Brand Strategy articles from November 2005

Brand Strategy archives from November 2005

LEADER: Last orders.(brand management)
November 2, 2005... This is what I know: four observations on brands from four years of close examination. 1. How your employees behave will say more about your brand than the font on its packaging, the jingle in its advertising or the latest price...

Tea brands.
November 2, 2005... Tea brands including Typhoo, London Fruit and Herb and Lift are being sold by Premier Foods to India's Apeejay International Tea, for #80m. The sale of the tea division will reduce Premier's debt. Apeejay International Tea is owned by the...

Roche sales rise.(flu pandemic medicine)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Preparations for a flu pandemic helped boost Roche Pharmaceutical's sales, as governments started stockpiling Tamiflu, the anti-flu drug. Roche's pharmaceutical sales rose 22% to CHF19.4bn (#8.5bn) for the third quarter. Tamiflu was also...

Burberry faces tough trading.
November 2, 2005... Burberry's wholesale revenues dropped 3% to #191m, although retail sales rose 12% for the first half of 2005. Burberry is said to be facing some of the toughest trading conditions for 20 years. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Hilton talks.
November 2, 2005... The US group Hilton Hotels Corporation is in talks with Hilton Worldwide to buy the international business. A deal would reunite the Hilton brand after more than 40 years and could be worth #3.6bn, according to analysts. Copyright: Centaur...

Danone in North Africa.(deal and acquisiton)(deal with sotubi)(acquires Olait in Egypt )(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... France's Groupe Danone is buying Olait, an Egyptian dairy product business, and has signed a deal with Sotubi, a Tunisian company, to develop a biscuit business in Algeria. The deal will strengthen Groupe Danone's presence in North Africa and...

Enhanced mobile TV service.(mobile television service )(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Mobile phone provider 3 will launch an enhanced mobile TV service with access to seven new TV channels including CNN, ITN and Bravo. It also plans to become the world's first operator to sell airtime to advertisers, following successful UK...

Google news.(gmail account changed to google mail.co.uk)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Google has been forced to change the name of its email service, Gmail, in the UK following a legal dispute. All new users' email addresses will now end in google mail.co.uk, rather than gmail.com. Worldwide, company profits have increased...

Starbucks ventures further into spirits.(jim beam)(new liquor)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Starbucks has ventured further into spirits, launching a second co- branded liquor with Jim Beam in the US. Starbucks Cream Liquor follows Starbucks Coffee Liquor, which launched in February. The US cream liquor market is nearly three times the...

Beer aimed at coeliacs.
November 2, 2005... Tesco is selling the first British-brewed gluten- and wheat-free beer aimed at coeliacs. The beer, GFA, is brewed by Hambleton Ales and costs #2.80 for 500ml. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Audi Channel launch.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... The Audi Channel has launched in the UK. It is Europe's first brand- specific entertainment channel and the world's first digital TV channel from a car company. The 24/7 channel is aired on Sky Digital, featuring programmes on Audi-sponsored...

Football-themed reality TV.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Pepsi will launch a football-themed reality TV show in 12 countries, prior to next year's World Cup. Pepsi Max World Challenge will be backed by a #4m budget and will feature Pepsi brand ambassadors David Beckham and Ronaldinho. Pepsi is...

Smirnoff interactive.
November 2, 2005... Diageo GB's new Smirnoff Vodka TV commercial allows viewers to interact with the ad to determine its ending. The commercial, called 'Love', aired on Sky Digital and was created by JWT. Interactive TV is one element of Smirnoff's #15m...

EA game franchise.(Electronic Arts Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Electronic Arts (EA) and Vodafone have partnered to provide a game franchise to Vodafone live! mobile customers in Europe, Egypt, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The games line-up includes EA Sports' Fifa 06, to be followed by The Sims...

Mastercard campaign.
November 2, 2005... Mastercard International will run a print ad campaign across seven European markets this autumn, promoting its multinational corporate card scheme. Ads will appear in financial and business travel press. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Christian Dior's global ambassador.
November 2, 2005... Sharon Stone will become Christian Dior's global ambassador for its skincare line, Capture. She will appear in a global print campaign from spring next year and an Asian TV commercial. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Car Total Value Index.
November 2, 2005... US consumers trust Toyota, Honda and Nissan far more than Hyundai and Chrysler, according to Strategic Vision, an American car consulting company. Its Total Value Index looked at factors including reliability, durability and resale value. ...

