Brand Strategy articles from June 2005

Brand Strategy archives from June 2005

LEADER: An ethical stance.(grow in ethical products and corporate social responsibility)(Editorial)
June 9, 2005... At the beginning of the year, The Economist suggested that good corporate citizens should be wary of corporate social responsibility (CSR). "Measuring profits is fairly straightforward; measuring environmental protection and social justice is...

Coty buys Unilever's perfume.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Coty Inc is buying Unilever Cosmetics International (UCI) for $800m (#437.8m). Unilever's perfume licenses include Calvin Klein, Cerruti, Vera Wang and Lagerfield. In 2004, UCI sales were more than $600m (#328.3m). Coty Inc brands include...

IBM job losses.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... IBM is cutting between 10,000 and 13,000 jobs worldwide, with the majority of losses planned for Europe. The company plans to re-align its European operations. This follows Q1 net profits of $1.4m (#766m), up just 3% on last year as the IT...

Travelocity acquires Lastminute.com.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Travelocity Europe has acquired Lastminute.com, which should make it the leading company in European online travel. Sabre Holdings, which owns Travelocity, has valued lastminute.com at around #606m. Lastminute CEO and founder Brent Hoberman...

Pepsi Edge to be axed.(product discontinuation)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Pepsi Edge, PepsiCo's mid-calorie cola drink, will be axed as consumers are more attracted to no-calorie diet colas than mid-calorie colas. The brand was launched in the US a year ago. Coca-Cola has a mid-cal product, C2, reported to be...

British Airways profits.(company sales and earnings)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... British Airways has announced operating profits of #540m for the year to March 2005, up from #405m the previous year. The airline has focused on customer service and increased efficiency; e-ticket usage has grown from 41% to 76%. ...

General Motors strategy.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Following a Q1 deficit of $1.1bn (#600m), General Motors has announced a strategy that sees its eight brands producing fewer vehicles. Only Chevrolet and Cadillac will offer full line-ups, while Saab will focus on cars and small SUVs, and...

H and M collaborating with Stella McCartney.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... H&M is collaborating with fashion designer Stella McCartney on a range labelled Stella McCartney for H&M. The womens' clothing line will sell in North American and European stores. This summer also sees adidas' line, adidas by Stella...

Easy-to-use mobile phone.(product introduction)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Vodafone has launched Vodafone Simply, an easy-to-use mobile phone for customers who only want voice and text services. The service has launched in Portugal, Spain and the UK, and will roll out in Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Sweden and...

Xbox third generation.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Xbox will launch its third generation model, Xbox 360, in Europe, North America and Japan next Christmas. The video games console was unveiled on an MTV special. It has a wireless controller and uses more digital technology. Sony...

Toyota micro car.(product introduction)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Toyota is launching a micro car, Aygo, across 18 European countries from July. The model targets the younger generation and is being marketed through TV, press and online advertising. The Yaris is currently Toyota's smallest vehicle, but a...

Burger King promotion.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Burger King is running a multimillion-pound promotion around the film Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The six-week campaign started in the US and includes Star Wars games, instant-win scratchcards and toys. It has since launched...

Kellogg's Star Wars-branded products.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Kellogg's has launched several Star Wars-branded products, including cereal, poptarts and biscuits, as well as giving away several promotional items. The range has been launched in 30 countries, supported by TV and print advertising. ...

Puma deal.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Puma has signed Arsenal footballer Freddie Ljungberg to promote the brand in a four-year deal rumoured to be worth #1.25m per year. Puma aims to boost its sports marketing portfolio ahead of the 2006 World Cup. Copyright: Centaur...

Colgage sponsorship deal.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Colgate-Palmolive has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Russian tennis champion Maria Sharapova for its global deodorant, antiperspirant and body spray brands. These include Soft & Gentle and Palmolive in Europe, and Lady Speed Stick...

Canon advertising.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Canon USA's new advertising also includes tennis player Maria Sharapova in a bid to attract women to its digital camera products. Canon Europe has launched 'The other side of football', an initiative where pictures taken by famous...

