Brand Strategy articles from March 2008

Brand Strategy archives from March 2008

LEADER: Doing the fair thing.
March 7, 2008... Every morning, I have a small internal debate with myself. It goes along these lines: shall I buy a coffee on the way to work (lazy) or make one at home (virtuous)? Common sense tells me that in these credit-crunch times, there is no...

MARKETING: Movie exposure.
March 7, 2008... New Line Cinema's Semi-Pro, starring Will Ferrell, has digitally placed advertising within online showbiz coverage in a bid to give the movie exposure without intruding on the viewing experience. The campaign through ITN On claims to be the...

MARKETING: Welch's advertising campaign.
March 7, 2008... US fruit juice brand Welch's is appealing to consumers' senses with a 'lickable' advertising campaign. In association with agency First Flavor, Welch's has launched pull-back tabs in a press campaign that allows people to peel to taste its...

MARKETING: Puig deal.
March 7, 2008... Spanish-based Puig Beauty & Fashion Group has signed a deal with Colombian singer Shakira for a worldwide line of signature beauty items, fragrances and other personal care products. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors...

MARKETING: 5p for plastic bags.
March 7, 2008... Marks & Spencer is starting to charge 5p for its plastic carrier bags, with the proceeds going to an environmental charity. The company aims to reduce its packaging by 20% over the next three years and improve all its recycling. ...

MARKETING: Marketing campaign.
March 7, 2008... A marketing campaign for the Universal Pictures film Untraceable on social network Facebook has been axed after concerns were raised about the violence of its content. A promotional page on the site called 'Kill with me' revealed more of a...

MARKETING: Fairtrade accredited sugars.
March 7, 2008... Tate & Lyle has announced that it is to make all its British retail cane sugars Fairtrade accredited, making it the largest switch to the ethical label in the UK. The sugar is sourced from Belize, where the firm has been buying sugar for...

MARKETING: Budget hotels that tick every box.
March 7, 2008... Ibis Hotels has launched a press campaign promising 'budget hotels that tick every box', which will run until September. The slogan aims to highlight the chain's uniform offering, which includes 24-hour receptions, eating facilities and...

MARKETING: Promoting Tassimo.
March 7, 2008... Kraft is producing its first online series of 'webisodes', called Who Hired Bob?. The series is designed to promote the Tassimo coffee range and follows the adventures of office worker Bob. The initiative has been created in partnership with...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Natural brand extension.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Pepsi has launched 'natural' brand extension Pepsi Raw on a limited basis in the UK, although it may receive a wider rollout if it proves successful. The drink is said to be made from natural ingredients, including cane sugar and coffee...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Vitamin-enchanced drink.
March 7, 2008... In the US, Pepsi is rolling out Tava, a vitamin-enhanced sparkling drink in three flavours. The drink contains chromium, which has been linked to metabolic enhancement and weight-loss, but the company is playing down references to this after...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Reebok footwear.
March 7, 2008... Reebok has launched a footwear brand range called Freestyle World Tour, featuring designs by prominent women in a number of countries. Ai Yasuda, a Tokyo cheerleader, has designed the Japanese version, while French singer-songwriter Yelle has...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Swisscom new brand identity.
March 7, 2008... Telecoms company Swisscom has launched its new brand identity, designed by agency Moving Brands, as part of a major company restructure. Group companies Swisscom Fixnet, Swisscom Mobile and Swisscom Solutions will be replaced by Swisscom...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Royal Navy marketing.
March 7, 2008... The British Royal Navy has created a marketing application adapting Google Earth to produce an interactive map showing all its current and historical operations. It hopes to engage the public by making its activities appear more transparent....

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Microsoft fined.
March 7, 2008... Microsoft has been fined a record $1.4bn (#681m) by the European Commission for failing to comply with a 2004 ruling that it had abused its dominant market position. The firm was told to provide code to rival software companies. The new charge...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: BMW to slash jobs.
March 7, 2008... Car manufacturer BMW has announced that it aims to slash 5,600 jobs by the end of 2008 in a cost-cutting measure. The job losses should cut annual costs by E500m (#380m) and come on top of another cull of 2,500 roles already earmarked for the...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: RBS profits up.(Financial report)
March 7, 2008... Royal Bank of Scotland has announced an increase in profits in 2007 despite tough conditions. Annual profits were up by nine per cent to #10.3bn. The announcement follows the recent acquisition of Dutch lender ABN Amro. Copyright: Centaur...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Egg cancels cards.
March 7, 2008... Online credit-card provider Egg has cancelled the cards of 161,000 customers, citing them as potential risks in the future. Some customers complained that they were up-to-date with payments, but the bank says it will not change its policies...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Starbucks jobs to go.
March 7, 2008... Starbucks has announced that it is culling 220 positions at its headquarters and leaving 380 jobs unfilled in an attempt to cut costs and restructure its divisions. It is discontinuing its breakfast sandwich range in the US and temporarily...

