Brand Strategy articles from May 2006

Brand Strategy archives from May 2006

LEADER: Theory of evolution.
May 8, 2006... They say there's no smoke without fire. But tobacco companies are hoping to keep smokers happy without them lighting up at all. Reynolds American, the second-largest cigarette company, has agreed to buy Conwood, a smokeless tobacco group. As...

Marketing: Masterfoods marketing.(marketing expenditure management)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Masterfoods is reportedly pulling the plug on some smaller brands, including Aquadrops mints. It will also cut its estimated $300m (#168.2m) retail promotions budget and plough this money back into other marketing methods such as advertising....

Marketing: Apple to sell advertising space.
May 8, 2006... Apple announced that it will sell advertising space on the lower-left corner of the iTunes library. The computer giant has previously limited itself to ad spots embedded in a small number of podcasts. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Marketing: Philips patent application.
May 8, 2006... Philips Electronics has made a patent application for software that would prevent viewers from switching channels during commercials and fast-forwarding through the ads in pre-recorded shows. Philips has responded to critics by saying it has no...

Marketing: Filofax campaign.
May 8, 2006... Filofax is to launch an ad campaign later this year which will focus on its core personal organiser business. The iconic 1980s brand, threatened by electronic devices such as the Blackberry, hopes that the campaign will breathe new life into...

Marketing: McDonald's brand development.
May 8, 2006... McDonald's is reportedly restructuring its marketing programmes to include consumer-generated content and enhance word-of-mouth communications. The company's global brand development will apparently be headed up by former McDonald's UK...

Marketing: Nivea marketing campaign.(Nivea France launches new moisturiser)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Nivea is using a reality TV-style marketing campaign to launch its new moisturiser and fake tan product, Sunkissed Skin, in the UK. Marketers choose brand ambassadors by storytelling ability. The chosen participants must spend a month on the...

Marketing: Zag brands.
May 8, 2006... Ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty has set up a division to launch its own products. Zag will create brands that can be sold or licensed to third parties in return for a share of revenue. Saatchi & Saatchi also launched a brand opportunities...

Marketing: Manchester United.
May 8, 2006... Football club Manchester United has signed a #56.5m, four-year shirt sponsorship deal with finance group American International Group (AIG). The deal comes after mobile operator Vodafone ended a #9m per year sponsorship contract earlier this...

Marketing: Pepsi and Motorola summer promotion.(Mariah Carey to write ringtones for the companies)(Pepsi-Cola Co.)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Pop singer Mariah Carey has entered into a partnership with Pepsi and Motorola for a summer promotion, in which she will write and produce 20 ringtones for mobiles. The brands claim this is the first time that a major artist has written...

Marketing: Corporate Social Responsibility study.
May 8, 2006... Honda has been named the most socially responsible automotive brand in the UK, US and Indonesia, according to the 2006 Corporate Social Responsibility study of 16,000 people in 16 markets by TNS Automotive. Honda ranks alongside BMW in Spain...

Launches and rebrands: Tiger Beer relaunched.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Singaporean brand Tiger Beer has relaunched to put more emphasis on its Asian heritage. The campaign is supported by a product redesign and #1m advertising campaign, which aims to position the product in a contemporary way. The brand is...

Launches and rebrands: Peroni in Poland.(SABMiller PLC unveils Italian Peroni beer)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... SABMiller is introducing its Italian Peroni beer brand to Poland through 'Emporio Peroni', a minimalist boutique gallery in Warsaw. Consumers can view the brand but are unable to purchase it. The initiative, which hopes to tap into the $250m...

Launches and rebrands: Amazon bid to become dominant shopping destination.
May 8, 2006... Online retailer Amazon has begun selling packaged food goods to its US customers. In a bid to become the dominant online one-stop shopping destination, customers can buy from a selection of 2,000 items, ranging from Kellogg's Corn Flakes to...

Financial: Coca-Cola profit.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Coca-Cola has reported a 10% rise in first-quarter profit to $1.1bn (#616m), up from $1bn (#560m) in 2005. Product volumes were up in China, Russia and Turkey, although they declined in the Philippines, India and Africa. Non-carbonated drinks...

Financial: Ford losses.
May 8, 2006... Ford lost $1.2bn (#629m) in the first three months of 2006. Revenue dropped nine per cent to $41.1bn (#23bn), while sales fell nearly three per cent. The car brand is cutting 30,000 jobs and closing 14 factories by 2012. Copyright: Centaur...

Financial: General Motors losses.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... General Motors has reported its sixth straight quarter of losses to March 2006. The car brand, however, narrowed its losses to $323m (#181m) after losing $1.3bn (#728m) during the same period of 2005. The company is continuing its cost-cutting...