Societe Generale Rugby deal.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... European financial services group Societe Generale has become the first of six global partners of the IRB Rugby World Cup 2007. The deal is rumoured to be worth #3.5m. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Royal Mail profit share.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... More than 181,000 Royal Mail employees will receive a profit share of #1,074 following its record #537m profit for 2004/05. This is one of the biggest profit shares with employees in UK corporate history. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Motorola - Appointment.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Motorola has appointed Jeremy Dale as international vice president of marketing across all its divisions. He is believed to be working on raising the brand's profile. Dale was previously vice president of brand marketing at Orange UK. ...

Bacardi - Appointment.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Andreas Gembler has been promoted to chief executive at Bermuda distiller Bacardi. He already serves on the Bacardi board and was previously president and CEO of tobacco company Philip Morris International. He replaces acting CEO Ruben...

Wal-Mart - Appointment.(promotions)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... John Fleming has been promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Wal-Mart. He was previously president and CEO of the brand's website, Walmart.com. Before joining the company, Fleming spent 19 years at retailer...

Land Rover - Appointment.(promotion)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Land Rover has promoted Julian Whitehead to global brand communications director. He was previously sales director in the UK. The role has been created by dividing global marketing duties between Whitehead and product marketing director...

TRENDSPOTTER: Customers get in on the ad agency act.
June 9, 2005... Reiner Evers asks why more brands don't get their customers to do the hard work In the old days, brands simply wanted to listen to their customers. Now they want consumers to do their marketing too. This isn't laziness but part of a...

BRAND STUNT OF THE MONTH: Cafedirect catches the London Eye.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Ruth Mortimer describes an uplifting Cafedirect campaign that's taking off from London Fairtrade drinks brand Cafedirect is running an event on the UK's London Eye to promote awareness of global trade issues in Africa. The one-off event,...

BRAND MOT: Manchester United.
June 9, 2005... Manchester United has a new controller, Malcolm Glazer, who now owns 75.7% of the club after paying #790m. The American businessman bought the 28.7% stake owned by Irish racehorse owners JP McManus and John Magnier following months of a...

FOCUS - US: Dinner for two: self assembly required.(Dream Dinners)
June 9, 2005... Everything comes in boxes nowadays - even your evening meal. Ruth Mortimer talks to the founders of Dream Dinners, which provides self- assembly meals to busy US parents Self-assembly is the new fashion. The trend may have originated in...

OPINION: A fun, but bumpy ride ahead.
June 9, 2005... Penny Hughes believes that the enpowerment of individuals will have a significant impact on brands and advertising Fundamentally, advertising is a good thing. It's a sign of freedom of speech, freedom of choice, increased competition and...

PROFILE: Keith Mills races the world to the top.(Biography)
June 9, 2005... Joanna Doonar meets Keith Mills, international president and chief executive of London 2012, who has taken time out from his businesses to lead the capital's Olympic bid London 2012's chief executive Keith Mills smiles as he greets me at...

Q&A: Bursting with London pride.(Interview)
June 9, 2005... Keith Mills tells Joanna Doonar what winning the Olympic bid would mean to London and the UK's business community - and why he doesn't even think about losing JD: What's the biggest challenge about working on London 2012? KM: The...

SPEEDO: Full Speedo ahead.
June 9, 2005... Paul Phedon, vice president of marketing at Speedo International, discusses the Aussie cossie's new global strategy and tells Joanna Doonar why the brand is moving into fashion Madonna does it. So does Prince William. Even Tony Blair has...

ETHICAL MARKETING: A question of ethics.
June 9, 2005... Shoppers are more aware of ethical consumerism than ever before, as the demand for 'ethical' products shows. Joanna Doonar examines how brands are responding to this important trend In Rome, children's school lunches include organic food;...

CASE STUDY: Toyota Prius.
June 9, 2005... A clear winner at last year's Oscars was the Toyota Prius, the energy efficient hybrid car. Stars including Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins stepped from the vehicle onto the red carpet, making a statement about President Bush's environmental...

CASE STUDY: Camper Wabi.
June 9, 2005... Camper, the Spanish-born footwear brand, which means 'peasant' in Catalan, has always been considered a down-to-earth shoe. But in 2000 it went a step further creating the Wabi, a shoe made from 100% non- leather and eco-friendly materials....

BRAND PAPERS: Be so very humble.(exaggerating a brand's benefits can lead to consumer cynicism)
June 9, 2005... Russ Lidstone explains why it's time for brands to stop exaggerating their benefits to the consumer and start being more humble instead Hyperbole in marketing communications is leading to a huge amount of consumer cynicism. Only 2% of...

