Brand Strategy articles from May 2007

Brand Strategy archives from May 2007

LEADER: Express yourself.
May 9, 2007... The mass shootings on campus at America's Virginia Tech university last month were a horrific occurrence. All over the world, shocked people have been showing their sadness in different ways: calling into radio shows, turning up for...

MARKETING: McDonald's advertising.
May 9, 2007... McDonald's has become the first large non-alcohol brand to enforce age restrictions on its online advertising, taking age checks online for its Monopoly game site. The age-verification page is in line with McDonald's policy not to advertise...

MARKETING: McDonald's packaging.
May 9, 2007... McDonald's has also revealed packaging featuring the 'citizen celebrities' it chose from 13,000 online entrants to a global casting competition in March. The chosen faces will appear on McDonald's packaging internationally and show people...

MARKETING: Heinz campaign.
May 9, 2007... Heinz has developed a user-generated campaign for its ketchup brand in the US. The 'Top This! TV Challenge' invites consumers to upload their own commercials to a website where people can vote for their favourites. The winner will have their...

MARKETING: Endemol joint venture.
May 9, 2007... Production company Endemol and games brand Electronic Arts have launched a joint venture intended to bring together traditional TV with online virtual worlds. The Virtual Me service will allow people to take part in shows such as Deal or No...

MARKETING: Kate Moss range.
May 9, 2007... Supermodel Kate Moss will launch her range of clothes in fashion retailer TopShop at the end of April. Per-person purchases will be limited to five items in an attempt to prevent immediate resale on eBay. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

MARKETING: Nike European campaign.
May 9, 2007... Nike is launching a three-month European campaign for its Nike Plus iPod and running shoe combination. The campaign, from Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam, explores the addictive buzz that the lone runner experiences. Copyright: Centaur...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Gap launch.
May 9, 2007... Clothing brand Gap Inc. is launching two separate product lines for the US market and the UK/Europe region. The company is aiming to make its business competitive with fast-fashion European rivals and the latter collection will have more of...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Jaeger strategy.
May 9, 2007... High-end British fashion brand Jaeger is doubling the numbers of its overseas stores from 40 to 80 over the next 12 months as part of its international growth strategy. Currently, the UK market accounts for approximately 85% of Jaeger's...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Food for the Polish community.
May 9, 2007... Heinz has launched its first food range - Pudliszki - for the Polish community in the UK. The strategy to address consumers on a local level sees traditional recipes such as pork goulash and beef tripe in broth hitting supermarket shelves....

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Amazon to launch music download service.
May 9, 2007... Amazon is apparently set to launch a music download service to rival Apple's iTunes service. The service will allegedly offer unrestricted mp3 files which can be played on any media player. Apple's iTunes is currently the market leader with...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Eco Options brand.
May 9, 2007... International home improvement retailer Home Depot is launching a brand called Eco Options with more than 2,500 eco-friendly products. It will support the launch with print and radio ads; it has also agreed to offset carbon emissions at its...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Aston Martin could enter F1.
May 9, 2007... It has been suggested that classic car brand Aston Martin could enter Formula One in the next five years, according to reports quoting David Richards, the former Benetton and BAR team principal who has bought a stake in Aston Martin with a...

FINANCIAL: Toyota largest carmaker.
May 9, 2007... Toyota claims to have become the largest carmaker in the world as its quarterly sales apparently overtook those of General Motors (GM) for the first time. Toyota sold 2.348 million vehicles in the first three months of 2007 while GM is...

FINANCIAL: Apple's profits.(Brief article)
May 9, 2007... Apple's profits rose by 88% to $770m (#384m) for the first three months of 2007, up from $410m (#205m) from the same time last year. The electronics company sold more than 10.5 million iPods and strong MacBook sales pushed revenues from...

FINANCIAL: Nestle to buy Gerber.
May 9, 2007... Nestle, the world's largest food company, is set to buy Novartis-owned Gerber baby food for $5.5bn (#2.7bn). Nestle last attempted to buy Gerber in 1994 and the move is the latest in a string of acquisitions for the Switzerland-based firm....

FINANCIAL: Nintendo profits.
May 9, 2007... Nintendo's annual net profits grew by 77.2% to Y174.3bn (#731m) in the year to the end of March. It sold 23.56 million hand-held DS consoles and 5.84 million Wii games systems, leading to a 90% surge in sales. It hopes to sell 14 million Wii...

