Brand Strategy articles from February 2002

Brand Strategy archives from February 2002

Kmart set to be largest retail bankruptcy.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A fierce battle of price-cutting against major rival Wal-Mart has led US-based discount retailer Kmart to the brink of bankruptcy. As Brand Strategy goes to press, the chain looks likely to follow energy giant Enron into receivership. ...

German monks campaign with sex appeal.(FiftyFifty publication launches controvesial campaign for homeless)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A new marketing campaign by a German charity supporting the homeless is creating waves in the advertising community. FiftyFifty is a publication along the lines of the UK's The Big Issue, sold on the streets of Dusseldorf. The January print...

Beep beep Big Ben, New Year is here again. (leader).(cellphone usage on New Year's Day 2002)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... This New Year was rung in, not by the chimes of Big Ben, but the beeping of mobile phones. It is estimated that 50 million-plus text messages were sent on New Year's Day 2002, doubling the total sent the year before. In place of the...

Luck be a lady like Dianne Thompson: Morag Cuddeford-Jones meets the Queen of Camelot who is proving she's no small fry to fat cats. (profile).(discussion with the head of Camelot Group PLC)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Dianne Thompson has balls of steel and she keeps them in the bottom of a cupboard in her office. The two delicately crafted steel balls -- given to her by the Marketing Society as thanks for a speech in March 2001 -- remind her that as head of...

Can brands cash in on a common currency? New Year's Day 2002 brought the common currency to Europe. Morag Cuddeford-Jones talks to Charles Trevail at Futurebrand about how the Euro will affect brands. (news analysis).
February 1, 2002... The UK tabloid press was gleeful. The day after the big monetary changeover for 12 countries in Europe, a punter was caddishly ripped off by a Eurozone cab driver taking full advantage of the exchange rate confusion. And press derision greeted...

Big trouble in little McChina: McJustice at last for the latest David and Goliath battle over the Gaelic prefix. (Bird & Bird).(Frank Yuen's trademark case with McDonald's Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BIRD & BIRD McDonald's Corporation holds an unenviable position as the big company that everyone loves to hate. The opprobrium poured on it since the "McLibel" trial (1994-1997) serves only to emphasise this -- a clear case of winning the...

Love and loathing in the brand world: you can't make everyone happy, but a strong reaction is a good reaction argues Giles Lury. (opinion).(marketing brand name products)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... As a long-term marketer, I have been conditioned to resemble Eric Idle in the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian -- I always try and look on the bright side of life. I've had years of being told that you mustn't concentrate on the negatives...

STAR brands don't burn out, is yours a red giant?: if "change is the only constant", companies cannot rely on the factors of past success to make them successful in the future Keith Wells and Max du Bois look for a way to impose structure on an otherwise holistic approach to brand management. (research).(marketing brand names)
February 1, 2002... It is every management team's job to drive the best all-round performance and regard for their company -- it is the ultimate brand management role. But with the demands on that role increasing in both intensity and complexity, how is a...

Communicating beyond core customers: tight targeting can be a double-edged sword. (research).(brand marketing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... There has been a growing trend lately towards media and communications channels that offer tight targeting and no wastage. But although these concepts are treated as imperative in developing any marketing strategy, there is a danger that what...

When I was a just a little girl ... : Morag Cuddeford-Jones takes a trip down memory lane with the latest batch of nostalgia brands. (feature).(Fruit of the Loom's plan for adult Underoos put on hold)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Imagine a grown man in Spiderman pants and vest. Or perhaps you'd rather not. This is the vision from American clothing manufacturer Fruit of the Loom. Plans leaked mid-2001 suggested that the company was to extend its kiddie Underoos...

Keitai culture: the new teen spirit: Bruce Davis examines how brand strategists can learn from mobile services in Japan. (digital case study).(NTT DoCoMo's mobile platform i-mode)
February 1, 2002... At a glance * i-mode is Japan's answer to the West's flagging WAP technology * NTT DoCoMo's new FOMA service promises faster, more reliable service but acquisition rates have not met expectations * Part of i-mode's success is in...

I'm the leader of the gang -- I am: Club 18-30's wild reputation precedes it. But the attention-grabbing holiday company has been around for nearly 40 years. Ruth Mortimer joins the brand where re-invention is vital and absolutely anything goes.
February 1, 2002... It was the middle of the swinging sixties. The teenager was on the rise and the Beatles were on the wireless. It is appropriate that the UK's most notorious youth holiday brand started life in this decade of change. Club 18-30 did not...

Detective or defective marketing? (book review).(Stefan Engeseth's 'Detective Marketing: Creative Common Sense in Business')
February 1, 2002... Stefan Engeseth's Detective Marketing: Creative Common Sense in Business is the English translation of a Swedish business bible. The title promises a departure from lengthy academic discussions on branding; it claims to offer simply what...

Putting the sparks back into Marks: Morag Cuddeford-Jones examines the changing fortunes of Britain's most famous high street brand. (comment).(Marks and Spencer)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Marks and Spencer has been having a rough time of it. Once a bastion of British retailing, the brand has recently sunk to depths never previously plumbed. Its European stores have been characterised by heavy redundancies and shop-space-to-let,...