BRAND PAPERS: Follow that brand.(the value of being a brand-guided company)
June 9, 2005... Charlie Stott explains why those organisations that put their brand at the heart of their business strategies will be more successful Brand strategy directly affects the bottom line. European companies that put brand management at the...

BRAND PAPERS: Cheap substitute.(the cost of passing off a substitute for a brand name good)
June 9, 2005... Will Slater explains how brands can respond to `switch selling', when a cheap substitute is sold in the name of their brand An acquaintance of mine is seldom more irritated than when she orders Bacardi in a bar and is served a 'cheap...

BRAND PAPERS: Agencies in flux.
June 9, 2005... Only 30% of clients believe global agencies deliver better all-round performance than local agencies, say David Wethey and John Sealey Even though advertising expenditure is rising again, our research illustrates significant changes in...

BOOKS: The passion of the brand.(book by Helen Edwards and Derek Day)(Book Review)
June 9, 2005... Philip Slade, creative partner at Passion, isn't convinced by all of its case histories, but believes products will be dull and employees bored if companies ignore the lessons in Creating Passion Brands Creating Passion Brands by Helen...

FROM THE BOOKSHELF OF: Matthew Palmer, planning director, BBH.(Simplicity, Edward de Bono)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 9, 2005... Simplicity, Edward de Bono Anyone who has had any prolonged contact with brand strategy will probably have raised their eyes to the heavens and said: 'This isn't rocket science - don't you think we're overcomplicating things?'. If you've...

RESEARCH: Key trends and developments in global financial cards market.(Industry Overview)
June 9, 2005... Dynamism in Eastern European markets and parts of Asia-Pacific (notably India and China) has led to rapid growth in the global financial cards market in the past five years, according to Euromonitor International. In such territories the...

RESEARCH: The sensory experience.
June 9, 2005... Playing on the five senses in marketing is not new, but as Research International's recent 43-country qualitative study, Return of the Product, shows the sensory experience of a brand offers enormous potential for building a strong relationship...

BRAND STATS: Market focus - Canned and bottled lager.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Canned and bottled lager drinkers differ dramatically in age across Western Europe. German drinkers tend to be older, while in Britain the drinkers are often younger adults. Consumers in these two countries do, however, possess similar...

MARKETING TO YOUTH: FORUM - Strategies for the next generation.(Panel Discussion)
June 9, 2005... A senior panel of youth marketers discuss the issue of marketing to young people, focusing on what defines 'youth' and the best ways to keep up with the latest trends in this diverse group Ruth Mortimer: Is there such a thing as the 'youth...

MARKETING TO YOUTH: The kids are all right.
June 9, 2005... Despite what the press says, British teenagers are interested in more than sex and drugs. It's up to marketers to find a way to reach this media-savvy generation, says Nick Barham The newspaper headlines might change from day to day, but...

MARKETING TO YOUTH: The brain's growing pain.(marketers need to understand what makes teenagers tick)
June 9, 2005... Martyn Richards discusses research that suggests the teenage brain is a work in progress, which has a bearing on teens' affinity with brands as well as parental frustrations The British comedian Harry Enfield made us laugh with his...

MARKETING TO YOUTH: Virgin still young at heart.
June 9, 2005... Youth marketing is no longer the preserve of young people. James Kydd, brand director at Virgin Mobile, explains how to balance youth- orientated ads with broad age appeal Youth marketing has traditionally created images of 'teenagers...

MARKETING TO YOUTH: Singing to a musical youth.
June 9, 2005... Warner Music's Rob Hanlon looks at how the music industry keeps on top of marketing to the notoriously hard-to-reach youth market, and why non- music brands should take note The rock 'n' roll revolution of the 1950s helped to define...

MARKETING TO YOUTH: THE GLOBAL MUSIC INDUSTRY FACTS.(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... * Global sales of recorded music were flat in 2004. * Sales of physical music formats globally declined by 1.3% in value to $33.6bn (#17.85bn). * The top 10 album sales globally rose by 14%, while the top 50 albums were up 8%. *...

MARKETING TO YOUTH: The generation game.
June 9, 2005... German research has shown that young people are becoming more conservative in their outlook. Daniel Plettenberg examines how this will affect marketing strategies Conventional wisdom suggests that young people are more open-minded than...