NUMBERS: Consumer confidence drops.(GfK NOP)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Consumer confidence has dropped to a 13-year low over fears of a recession, according to research from GfK NOP. The company's Consumer Confidence Index recorded a figure of -17 for February 2008 compared with minus eight a year ago. Shoppers...

NUMBERS: Social networking visitors.
March 7, 2008... Facebook users in the UK dropped by five per cent between December and January, according to figures from Nielsen Online. The research firm says it is still the most popular social networking site, with 8.5 million unique visitors in January....

NUMBERS: Music sales.
March 7, 2008... Apple's iTunes is now the second-largest music retailer in the US, with greater sales than stores such as Best Buy and Target, according to the NPD Group. The firm predicts that iTunes is likely to overtake market leader Wal-Mart by the end...

APPOINTMENTS: Disney Channels.
March 7, 2008... Disney has recruited to boost its expansion plans in Europe. Key appointments include Disney Channel veteran Michael Cairns, who returns to the UK as vice president and general manager of Disney Channel UK and Ireland. Nicoletta Gelli becomes...

APPOINTMENTS: Jordans Cereals.
March 7, 2008... Carol Welch has been made marketing and innovations director at Jordans Cereals. She left chocolate marque Green & Black's after her marketing director role was axed and former marketing director Mark Palmer was brought back to the firm as...

APPOINTMENTS: Standard Life.
March 7, 2008... Simon Gulliford has been appointed Standard Life's inaugural chief marketing officer. A former Barclays marketer, he has been a consultant for the past four years since leaving the bank. He will take up the new position this month on a...

APPOINTMENTS: Barclays Wealth.(Barclays Wealth appointed Nathan Dawes as head of marketing and communications)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Nathan Dawes has been appointed head of marketing and communications at Barclays Wealth. He will be working for its direct brokerage business, Barclays Stockbrokers. Dawes joins the firm from Ninemsn, where he was group marketing manager for...

TRENDSPOTTER: Pawn's new stars.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The pawnshop is gaining a respectable image, says Gwyneth Holland As markets crash and consumers anticipate a recession, people from New York to London are reinventing old methods to make some fast cash. In London, the pawnshop is seeing...

Brand Stunt of the Month: Spread the love.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Marmite gave Valentine's Day a savoury flavour. Jo Roberts reports Never has a food product split a nation like yeast extract Marmite. It divides households in the UK, with lovers of the spread extolling its virtues, while haters would...

OPINION: Turn on consumers with entertainment - not ads.
March 7, 2008... Chris Goldson, sponsorship and promotions director, Virgin Radio, argues that branded content can - and must - be entertaining and compelling Judging from the column inches dedicated to branded content in the past six months, you'd be...

OPINION: Softer touch pulls in the female pound.
March 7, 2008... Jo Kenrick, marketing and customer proposition director for DIY brand B&Q, explains how traditionally male brands are adopting 'feminisation' tactics Women may still be earning less than men, as a report from the UK's Select Committee...

BRAND THERAPY - EGG: Hard boiled.
March 7, 2008... Personal lending brand Egg has a reputation for being friendly and approachable with competitive rates. Financial services firm Citigroup recently acquired Egg from Prudential and following a review of Egg customers, a letter was sent out...

RENTAL SERVICES: Hire motives.
March 7, 2008... Consumers want a taste of the luxury lifestyle of celebrities without the cost, so they are turning to rental firms to hire the trappings of wealth for treats and special occasions. Jo Roberts reports Traditionally, it's the well-off who...

PROFILE - PIERRE WORECZEK: Man of many tastes.
March 7, 2008... As if Pierre Woreczek didn't have enough to occupy him as corporate vice president, chief brand and strategy officer at McDonald's Europe, Ruth Mortimer discovers that off-duty he is a guitar hero I first spot Pierre Woreczek eating one...

PROFILE - PIERRE WORECZEK: A strong vision for Europe.
March 7, 2008... RM: What is it about the McDonald's brand that attracts you? PW: McDonald's is not a product, it's not a company and it's not retail. It's all of this. You have to manage every dimension. You might know that Ariel has Procter & Gamble...

