Brand Strategy articles from October 2002

Brand Strategy archives from October 2002

Quorn in a teacup. (brand strategy).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... Our approach to the CSPI, as Ruth Mortimer rightly points out (BS September), is not to give column inches--let alone credence--to their claims. Instead, we have always believed that the facts should speak for themselves. And they do. ...

Financial constraints. (Leader).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... Mr Bullimore's discussion of the urgent need for brand marketing in financial services is incisive. (BS July). As someone with twenty years of automotive brand development under his belt against less than two tackling the frustrating challenges...

Marketers must show shareholder value. (Leader).
October 1, 2002... Some would say that it's an oxymoron: marketing-savvy chief executives. It's a frequently churned-out statistic that only a handful of chief executives come from marketing backgrounds. I can only think of a few--Niall Fitzgerald from Unilever;...

Persil has launched a 7m [pounds sterling] educational scheme called `Get Creative' which is designed to encourage learning through play. (Marketing).
October 1, 2002... Persil has launched a 7m [pounds sterling] educational scheme called `Get Creative' which is designed to encourage learning through play. The initiative encourages schools to collect tokens on special Persil packs designed by Creative...

Procter & Gamble has launched a new website, Pgcitizenship.co.uk, that aims to help children with the new National Curriculum subject of citizenship. (Marketing).
October 1, 2002... Procter & Gamble has launched a new website, Pgcitizenship.co.uk, that aims to help children with the new National Curriculum subject of citizenship. The company claims that there are many parallels between the education topic and CSR work...

British Telecom has launched a 10m [pounds sterling], 10-day advertising campaign to promote its broadband service. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... BT has launched a 10m [pounds sterling], 10-day advertising campaign to promote its broadband service The campaign, created by St. Luke's, will run on TV, press, online and in the cinema. It is designed to show viewers the possibilities of...

Polaroid is undertaking a promotional blitz for its products in the run-up to Christmas. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Polaroid is undertaking a promotional blitz for its products in the run-up to Christmas. The brand is running consumer trials of its cameras in shopping centres around the country through field marketing agency MHP. Shoppers can have free...

Troubled cable business NTL Inc. has terminated its sponsorship of Newcastle Football Club a season early, leaving the Premier League Football Club in search of a new corporate sponsor. (Marketing).
October 1, 2002... Troubled cable business NTL has terminated its sponsorship of Newcastle Football Club a season early, leaving the Premier League Football Club in search of a new corporate sponsor. The deal includes branding on all club shirts and use of the...

BMW. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... BMW has signed up to become the official car of the Louis Vuitton Cup sailing event. The cup is the challenger series that leads to the world's most prestigious sailing competition--the America's Cup. BMW claims that sponsoring professional...

Abbey National. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Abbey National has announced plans to cut a third of its 317 retail marketing posts. The 40-strong insurance services team in Bradford will be cut in its entirety, while fifty-five staff in Milton Keynes have been warned that their posts are at...

FedEx. (Marketing).(sponsors Scottish Rugby)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... FedEx, the express transportation company, has signed up to sponsor Scottish Rugby and three professional clubs, Glasgow Rugby, Edinburgh Rugby and The Borders for the 2002-03 season. It is the brand's first foray into rugby sponsorship,...

Diary. (News Round-Up).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Radical Marketing Fabric London Ltd 17 October 2002 The debate asks if it is possible to create a new brand with virtually no money or without relying on advertising. There are presentations from the directors of Fabric nightclub,...

Wedgwood. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Ceramics company Wedgwood has appointed Laura Hicken as its new marketing director for Europe. She will oversee a rebranding initiative as the business tries to update its image and target new consumers. Hicken joins Wedgwood from Shell, where...

Highland Spring. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Sally Stanley has joined water company Highland Spring as its marketing director. She will command a 5m [pounds sterling] budget and oversee the group's key brands. Stanley was previously the head of consumer marketing at energy business...

Fox Kids Europe. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Entertainment channel Fox Kids Europe has hired Naomi Dearsley as its head of marketing. Her role will involve working on the audience appeal of the Fox Kids brand across Europe. Dearsley joins the TV company from Nickelodeon UK, where she was...

Diageo PLC. (Appointments).
October 1, 2002... Diageo has appointed former advertising executive Adam Kirby as its new global head of advertising procurement. Kirby previously ran the Stella Artois account for Interbrew at agency Lowe.

Nectar Inc. (News Round-Up).
October 1, 2002... New customer loyalty scheme Nectar has been forced to pull TV and press advertising after its 40m [pounds sterling] launch last month. The customer loyalty scheme has been plagued with problems after its website malfunctioned and then...

Nestle is rumoured to be launching roast and ground coffee variants in an attempt to stem the brand's decline. (Launches).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Nestle is rumoured to be launching roast and ground coffee variants in an attempt to stem the brand's decline. The brand has never launched `real' coffee in the UK, despite an earlier foray into this territory in the US, which ended in 1999....

