel some of its restaurants in the US and increase its high-end coffee range to take on specialist coffee stores such as Starbucks. The move comes as Starbucks prepares to advertise for the first time on TV to...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Mobile internet portals.
December 10, 2007... AOL has launched the first of its new mobile internet portals for Europe in the UK. The service features a branded homepage with links and 'browser tabs' to navigate the content. The company says it will announce plans for family-friendly...

FINANCIAL: Nike sells Starter brand.
December 10, 2007... Nike has sold the Starter brand of clothing, footwear and other licensed products to the Iconix Brand Group for $60m (#30m). Starter, which pioneered the league-licensed apparel trend in its deals with the MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL, is being sold...

FINANCIAL: Adidas income rises.
December 10, 2007... Adidas' third-quarter income has risen by 22% to E298m (#213bn) from E244m (#175bn) last year. Sales were E2.941bn (#2.1bn), following on from E2.949bn in the previous year. The company said its full-year outlook appeared to be on track. ...

FINANCIAL: Puma net income.(PUMA AG)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... Puma's net income for its third quarter is up 2.3% to E89.1m (#63.9m) from E87.1m (#62.4m). The sportswear brand, controlled by French retailer PPR, says its global brand sales for Q3 have risen by four per cent to E753.4m (#540m) or E2.13bn...

FINANCIAL: Second-largest quarter loss in US history.(Financial report)
December 10, 2007... General Motors has announced the second-largest quarterly loss in US history - $39bn (#19.5bn) for its third-quarter - after it wrote down deferred tax credits. It ended a streak of three profitable quarters for the business, which lost...

FINANCIAL: BMW pre-tax profits.
December 10, 2007... BMW's pre-tax profits rose 6.3% to E765m (#533m) in the three months to the end of September. The company says that high costs of raw materials and a weak dollar in its important US market affected the results adversely but claims it hopes...

FINANCIAL: Louis Vuitton win.
December 10, 2007... Louis Vuitton was awarded E80,000 (#57,000) by a Paris court after it was judged that a Britney Spears pop video had violated anti- counterfeiting laws by showing an upholstered Vuitton car dashboard. The court fined Sony BMG and MTV Online...

APPOINTMENTS: Blacks Leisure Group.
December 10, 2007... Former Cadbury commercial director Neil Gillis has been appointed as chief executive of sports and outdoor company Blacks Leisure Group. His other roles included chief executive of health and fitness brand Esporta and managing director of the...

APPOINTMENTS: PSA Peugeot Citroen.
December 10, 2007... Frederic Saint-Geours, head of the Peugeot brand, has been promoted to a senior group adviser role within parent company PSA Peugeot Citroen. The move comes just nine months after he was appointed to head up Peugeot for a further four years....

APPOINTMENTS: The Body Shop.
December 10, 2007... L'Oreal's managing director for consumer professional products, Sophie Gasperment, has been handed the role of chief executive of The Body Shop. The move is seen as a sign that L'Oreal is keen to integrate the ethical retailer even more...

APPOINTMENTS: Nokia.
December 10, 2007... Carol Soriano, marketing director for Nokia's multimedia unit, has been promoted to head of a new creative division designed specifically to position the manufacturer as the world's "most loved and admired iconic brand". The move is part of...

TRENDSPOTTER: Time travel.(life is a journey)
December 10, 2007... Morag Cuddeford Jones discovers life is a journey Buddha is alleged to have opined that: 'it is better to travel well than to arrive'. He obviously hadn't experienced the Monday morning commuter crush. Despite the potential of online...

BRAND STUNT OF THE MONTH: Celebrity credit.
December 10, 2007... Ruth Mortimer on how consumers can pay with famous names There is a delicious irony in the thought of paying for your hotel room with a Paris Hilton credit card. While this may still be stuff of the imagination, the heiress'...

OPINION: Wearing the badge with honour and commitment.
December 10, 2007... James Leipnik, chief of communication and corporate relations at Canon Europe, explains how brands need to take sponsorship strategies further than 'badging' Every brand considers sponsorship as part of its marketing strategy. It can...

OPINION: Directional and seductive fair-trade fashion.
December 10, 2007... Safia Minney, founder of fair-trade fashion brand People Tree, explains how to capitalise on current trends while not losing sight of your own style Fashion can have a positive impact on the environment, producers and on consumers'...

THE US DOLLAR: Betting your bottom dollar.
December 10, 2007... Roy Stephenson is a financial services industry consultant and former vice president at American Express My view is that the downward trend is here to stay for the dollar. There are major problems with the US housing market that will...

PRICING STRATEGIES: The price is right?
December 10, 2007... Polly Devaney discusses whether Radiohead's free album download represents a shift in pricing strategies for brands desiring standout or if the gesture was merely a clever publicity stunt Influential rock band Radiohead has recently...

PROFILE - MICHAEL O'LEARY: Horses for courses.
December 10, 2007... Morag Cuddeford Jones meets Michael O'Leary chief executive of controversial airline Ryanair and discovers how he has all but defied the laws of gravity when it comes to growing a successful brand Can you tell a lot about a man by the...