CASE STUDY - HARD ROCK CAFE: Not only rock'n'roll.
March 7, 2008... Hard Rock Cafe has built a global hospitality brand based on the rock'n'roll lifestyle. But can it move beyond its perceived image of selling burgers to tourists? Ruth Mortimer investigates Very few brands can claim to have a storage...

RECESSION MARKETING: Tough choices in hard times.(Company overview)
March 7, 2008... As a recession looms, how can brands avoid wasting marketing money while continuing to coax sales from consumers who are themselves worried about spending? Maeve Hosea reports Weaker-than-expected sales revenues, disappointing profits and...

RECESSION MARKETING: Key lessons for marketing directors in recession.
March 7, 2008... * Consolidate supplier relationships to improve budget efficiency. * Identify under-performing brands with limited future potential and minimise costs through licensing or divesting brands to companies that can improve the performance of...

RECESSION MARKETING: CASE STUDY - Starbucks.
March 7, 2008... As the slogan of Indian coffee chain Cafe Coffee Day cheekily claims: "A lot can happen over coffee". Almost everyone likes a fresh cup of coffee in the morning and branded coffee outlets are springing up everywhere, creating with them a...

RECESSION MARKETING: CASE STUDY - Patagonia.
March 7, 2008... Adventure clothing brand Patagonia aims to build close relationships with existing customers. It tries to encourage consumers to be its 'cheerleaders' through gathering information from its consumers and involving them in all aspects of the...

CUSTOMER PERCEPTION: The power behind the brand.
March 7, 2008... We already know that contented employees make a strong brand - but how do you make them happy? Elspeth Ross reports on surprising new research Christmas is coming and It should be a joyful time of giving. Crosshead Christmas...

BRAND NARRATIVE: The never ending story.
March 7, 2008... Fixed brand identities always have a limited life. The answer is to create an open-ended narrative between brand and audience, writes Ben Wolstenholme Once upon a time, branding did exactly what it said on the tin - it branded. Usually,...

DORMANT BRANDS: Coming back from the dead.
March 7, 2008... Businesses are reviving dormant brands to minimise risk and exploit consumers' love of nostalgia. Patrick McDermott examines a growing trend Wispa, Commodore, Salon Selectives and the Ford Taurus. Four brands in very different categories...

LOYALTY SCHEMES: Keep on moving or go under.
March 7, 2008... Like the shark that must always keep swimming, loyalty marketers must constantly evaluate and improve what they are offering, says Bryan Pearson When you visit the aquarium, you might overhear a guide being asked: "Is it true that sharks...

GREEN ISSUES: Can green brands get sexy?
March 7, 2008... While green credentials have a worthiness appeal for consumers, they have yet to become the value that makes a must-have brand, writes Jasmine Montgomery "In research, consumers say they care about products being environmentally friendly...

BOOK REVIEW: Free thinking.(Book review)
March 7, 2008... Magnus Willis, founding partner at consultancy Sparkler, admires Dr Dan Herman's creative and non-prescriptive approach to brand development Outsmart the MBA Clones By Dr Dan Herman Paramount Market Publishing, 2008 By Dr...

BOOK REVIEW: Magnus Willis also recommends.(Book review)
March 7, 2008... Clients for Life By Jagdish Sheth and Andrew Sobel A clear, concise guide to developing long-term business relationships. Designed to help agencies stand out and be indispensable to their clients, this book features interviews with...

BOOK REVIEW: From the bookshelf of Jeff Ogden.(Interview)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Jeff Ogden, vice president of sales and marketing, Greenlight The Tipping Point By Malcolm Gladwell What do teenage smoking, Blue's Clues and Google all have in common? The answer is very simple. All three are good examples of...

COLOUR SEMIOTICS: Colour with confidence.
March 7, 2008... Do you understand the impact that colour has on your brand? A focus group might have told you that your packaging is slightly more alluring in one shade than another but until now, conventional research has not generated many findings about...

COLOUR SEMIOTICS:How semiotics uses culture to study consumer attitudes.
March 7, 2008... The official definition of semiotics is 'the study of signs and symbols'. It would be just as accurate to say, however, that it is the study of consumer culture and human communications. Surveys and focus groups, the twin pillars of...

CONSUMER INSIGHT: Get a new angle on brands.
March 7, 2008... Insights are a valuable source of inspiration for creating relevant and profitable brand ideas. In our research with marketing directors, insights were voted one of the top three drivers of growth. But there is still a reliance on...

Brand Stats: February 2008.
March 7, 2008... Market focus Indigestion: heartburn remedies The proportion of adults over the age of 15 in Britain, France, Germany, and Spain who use over-the-counter indigestion or heartburn remedies has risen steadily since 2000 from just over...