It's a wrap ... but it's not in the can: Euromonitor's research on packaged food shows a growing trend towards healthy products. (euromonitor).
February 1, 2002... A new report from Euromonitor on the global market for packaged food analyses the latest trends and gives an overview of the major markets, 13 product sectors, and 25 major companies. The report's review period is 1996-2000, with forecasts to...

Brand strategy's round-up of coming events. (events & appointments).
February 1, 2002... 13 FEBRUARY 2002 Vital Topics: Urban Splash Group lecture, Manchester Business School. Visit www.mbs.ac.uk/vitaltopics or call +44 (0) 161 275 7135 20 FEBRUARY 2002 IT Brand Check-up seminar, hosted by Mason Zimbler,...

Zinc.(names interactive TV producer)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MANJIT BEDI has joined agency Zinc as a full-time interactive TV producer. Bedi was previously working for Codecell.

Teletxt.(names head of marketing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MARC BELL has been appointed head of marketing for Teletext. Bell previously worked for EasyEverything as global marketing director.

BTLookSmart.(names marketing manager)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... JANNIE CAHILL has become marketing manager for BTLookSmart.

Thames Water and Lattice Group.(name operations director for their joint venture)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... STEPHEN CHIVERS has been appointed operations director for the telecoms joint venture between Thames Water and Lattice Group. Chivers was previously at NTL where he was a director.

JY&A Consulting.(Stefan Engeseth helps open base in Stockholm, Sweden)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... STEFAN ENGESETH has joined JY&A Consulting to give the company a base in Stockholm, Sweden. Engeseth is a marketing consultant and author of Detective Marketing.

Grey Worldwide Europe.(Bernd M. Michael named to 12snap's advisory board)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BERND M. MICHAEL is joining mobile marketing agency 12snap's advisory board. Michael is chief executive and chairman of agency Grey Worldwide Europe.

Accenture and GE.(executive appointments)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... FREDDY NURSKI has become Selligent's vice-president of northern Europe. Nurski has worked for companies including Accenture and GE. JOHN PARSONS has joined EFG Asset Management as marketing director.

Professional Services Marketing Group.(names first executive director)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MICHAEL SUGG has become the first executive director of the Professional Services Marketing Group. Sugg has worked for a variety of companies, including legal recruiters Hays ZMB.

Thames Water and Lattice Group.(Roger Wilson heads joint venture)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... ROGER WILSON is heading up a telecoms joint venture between Thames Water and Lattice Group.

Top tips for creating playground crazes: Ian Millner identifies factors that unite crazes and suggests a way of extending their lifespan. (brand strategy Kids).(Brief Article)(Column)
February 1, 2002... What do conkers, hopscotch, the NatWest piggies, Top Trumps, Pocketeers, the Parka, those reflective arm bands that are meant to make you more visible at night, and Pokemon have in common? All were `big' once -- so big that they engulfed...

Bridging the gap from fantasy to reality: brand managers must be aware of the stimuli required by developing kids, says Christian Brent. (opinion).(marketing to tweens)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... We all know that, with each generation, children are becoming sophisticated at an increasingly young age. But do brand owners targeting kids need to accept an automatic reduction in the period during which their brands are relevant? If we...

Disney offers tunes to target kids: in a deal with Warner, Disney makes its vast portfolio of music tracks available to kids marketers. (case study).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Disney and Warner Music -- two of the world's most famous entertainment brands -- are teaming up to offer a music promotions service for kids marketers. This music-led promotional marketing service for brands aimed at the under-11s is a...

Time-poor tweens love the buzz: Alex Waters assesses the frenetic pace at which today's children live, love and consume. (opinion).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Polling Data)
February 1, 2002... He gets home at 6.00 after a long day. Despite skipping breakfast and eating a snack on the run, he's still late because of the traffic. A quick break mid-morning is just enough time to catch up on the gossip and opinions on last night's Cold...

New brands/brand extension. (database).
February 1, 2002... BAIN & COMPANY Bain & Company management consulting Management consultant business Bain & Company has literally extended its brand into its surroundings. The company has created a new workplace which is "part of an ongoing...

Corporate indentity. (database).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... FREEPHONE TELECOMMUNICATIONS Totem telecoms Freephone Telecommunications has adopted a new name: Totem. The business has changed its brand in an attempt to raise the company's profile in the competitive telecoms sector. The new...

Relaunches/packagings. (database).(company product relaunches)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... ALLIED BAKERIES Allinson bread Allied Bakeries is relaunching its Allinson bread brand. The initiative focuses on the brand's heritage and old-fashioned "values". The company believes that there is currently a consumer trend...

Websites. (database).(Big blue Star Marketing creates website for movie information)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BIG BLUE STAR MARKETING www.moviepromotions.co.uk film information Big blue Star Marketing has created a website at www.moviepromotions.co.uk that provides information for film fans. The site contains new film release information,...

Over-promising is under-performing: Alan Mitchell begs marketers not to see branding as the Holy Grail of management. (Mitchell).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... "Look! My dog can play chess!" said a man to his friend. "Wow!" said the friend, who promptly sat down to watch. After a while, he got up looking disappointed. "He doesn't play very well," he remarked, and walked off. But stories aside,...