FINANCIAL: Boeing profits rise.(Financial report)
May 9, 2007... US aerospace giant Boeing has posted a profits rise of 27 % for the first three months of 2007, boosted by commercial planes and defence contracts. The company's 787 Dreamliner jet, a fuel-efficient model with more than 500 orders was partly...

FINANCIAL: BP profits decline.(Financial report)
May 9, 2007... Oil company BP's profits have declined by 17% during the first three months of this year to $4.36bn (#2.2bn), down from $5.27bn (#2.63bn) at the same time last year. The company still made #24.2 million a day over the period. Copyright:...

FINANCIAL: LVMH sales rise.(Financial report)
May 9, 2007... Luxury group LVMH has posted a quarterly sales rise of seven per cent, helped by strong demand for its high-end Tag Heuer and Zenith watches. The company made overall sales of E3.8bn (#2.6bn) in the first three months of this year. ...

NUMBERS: Half of adults buy more own-label products.(Brief article)
May 9, 2007... More than half of adults (55%) in the UK are buying more own-label products than five years ago, according to figures from intellectual property consultancy CPA. Almost 60% of the public are also able to recognise supermarket sub-brands such as...

APPOINTMENTS: British Airways.
May 9, 2007... British Airways has recruited American Express marketer Katherine Whitton to the new position of general manager marketing communications with effect from August 2007. Whitton will be responsible for developing the airline's global marketing...

APPOINTMENTS: Disney Channel UK.
May 9, 2007... The Disney Channel has promoted Casper Bjorner to vice president of marketing for the UK, Scandinavia and emerging markets. Previously, Bjorner was the Disney Channel's marketing director and his new role follows a strong performance by the...

APPOINTMENTS: Honda.
May 9, 2007... Honda is appointing Tom Gardner, currently head of after sales, as its new head of marketing. Gardner will take over marketing responsibilities from Jeff Dodds,) who announced he was leaving the company last month to join Callaway Golf. ...

APPOINTMENTS: Zurich Financial Services.
May 9, 2007... Swiss-based global insurance brand Zurich Financial Services has appointed former Philip Morris and Young & Rubicam executive Arun Sinha as global group chief marketing officer. It is expected Sinha will continue with Zurich's...

TRENDSPOTTER: Looking glass glam.(offline retail stores adapting new technologies)(Brief article)
May 9, 2007... Marvin Wilkinson visits the place where real and virtual worlds meet As more people use the internet to shop and research products, there is growing frustration with offline retail in its current format. Online, you can easily search for...

Brand Stunt of the Month: No more old bags.
May 9, 2007... Morag Cuddeford Jones is no plastic bag lady when it comes to shopping Despite criticism over food miles and farmers' rights, the UK's supermarkets are catching the environmental zeitgeist. Their latest target is shopping bags. UK...

OPINION: Building a community spirit around your brand.
May 9, 2007... Steven Sturgeon, global marketing director for William Grant & Sons, owner of whisky brand Glenfiddich, explains why communities are vital for modern marques It seems that everyone is talking about YouTube or MySpace at the moment. But...

OPINION: Branding that's a bit more than skin deep.
May 9, 2007... Jane Wurwand, founder and CEO of skincare brand Dermalogica, explains why education helps it stay credible in the fast-moving beauty industry Skin care is not about beauty; nor is it about pampering, luxury, indulgence or glamour. Taking...

BRAND THERAPY - TK MAXX: Maxing out your credit.
May 9, 2007... In December 2006, US discount retailer TJX, which owns US retailer TJ Maxx and UK outlet TK Maxx, realised it had been hit by computer hackers who managed to steal more than 45 million credit-card records, some dating back to 2002. It is the...

Global trends watch: Where credit's due.
May 9, 2007... Polly Devaney looks at how Budweiser and other brands are using the virtual world to engender loyalty and reinforce brand positioning - but warns this is not a device for all companies Think about the loyalty card sitting in your wallet....

PROFILE - HARVEY CHIMOFF: Marketing the sweet life.
May 9, 2007... Former Unilever marketer Harvey Chimoff tells Ruth Mortimer why life is delicious in his role at global sugar and ingredient brand Tate & Lyle and why marketing is the world's tastiest job Harvey Chimoff, director of marketing for global...

Q&A - HARVEY CHIMOFF: Enriching the lives of others.
May 9, 2007... Ruth Mortimer asks Harvey Chimoff how to market a business-to-business brand with insights learnt from consumer products RM: What is Tate & Lyle's current marketing strategy? HC: It's about Tate & Lyle (T&L) creating ingredients that...