PROFILE - MICHAEL O'LEARY: No frills means low bills.
December 10, 2007... Michael O'Leary explains to Morag Cuddeford Jones how turning received wisdom on its head in the airline industry keeps customers coming back for more MCJ: The traditional response to any negative press is to bring out the PR department...

PROFILE - MICHAEL O'LEARY: Ryanair facts.
December 10, 2007... * In the current year, Ryanair will carry 50 million passengers on 563 low-fare routes across 26 European countries. * Ryanair was set up in 1985 by the Ryan family with a share capital of just #1 and a staff of 25. * In 1990,...

CASE STUDY - DISCOVERY: Journey of discovery.(Company overview)(Case study)
December 10, 2007... Ruth Mortimer switches onto the global factual TV channel brand and asks whether it has the right strategy to engage the modern, thrill- seeking man in an increasingly digital world A complaint that you'll often hear about the modern man is...

BRAND LONGEVITY: Enduring love.(Company overview)
December 10, 2007... Maeve Hosea asks how brands can achieve longevity. Subtle updating that doesn't alienate the consumer or stray from the original essence of the brand is key - and a story is a powerful tool too The real star of Wes Anderson's new movie,...

BRAND LONGEVITY: Case study - Shell.(Case study)
December 10, 2007... The scallop symbol has been used to promote the Shell brand's petroleum products since the beginning of the last century. Gasoline marketing was a competitive business in the US and Shell's rapidly growing network of service stations there...

BRAND LONGEVITY: Case study - Bushmills.(Case study)
December 10, 2007... Age typically confirms the positioning of a high-quality whisky brand. Four-hundred-year-old Bushmills, now owned by Diageo, trades off the 'myth, legends and romance' that attracted the drinks conglomerate to the brand two years ago. ...

INTERNATIONAL INSIGHTS: Insights from being onsite.
December 10, 2007... Paul Thomas tells brand owners to take a more hands- on approach to understanding consumers around the world or risk irrelevance Understanding the consumer is central to the consumer-brand relationship. But how can brand owners gain a real...

BRAND ARCHITECTURE: Spoilers for fundraisers.(Interview)
December 10, 2007... Consistent brand architecture and fundraising do not always sit well together. Accept this or damage your whole identity, warns Tod Norman Not long ago, I attended a briefing session hosted by the communications department of a leading...

EMOTIVE USPs: An emotional appeal.
December 10, 2007... Jonathan Cahill argues that while brands look for a unique selling point, case histories show that often grabbing an emotional positioning is good enough One of the most satisfying brand strategies is to become exceptionally well known...

BRAND CREDIBILITY: Ditch the incredibles.
December 10, 2007... Rob Oubridge takes a look at what makes consumers believe in certain brands and how to create a campaign with credibility and integrity It is more important than ever for brand owners to define believability because today's consumers are...

BRAND SUBSTANCE: Sizzle and stretch.
December 10, 2007... David Taylor explains why brands cannot exist on spin alone - the appeal must run deeper and 'sizzle' with resonance for consumers In recent years, many companies have decided that the way to fight the remorseless advance of retail...

NOSTALGIC ADVERTISING: Cutting and pasting.
December 10, 2007... Ivan Purdie says mixing nostalgic content with original creative can give your brand's advertising an edge, particularly for the over-50s market Arguably, the concept of combining old content with new creative began at the advent of...

MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATION: Branding lost in translation.
December 10, 2007... Dr Chris Boorman argues that English will no longer be the dominant language in the online age. Brands need to get ready to speak in any language In this day and age, we are all thinking about Web 2.0. But while the business community...

BOOK REVIEW: Can you be bothered?(Bright Marketing)(Book review)
December 10, 2007... Mark Wickens, chairman and creative partner at Brandhouse was hoping for enlightenment on reading Bright Marketing but found a more obtuse read for marketing beginners Bright Marketing By Robert Craven Published by Crimson Publishing...

From the bookshelf of Sally Emslie.
December 10, 2007... Sally Emslie, partner, HPI Research The Art of Looking Sideways By Alan Fletcher Already a classic, this work is likely to become a cult read given the recent death of its author, who was one of the most influential figures in...

CHINA: China's economy and consumption.
December 10, 2007... China is the world's fastest-growing economy. It is also changing socially at a rapid pace, which makes it a fascinating environment for marketers from both local and global companies. The upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic games are accelerating...

CHINA: Advertisers in China.
December 10, 2007... Coca-Cola Coca-Cola has launched a massive outdoor campaign for Beijing 2008 called 'One Year Out'. The initiative, which has more than 50 diffferent executions running in bus stops, also allows people to create their own t-shirts,...

Brand Stats: December.(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... Market focus Coffee beans Across Britain, France, Germany, and Spain, 14.3 million people drink fresh ground coffee made at home using coffee beans. Since 2002, drinkers have fallen from 10% of adults aged 15+ to only 7% today, due to...

BRAND REPUTATION: Email scams.
December 10, 2007... The effect of 'phishing' Brands are being negatively affected in consumers' thinking through the practice of 'phishing' or email scams that attempt to defraud consumers of their personal information by posing as communication from a...