Brand Strategy articles from February 2005

Brand Strategy archives from February 2005

LEADER: Getting past hello.(Malcolm Gladwell)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... There's a psychologist in America called John Gottman. He can watch a 15-minute videotape of a husband and wife and predict with 90% accuracy whether they will still be married in 15 years. He's using a form of rapid analysis performed by...

Kraft to phase out advertising to children.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Over the next two years, Kraft Foods plans to phase out advertising for products aimed at children below 12 years, unless the brands meet its new nutrition criteria. Brands affected by its 'Sensible Solution' initiative include some...

Levi's European ad campaign.(clothing industry)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Levi's is launching a pan-European ad campaign for its 501 range, rumoured to be worth #21m. The TV ads are based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The campaign by BBH is an attempt to revitalise the 501 range, which was relaunched...

Volkswagen marketing deal.(Car marketing)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Car brand Volkswagen has signed a multi-million pound global marketing deal with US media group NBC Universal. VW will gain product placement in TV shows, films, DVDs, premieres and theme parks and work on original programme ideas. NBC...

RBS to sponsor BMW Williams.(Royal Bank of Scotland)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Royal Bank of Scotland is sponsoring the BMW Williams Formula One racing team in a multi-year deal thought to be worth #22m, to help build its global profile. The Royal Bank of Scotland is the world's sixth largest bank with market...

Guinness in Russia.(Heineken and Diageo )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Alcoholic drinks companies Heineken and Diageo have announced a joint initiative to produce and distribute Diageo's Guinness brand in Russia. Heineken will import the Guinness and Kilkenny draughts for trade customers while Guinness Foreign...

BUPA ad campaign.(British United Provident Association Ltd)(health care marketing)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Global healthcare company BUPA has launched a new ad campaign to build its brand. The ads, created by WCRS, focus on the company's ability to make consumers 'feel better' and will run initially in the UK through TV and print. BUPA has a #50m...

HSBC golf tournaments.(Financial services)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... HSBC has invested #10m in creating golf tournaments in the US and China. The bank brand's #15m annual deal with Formula One expired last year and HSBC has now shifted its sponsorship focus to golf. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

Consumer survey.(Product introduction)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... US consumers are oblivious to newly-launched products, according to a survey by Schneider Associates and Stagnito Communications. Fifty-six per cent of consumers could not name a single new product produced last year despite a 7% increase in...

Sony profits.(CONSUMER ELECTRONIC)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Sony's net profits have risen by 55.3% in the Japanese electronics company's third-quarter to Yen143.8bn (#740m) from Yen92.6bn (#470m) the previous year. But operating profit dropped 13% over the same period. Sony has warned that its annual...

Yahoo! profits up.(quarterly profits )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Yahoo!'s fourth-quarterly profits jumped to $187m (#100m), excluding the sale of its Google shares, up from $75m (#40m) in 2003. The brand's annual profits came to $526m (#282m), up from $238m (#128m) in 2003. Copyright: Centaur...

Samsung profits.(Samsung Electronics)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Samsung Electronics' profits surged last year by 81% to #5.35bn. The company, which is the world's second-biggest mobile phone manufacturer, saw a 32% rise in sales over the year. But Samsung expects to see falling prices and smaller margins...

Brazilian beer.(Brahma )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... InBev is planning to launch its Brazilian beer Brahma as a global brand. The company, created by a merger between Belgian Interbrew and Brazilian AmBev, claims that Brahma is already the ninth largest beer brand in the world. Copyright:...

Lower-cost Macintosh computer.(Mac mini)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Apple Computers has launched the Mac mini, a new lower-cost Macintosh computer in an attempt to capture the mass-market. The company has also launched iPod shuffle, a smaller, lower-priced version of the iPod. Apple saw its sales rise by 75%...

Sunsilk to compete with Pantene.(Personal care products)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Unilever is launching new hair-styling products as part of its global Sunsilk brand to compete with Procter & Gamble's flagship Pantene hair range. The products will be backed by an ad campaign rumoured to be worth #10m. Copyright:...