World advertising.
November 2, 2005... Emerging markets, including Brazil, Russia, India and China, are contributing 27% of the world growth in advertising this year, compared with 16% of global GDP growth, according to Zenith Optimedia. Global ad spend is expected to rise to $406bn...

Appointments: Unilever.
November 2, 2005... Helena Ganczakowski has become Unilever's vice president, new vitality platforms, which include Flora Pro-activ. She was previously homecare marketing director at Unilever UK. In this global role, she will report to Peter Soer, senior vice...

Appointments: Nissan Europe.
November 2, 2005... Paul Willcox has been promoted to vice president of marketing at Nissan Europe. He was previously Nissan's UK marketing director, responsible for moving the car manufacturer into branded entertainment. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Appointments: Burberry.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Burberry has announced that Liz Claiborne executive vice president Angela Ahrendts will replace Burberry's chief executive Rose Marie Bravo in July 2006. Ahrendts will join in January as executive director and will work under Bravo to smooth...

Appointments: Pepsico UK.
November 2, 2005... Salman Amin, senior vice president of Pepsico International, will replace Martin Glenn as president Pepsico UK. The company's most senior international marketing executive, Amin was responsible for marketing all Pepsico brands outside the US...

TRENDSPOTTER: So fast, it's fresh.
November 2, 2005... Canny companies are offering healthy treats with fast-food style service, says James O'Connor 'Grabbing something to eat' just isn't the same these days. Meeting the demands of our increasingly hectic lives no longer means compromising...

BRAND STUNT OF THE MONTH: Not just Seventeen.(see the young)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Ruth Mortimer reports on how US magazine Seventeen is extending its reach beyond the newsstand American girls' magazine Seventeen is hoping to appeal to a lot more people than its title suggests. The monthly publication has extended into...

BRAND MOT: JAMES BOND.(Carl Lumbard, Baba Shetty and Robert Mitchell tell about James Bond's popularity)
November 2, 2005... Consumers have been watching James Bond for 43 years and it's the most successful film series in history (2002's Die Another Day took almost $430m (#243m) in ticket sales). Next year, Casino Royale will hit the screens featuring...

FOCUS - US: The Mini-Me school of marketing.(My Twinn for childrens)
November 2, 2005... The customisation trend, common in the fashion sector, is spreading. Ruth Mortimer looks at the evolving craze for one-of-a-kind personalisation in the toy industry Every parent believes their child is the most beautiful creature in the...

OPINION: Riding the oceans.(marketers should become more market oriented)
November 2, 2005... Richard Monturo, director of strategy at Strawberry Frog, explains a new way to look for global insights Waterworld may have been a bad movie, but thinking about the 75% of the Earth's surface that is covered with water and the long human...

OPINION: Pulling the right strings.(toy market)
November 2, 2005... Gerry Anderson, creator of Thunderbirds, explains how to keep a property timeless Thunderbirds is 40 years old this year. It's a true evergreen property, appealing to children and adults. The BBC is re-running Thunderbirds, while ITV is...

PROFILE - Gianni Ciserani: the Italian job.(Procter & Gamble Co.)
November 2, 2005... He's a family-oriented business man who loves to win, yet landed his job at P&G by accident. Elen Lewis meets Gianni Ciserani, P&G's energetic UK and Ireland boss Gianni Ciserani never expected to be running a country operation. Indeed,...

Q&A: Learning to listen to new ideas.(interview with Elen Lewis )(Interview)
November 2, 2005... Gianni Ciserani talks to Elen Lewis about innovation and revolution, how P&G is becoming a more open organisation and why the customer is always to be respected EL: What is the most important marketing lesson you've picked up in your...

BURGER KING: King of the world.(Burger King Corp. brand management)
November 2, 2005... Russ Klein, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Burger King, explains to Joanna Doonar how the old-school burger brand is increasing its appeal worldwide Inflatable Spongebob Squarepants figures are being stolen from the...

SUPPLY CHAINS: Working on a chain gang.
November 2, 2005... Investing time and money in above-the-line communications counts for little if you fail to deliver your product. Morag Cuddeford Jones examines the potential brand benefits of the supply chain Managing the supply chain may not seem as sexy...