CASE STUDY - THE WIGGLES: The fab four.
May 9, 2007... With sell-out tours to rival rock band Coldplay, Morag Cuddeford Jones discovers the child within as she charts the phenomenal success of Australia's children's entertainment brand The Wiggles When you think of Australia's biggest...

REVERSE PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Fantasy brands on a reality check.
May 9, 2007... Maeve Hosea examines brands inspired by entertainment properties. How does reverse product placement heighten a brand experience and when and where is it appropriate to turn fiction into reality? Chad is cruising the streets of suburban...

REVERSE PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Case study: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
May 9, 2007... The global restaurant brand Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. began in 1996 as a licensing partnership between Forrest Gump film makers Paramount Pictures and restaurant business Rusty Pelican following the box office hit in 1994. With decor inspired by...

REVERSE PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Reverse product placement in gaming.
May 9, 2007... What would you say is the value of this kind of reverse product placement for brands? EB: As a brand you get huge exposure by putting a product into a game, particularly with the 18-34 male demographic. Also, in a game, your target...

CUSTOMER TRADE FUNDING: Super market sweetener.
May 9, 2007... Not only is the size of customer trade funding increasing disproportionately, but there is also little understanding why. Javier Christie explains Many consumer-goods manufacturers find themselves in a dilemma as to what to do with their...

MEDIA PLANNING: Know your media.
May 9, 2007... Louise Ellerton sorts through the list of agencies claiming to work on brands and tells marketers what they need to look out for in a new media age As the media environment gets ever more complex and potential communication channels seem...

WAYFINDING BRANDS: Clear a path through the clutter.(marketing strategies, guiding consumers to choose your brand)
May 9, 2007... Colette Jeffrey discusses the different ways to guide consumers through a branded environment to create a positive marketing experience Keeping existing customers and finding new ones is a constant challenge for all organisations. But few...

TRAVEL RETAIL MARKET: Help your brand take off.
May 9, 2007... Charlie Mitchell-Heggs explains why the booming global travel retail market provides a first-class opportunity for marketers to fly the brand flag Something happens to us when we enter an airport. Intoxicated with the expectation and...

GROWTH BY ACQUISITION: Stick, twist or fold?
May 9, 2007... A newly acquired marque can bring with it a lot of baggage. Andrew Pinkess considers the options facing brand directors post acquisition International growth by acquisition can be a messy business. You do your homework, plot the ground and...

BOOK REVIEW: Secrets to success.(Marketing Excellence: Winning Companies Reveal the Secrets of Their Success)(Book review)
May 9, 2007... Marketing Excellence: Winning companies reveal the secrets of their success By Hugh Burkitt & John Zealley Wiley 2006 (#24.99) Tony Hadjiloucas, a director for valuation and strategy at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, finds Hugh...

From the bookshelf of Andrew Welch.(All Marketers Are Liars)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 9, 2007... Andrew Welch, executive director of corporate brands, Europe & Middle East, Landor All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin We are all liars. Or so Seth Godin would have us believe, given the title of his highly readable book. And...

RESEARCH - SPECIAL CSR FOCUS: Searching for greener pastures.
May 9, 2007... The world is undergoing a sea change. While the polar icecaps are melting and the hole in the ozone layer continues to grow, there has been a corresponding increase in interest in environmental issues among consumers, press, analysts and...

RESEARCH - SPECIAL CSR FOCUS: CSR, spin and cynical consumers.
May 9, 2007... Corporate social responsibility (CSR). You can't go anywhere these days without hearing about it. But when you peel aside the layers of public relations and propaganda, it is unclear just what consumers understand about it. In the UK alone,...

RESEARCH - SPECIAL CSR FOCUS: 10 key things to know about CSR.
May 9, 2007... 1. Consumers buy brands, not corporations. 2. While consumers have a fairly comprehensive understanding of what corporate responsibility is, it has no relevance to them on a day-to- day level. 3. If anything, CR is viewed negatively -...

RESEARCH - NEUROMARKETING: Neuroscience and the Asian market.
May 9, 2007... Consumer demand is escalating as new Asian markets, such as China, India and Japan open up to the West. Companies based in Europe and the US are ploughing billions into research so that they can better understand customer demands in this...

Brand Stats: May 2007.(Market focus on jeans clothing buyers)(Brief article)
May 9, 2007... Market focus Jeans Since 2003, the proportion of people in Germany, France, Spain and Britain who bought jeans in the preceding year has increased from 47% (91 million) to 56% today (110.5 million). Germany and Spain have the highest...