Financial: Tesco profit.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Tesco has reported a rise of 17% in its annual underlying #2.25bn profit. Total sales rose 13% to #41.8bn, while like-for-like sales (which exclude new store openings) at its UK outlets rose 7.5%. The retailer opened 238 new stores overseas...

Financial: LVMH revenue growth.
May 8, 2006... Luxury products group Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy has achieved revenue growth of 15% to $3.6bn (#2.48bn) in its first quarter. The wines/spirits and watches/jewellry segments of the business performed best with both achieving 23% growth on the...

Financial: WPP sees double-digit growth.
May 8, 2006... Ad group WPP has seen double-digit growth in all its regions except the UK, and signed up record new business in the first quarter of 2006. Like-for-like sales rose by five per cent, while branding, identity, healthcare and specialist...

Financial: Intel profit down.
May 8, 2006... Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, has posted a 38% drop in quarterly profit. Intel blamed a slowdown in demand as well as increased competition from its smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices, which recently posted a 70% jump in its quarterly...

Financial: Numbers.
May 8, 2006... Brazilian and Barcelona footballer Ronaldinho has topped the list of the 10 most valuable player brands, according to BBDO. Worth an estimated E47m (#32.3m), Ronaldinho was closely followed by Real Madrid's David Beckham at E44.9m (#30.9m)....

APPOINTMENTS: Wrigley.(Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Martin Schlatter )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Wrigley has appointed Martin Schlatter as its first chief marketing officer in the company's 115-year history. He will report directly to Bill Wrigley Jr, chairman and CEO of the gum company. Schlatter will be responsible for Wrigley's global...

APPOINTMENTS: Walt Disney TV.(Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications promotes Nicoletta Gelli )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Walt Disney TV has promoted Nicoletta Gelli to the position of executive director of marketing (EMEA). She will be responsible for, among other things, promoting Disney's US hit, High School Musical, in Europe. Gelli's new role follows the...

APPOINTMENTS: Nokia.(Jo Harlow promoted, Craig Coffey appointed)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Nokia has named Craig Coffey as its North American vice president of marketing in a bid to boost sales in the US. Coffey, a strategist at PepsiCo for 10 years and responsible for the Pepsi Zone marketing initiative, will report to his...

APPOINTMENTS: bmi.(BMI British Midland Airways appoints Andrew Dufty )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Andrew Dufty has been made airline bmi's new general manager of marketing. He joins from Barclays, where he was head of brand communication. Dufty was previously head of sponsorship at British Airways for six years. He will be responsible for...

Trendspotter: It's nice to share.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Reinier Evers charts the rise of the rent-a-lifestyle consumer There's a growing tendency among consumers to believe that they're entitled to have it all. But for many, the ability to purchase that lifestyle is beyond their reach. ...

Brand Stunt of the Month: Flights of fancy.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Ruth Mortimer reports on JetBlue Airways' storytelling promotion American low-cost airline JetBlue is hoping that a new promotion to attract young consumers will help it fly high. It is taking a 'story booth' on tour around the US,...

Inclusivity keeps brands in the pink.
May 8, 2006... Eva Kempe-Forsberg, vice-president of marketing for Absolut, argues that inclusive communications create a positive marketing environment Absolut Vodka is a Swedish brand. It has been marketed heavily to the US market, sold in 125...

Two brands are better than one.(Matthias Immel opinion on partnerships)
May 8, 2006... Matthias Immel, vice president of consumer marketing for T-Mobile International, exhorts brands to make the most of partnerships Are brand partnerships really important? The short answer is, of course, yes. If you're an international...

BRAND THERAPY - H&M: Fast fashion, slow sales.
May 8, 2006... In recent months, Swedish high-street fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz's (H&M) sales figures have been fluctuating as fast as its fashion. It revealed disappointing sales growth last September, pre-Christmas was much better, but last month it...

GLOBAL TRENDS WATCH - ONLINE COMMUNITIES: Virtual living.
May 8, 2006... Claudine Baker looks at an unusual entrant to the online communities segment and asks if its methods will filter down into the mainstream The world is all about communities. But these are not next-door neighbours or people living across...

PROFILE - HARRY SLOAN: The lion uncaged.(Harry Evans Sloan chief executive of Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.)(Biography)
May 8, 2006... MGM chief executive and chairman Harry Sloan is reviving the world- famous movie studio brand. He tells Ruth Mortimer why he is keen to make the lion roar again Harry Evans Sloan, chief executive and chairman of movie studio Metro-...

Q&A - HARRY SLOAN: Rebuilding big-screen success.(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.)(Interview)
May 8, 2006... The negative publicity surrounding MGM's sale last year means the brand has some work to do in re-establishing itself. Harry Sloan discusses the challenges with Ruth Mortimer RM: How would you describe the MGM brand? HS: It means...