New aircraft.(Airbus)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Airbus has revealed its new aircraft, which took #6bn to develop. The A380, which is the largest passenger plane ever created, can hold around 555 people. Airbus claims to have 139 orders for the plane from companies including Singapore...

Kellogg's to launch Kashi in the UK.(health-food )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Kellogg's is reportedly set to launch its Kashi natural health-food brand in the UK. The brand is already popular in the US with around $200m (#106m) in sales. The Kashi range contains no added sugar or artificial flavours and will start...

Diageo - Appointment.(Andy Fennell)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Diageo has promoted Andy Fennell to marketing and innovation director for Europe. He was previously the marketing director for Diageo Great Britain and now takes responsibility for developing new ideas across the European business. ...

Sega of America - Appointment.(Simon Jeffery )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Simon Jeffery has been appointed president and chief operating officer at Sega of America following the console brand's merge of its US and European management staffs. He was previously group marketing director for the Hornby toy company....

Renault - Appointment.(Patrick Blain)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Patrick Blain has been appointed as executive VP global sales and marketing for Renault. He was previously senior vice-president for the European market and replaces Francois Hinfray, who left the car company last year. It is part of a company...

Heinz - Appointment.(Jane Edwards )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Jane Edwards has been promoted to European marketing and innovation director, responsible for promoting best practice and generating innovation for Heinz across Europe. Edwards has worked at Heinz for 15 years and was previously brand director...

TRENSPOTTER: 'Massclusivity' - not just for the privileged few.
February 7, 2005... Reinier Evers encourages brands to stand out from the crowd with bespoke and luxury products We're all searching for 'massclusivity'. The more access consumers have to quality goods and services, the more they want to feel elite and...

BRAND STUNT OF THE MONTH: The coffee brand that gets your heart racing.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Ruth Mortimer revels in Lavazza's new circus-themed advertising and big top event It's a brand that likes to make a song and dance. Italian coffee brand Lavazza launched its #10m international ad campaign and calendar in Milan at the...

BRAND MOT: SAAB.
February 7, 2005... Recent rumours that the Saab brand may be axed have been quashed but the car has lost money for eight of the last 10 years. General Motors (GM), which owns the brand, is reviewing Saab's business plan, and it is likely to invest more in the...

UK RETAIL: Window shopping with a difference at Oki-Ni.
February 7, 2005... Oki-Ni's limited stock and gallery-style shop makes the online retailer a new concept in fashion. Ruth Mortimer discusses the brand's offering and consumer appeal Oki-Ni doesn't sound like your standard British brand. It isn't just the...

OPINION: The importance of being cool.(cost and efficiency )(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
February 7, 2005... Tom Peters explains why companies must shift focus from cost and efficiency into innovation if they're to compete on the global stage There's an awful lot more to enterprise than numbers. This has been my passion for 25 years since the...

OPINION: Nurturing creativity.
February 7, 2005... Dan Germain argues that creativity can be maintained in a growing company It's all going to go wrong. Try as we might to keep things as they are, we'll just have to face facts - our company is hopefully going to get a bit bigger. And we...

PROFILE: Stelios: the ultimate serial entrepreneur.
February 7, 2005... Elen Lewis meets Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the beaming face of the easyGroup empire and self-confessed workaholic who would rather invest in new ventures than sit on his nest egg Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of the easyGroup empire, has handed...

Q&A: Stelios on painting the world orange.(Interview)(Interview)
February 7, 2005... Elen Lewis talks to serial entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou about his role as a brand manager and why he believes branding is his core competency EL: Your disagreement with Stelmar Shipping's management has highlighted the importance of...

GUINNESS: The trials of the black stuff.(Guinness America Inc.)(Interview)
February 7, 2005... Elen Lewis talks to Brian Duffy, Guinness's global brand director and discovers that Guinness is not as black and white as it seems. Globally, the 250-year old brand is split in two Few brands hold the iconic status of Guinness. Even if...