CASE STUDY: Romp.(leather goods brand Romp)
November 2, 2005... Do your shoes have a name? Not a brand name, Lobb or Blahnik, but a real name such as Snuffles or Piggly Wiggly? UK leather goods brand Romp wants you to get to know your shoes a bit better, right down to the animal they used to be, scratching...

CASE STUDY: McDonald's Russia.(food shortages )
November 2, 2005... When McDonald's Russia opened in Pushkin Square, Moscow, on 31 January 1989, a two-hour-long queue snaked out of the doors. The minor miracle was that, of the 40,000 customers through the golden arches that day (and almost every day since),...

MARKETING CAPABILITY: Marketing excellence.
November 2, 2005... In an occasional series on improving marketing capability, Elen Lewis eavesdrops at The Marketing Excellence Forum to discover how brands are embedding learning into business life Marketing capability sounds simple in practice: by tying...

BRAND PAPERS: Customer disservice.(Column)
November 2, 2005... In the first of a two-part series, Charlie Dawson details the top 10 ways to make customers unhappy and explains why businesses find it so easy to do so You won't get far in business without customers. Yet companies often behave as if...

BRAND PAPERS: The science bit.(field marketing)
November 2, 2005... Liz Tinlin outlines the new challenge for marketers: translating scientific jargon into messages that consumers can understand FMCG marketing used to be straightforward. Pick a functional claim that is motivating, ownable and relevant to...

BOOKS: Innovation's what you need.(Free Prize Inside : The Next Big Marketing Idea )(Seth Godin)(Book Review)
November 2, 2005... David Walker, managing partner of Synectics Europe, reads Seth Godin's latest book, a tale of everyday innovation. Walker finds Godin's formula simple, but wishes the last section didn't run out of steam Free Prize Inside! The Next Big...

FROM THE BOOKSHELF OF: RICHARD HUNTINGTON.(How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding)(Douglas Holt)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 2, 2005... Richard Huntington, head of planning, HHCL/Red Cell How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding by Douglas Holt Some books I read and some I chew on. Chewy books are those where the thinking is so profound or ideas...

RESEARCH: State of masculinity.(changing world of men due to women entries into their careers)
November 2, 2005... The shift from manufacturing to information economies, the arrival of empowered women in the workplace, changing consumption patterns and family dynamics have deeply impacted men's lives. These changes have disrupted men's roles and affected...

RESEARCH: IBIZA: PICK 'N' MIX PARTY PEOPLE.(clubs marketing startegy)
November 2, 2005... It's 5am on Saturday morning. I'm surrounded by hundreds of hot, happy people; many have been dancing for hours. Welcome to the weekend. Welcome to Hed Kandi at El Divino, Ibiza. Welcome to Pick 'N' Mix Party People. Last year, 2.2...

BRAND STATS: Market focus - Vodka.(vodka drinkers have increased a lot)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2005... Since 2000, the number of vodka drinkers has increased by more than four million across Britain, France, Germany and Spain, with France experiencing the biggest increase of 53%. Vodka consumption varies across Europe with almost 24% of adults...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Crossing the ethnic divide.(ethnic minorities are target group for marketing peoples)
November 2, 2005... Ethnic minorities are an increasingly important demographic for brands to reach out to. We meet with a panel of senior industry figures to discuss the best approaches Kamaljeet Jandu: Everyone's familiar with the concept of ethnic...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Multicultural marketing.(ways to create a effective marketing campaign and to capture the global market)
November 2, 2005... Reaching ethnic minorities can be a difficult task. Sandip Vadher outlines five simple steps to help brand owners aspiring to create more inclusive marketing campaigns Race, religion, colour and culture are areas still fundamentally...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Remittance goes global.(Western Union Corp. targets ethnic consumers)
November 2, 2005... Migration is booming and so is the money-transfer market. Paul Foster explains how Western Union has developed a marketing strategy for ethnic consumers The remittance industry, which enables immigrants to send money back home to their...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Building an Islamic brand.(Islamic Development Bank)
November 2, 2005... Islamic Bank of Britain was set up last year to cater for the financial services needs of British Muslims. Alun Williams and Anjul Sharma describe the challenges it has faced In recent years, ethnic communities have been rising steadily...

BRAND STRATEGY BRIEFING: Multinational makeovers.(ethnic personal care market's view)
November 2, 2005... The multinationals are making great inroads into the previously niche sector of ethnic personal care. Datamonitor takes a closer look at the US, South African and UK markets The multinationals are cleaning up. The worldwide market for...