CASE STUDY - TOYOTA: Motoring ahead.
May 8, 2006... From mild-mannered family car to leading proponent of alternative technology and design. Morag Cuddeford Jones witnesses a quiet revolution at Japanese car manufacturer Toyota Imagine commuting to the office on one of these contraptions. If...

CASE STUDY - TOYOTA: Cars of the future.(Toyota Motor Corp. develops Fine-T Concept Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Toyota Fine-T Concept * The latest step in Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) development * Efficient packaging gives interior space of an Avensis within a body of Yaris-like dimensions * Hi-tech but welcoming interior environment...

WORLD CUP 2006: Playing for keeps.
May 8, 2006... The World Cup, watched by 28 billion people across the world, is a massive branding opportunity for its sponsors. Kate Walsh looks at who might top the table at this year's event in Germany On the grass, it's simple. Two countries will play...

WORLD CUP 2006: Case study: Avaya.
May 8, 2006... FIFA has 15 official partners but only one of them, Avaya, is a business-to-business (B2B) organisation. As the 'official converged communication provider' for the 2006 World Cup, it will be targeting a very specific audience of senior...

WORLD CUP 2006: World Cup trivia.(history)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... * The inaugural World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, and with the exception of the inter-war years from 1938 to 1950, it has been held every four years since then. * Just 12 teams competed in the first tournament, with the four European...

BRAND PAPERS - PIRACY: Faking it can be good.
May 8, 2006... Counterfeit goods are big business across the world. Stuart Whitwell explains why being targeted by the pirates can be good for a brand's image The old expression claims that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". If this is...

BRAND PAPERS - REBRANDING: Branding from scratch.
May 8, 2006... As part of its repositioning, Czech Airlines needed to completely rethink its approach to branding. Shahar Silbershatz describes the process It isn't often that consultancies get to work with an inexperienced marketing team in a large...

BRAND PAPERS - COMMUNICATIONS: Keeping everyone in the loop.
May 8, 2006... Kevin Thomson argues that brands need to make their communications accessible to those with hidden difficulties and differences Has your brand produced yet another amusing ad with witty copy and bright colours? You're aiming for the average...

BRAND PAPERS - BRANDING EUROPE: Strength through branding.
May 8, 2006... Niclas Ljungberg argues Europe needs to work on its branding to engage global consumers and improve its worldwide reputation as a social and political entity Last year, the French said 'non' to a European constitution. The Dutch also...

BRAND PAPERS - CONSUMER-GENERATED MEDIA: Get your customers involved.
May 8, 2006... Graeme Foux, creator of the first multi-brand corporate blog, sets out a guide to consumer-generated media explaining why it could work for all companies These days, anyone can be a publisher. The online world allows you to reach...

BRAND PAPERS - BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT: Put your brand on television.
May 8, 2006... Confused perceptions and unclear broadcasting guidelines have stifled the growth of branded entertainment in Europe, says Megan Goodwin-Patel Five years ago, branded entertainment was heralded as the future of broadcasting. Media...

BOOK REVIEW: Time isn't on our side.(Book review)
May 8, 2006... Brand Rejuvenation by Jean-Marc Lehu Published by Kogan Page, priced #22.50 How do you read your marketing books? On your commute to the office or to help you get to sleep at night? The only time I get to brush up on the latest...

BOOK REVIEW: Three from me.(Book review)
May 8, 2006... Andrew Knowles also recommends Blue Ocean Strategy By W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne Harvard Business School Press (2005) What can you do when your market is crowded and innovation seems impossible? This book suggests you create...

BOOK REVIEW: From the bookshelf of Michelle Smith.(You Can Find Inspiration In Everything (And If You Can't, Look Again))(Brief article)(Book review)
May 8, 2006... Michelle Smith, creative services director, Granada Ventures You Can Find Inspiration In Everything (And If You Can't, Look Again) By Paul Smith Paul Smith, arguably one of Britain's most famous designers, gives wonderful insight...

CORPORATE REPUTATION - RESEARCH: Image is everything.
May 8, 2006... We live in a business world where perception is valued as much as performance and profit. After a series of high-profile scandals that have irreversibly changed the corporate landscape, people have seen the failures in corporate reputation. The...

RESEARCH - SUN CARE: Sunny side up.(market research)
May 8, 2006... The global sun care market is worth $5.5bn (#3.14bn), rising eight per cent in 2005 to become the fastest-growing sector in the global cosmetics and toiletries industry. This was partly due to the healthy growth of sun protection, driven by...

Brand Stats: May 2006.(liquid soap market research)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... Market focus Liquid soap The proportion of adults using liquid soap across the four countries has risen from 62% in 2002 to 71% today. The main shift has been among the most frequent users (at least two or three times a day), who have...