SONIC BRANDING: Branding the perfect pitch.
February 7, 2005... Ruth Mortimer looks at how sonic branding can influence and stimulate consumers' senses and investigates how businesses use sounds and music to create a harmonious brand profile The gilded casinos of Las Vegas have an appropriately vulgar...

CASE STUDY - BA: Flying high with Lakme.(British Airways PLC)
February 7, 2005... British Airways is the grand old lady of airlines. Its brand promises an experience from the days when 'Britishness' stood for class, dignity and quality. But despite its old-fashioned values, the brand is at the forefront of modern sonic...

BRAND PAPERS: A home from home.
February 7, 2005... John Simmons talks to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz about how the coffee house balances naive optimism with commercial gains I met Howard Schultz this time in London. It was mid-October 2004 and he had just spoken at the Royal Albert Hall....

BRAND PAPERS: Global innovations.
February 7, 2005... David Jago describes a day in the life of a consumer experiencing innovative products that engage our senses and change the way we live Imagine waking up to an alarm clock that slowly releases a pleasant fragrance, coaxing you into...

BOOKS: Landscaping your brand.(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... Ralph Ardill, planning director at Imagination, ventures to the 'third place' and reads a book by Christian Mikunda, that he won't be selling on auction website ebay but will file in his 'must read and use' book collection Brand Lands,...

FROM THE BOOKSHELF OF: Joe Howard.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... Joe Howard, director of improvisation, Naked Apes Peoplewatching (2002), Desmond Morris Peoplewatching is a reworking of some of Desmond Morris' earlier classics - The Naked Ape, The Human Zoo, Manwatching, Bodywatching and Intimate...

RESEARCH: MARKETING TO CHINA.
February 7, 2005... China is having a major impact on the global economy. It accounted for a third of global economic growth over the past three years, and is expected to overtake the UK as the fourth largest economy during 2005. China is growing in...

RESEARCH: CONVENIENCE SHOPPING IN THE EU.
February 7, 2005... Convenience shopping is overwhelmingly important in the UK. Shops are opening later and nearer to our homes. The internet and telephone enable us to make purchases without leaving the home. Accessibility is everything. When we look to the...

BRAND STATS: Market focus - Chocolate.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The British consume more chocolate than all other Western European countries with over 90% eating it. Nearly 44% of the UK population eat chocolate twice a week, compared to less than a quarter of the population in Spain. Several brands...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: FORUM - Shaping society for the better.(Panel Discussion)
February 7, 2005... A senior panel of food and drink experts debate the issue of obesity and nutrition and discuss how to help consumers make informed choices regarding their health Joanna Doonar: What's the biggest issue for the industry? Scott...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Martin Glenn, president PepsiCo UK & Ireland.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... What plans do you have to alter your brand strategy in recognition of the rising levels of childhood obesity? "We share the concerns over the rise in levels of obesity in the UK and support the view that a collaborative effort by all...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Leaping ahead of the game.(interview)(Interview)
February 7, 2005... Joanna Doonar asks Teresa Ceballos, VP marketing for LeapFrog Toys (UK), why its products have become so popular and how it has grown the interactive educational toy sector JD: Why has the interactive educational toy sector grown? TC:...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Leapfrog's Key Products.(LeapFrog Enterprises Inc.)
February 7, 2005... LeapPad Learning Systems explained: LeapPad books are put on the electronic platform enabling children to interact with the titles by tracing letters, speaking aloud and making noises. LittleTouch LeapPad: (from 18 months) A finger-touch...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: The next big thing.
February 7, 2005... Dave Lawrence speculates where the next hot craze is coming from and wonders why the toys and games industry hasn't seen any obvious contenders in recent months In an ever-changing kids market, one constant remains: the relentless...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Tweens are seen and heard.
February 7, 2005... David Chantrey describes the relationship between tweens and brands stressing that they are an influential voice in the family home and may hold the key to a brand's future Tweens are a group to be reckoned with. They're complex,...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: TIPS FOR MARKETERS.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Whether you're marketing kids' brands or grown-up brands, consider tweens as a potential target: Establish how many tweens know your brand and what they think of it. Understand the role tweens play in purchase decisions in your category. If...