The New Covent Garden Soup Company has relaunched its range with new packaging and a 3m advertising initiative. (Launches).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The New Covent Garden Soup Company has relaunched its range with new packaging and a 3m [pounds sterling] advertising initiative. It is the company's first major overhaul since launch in 1987, and it features a new logo designed by brand agency...

Levi's has created a pair of trousers with pockets designed to protect wearers from mobile phone radiation. (Launches).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Levi's has created a pair of trousers with pockets designed to protect wearers from mobile phone radiation. The trousers will be launched in the UK next year as part of the Levi's Dockers brand range. There is currently no accepted scientific...

The Advertising Association. (Financial).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... UK advertising spending has stabilised, according to The Advertising Association. The body's quarterly research showed that ad expenditure was 3.4bn [pounds sterling] in the second quarter of 2002. In current price terms, this is an increase of...

Havas. (Financial).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The advertising market is unlikely to improve in 2003, according to global ad group Havas. But the business claims it will be able to hit targets for the year ahead, unless the market suffers further serious decline. The company made a profit...

The 2003 Masters golf tournament has decided to drop its corporate sponsors to avoid pressure from the National Council of Women's Organisations... (International).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The 2003 Masters golf tournament has decided to drop its corporate sponsors to avoid pressure from the National Council of Women's Organisations, which objects to the Augusta National Golf Club's all-male membership. The three sponsors--IBM,...

Pepsi-Cola. (Financial).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Pepsi-Cola is negotiating buying a seat on the Russian Soyuz space shuttle for use in what could be one of the most unusual promotions in marketing history. The $35m (22.6m [pounds sterling]) initiative is reported to consist of a reality TV...

The board of US confectionary company Hershey Foods has announced that the company's planned sale has been called off. (Financial).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The board of US confectionary company Hershey Foods has announced that the company's planned sale has been called off. The auction had attracted a global bidding war for the company, with interest from Wrigley, Cadbury and Nestle The trust...

Gallaher. (Financial).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Gallaher, the UK tobacco company, is expanding one of its cigarette brands into China. The heavily-populated country has long been an alluring market for western tobacco companies with around 350 million smokers. Gallaher has letters of intent...

Resetting trends and removing barriers to behaviour change: Anna Vardy assesses the changing attitudes through the decades and suggests brand managers get one step ahead. (Trendspotter).(Column)
October 1, 2002... Consumers are not really affected by brands or categories but socio-cultural change; changes in family structure, children growing up faster, world events and working practices. To see the impact of changing societal values on branding look...

If I could get my hands on Centrica ... Stephen Isherwood, head of brand marketing at Fujitsu Services explains why he'd give Centrica a full service. (In an Ideal World).(Interview)
October 1, 2002... I'd love to work with Centrica because at the moment, there's something missing from its proposition. It's a massive organisation but I think it has some real issues regarding its brand profile. It has sub-brands such as the AA, British Gas and...

Coca-Cola fails to reach Fruitopia at the oasis: despite a massive marketing campaign Morag Cuddeford Jones asks why the US's Fruitopia lasted just a few months in the UK. (That Was The Brand That Was).
October 1, 2002... Launched in May 1995 and pulled in December 1996, such was the short life of still, fruit drink Fruitopia on the shores of Blighty. When the Coca-Cola-owned Minute Maid drink was introduced it only had two real competitors: the UK's Oasis and...

Brandspeak.
October 1, 2002... Loss Leader--a product sold at a loss to help a company generate new customers and profits on future purchases Source: www.adglossary.com

Comfort at a bus stop--don't get wet, get wise. (Brand Stunt Of The Month).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Tired of standing at bus stops? Then the new flood awareness marketing campaign from the Environment Agency will make a splash. The initiative sees bus shelters across England and Wales mocked up as sitting rooms--complete with sofas. The...

Brand mot.(Interview)
October 1, 2002... The end of September saw Disney chairman and chief executive Michael Eisner managing to cling on to his job by his fingertips. There is still little indication as to how he will go about restoring the 40% share slump experienced by the company...

Corporates lead world summit: Morag Cuddeford Jones examines the effectiveness of the World Summit on sustainability in Johannesburg. (News Analysis).
October 1, 2002... Last month, the corporate community was looking to the World Summit on Sustainability in Johannesburg with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. It is becoming accepted fact that no company can expect customers to have a positive...

Bling bling branding with strictly no mention of `cool'..... Ruth Mortimer discusses the new RBK label and asks if marketers or consumers can 'make' brands... (News Analysis).
October 1, 2002... It's hip to be urban. Of course the term has nothing to do with whether you actually live in the centre of New York or a small village in the Australian Outback. It's all about attitude. Last month, sportswear company Reebok tried to tap into a...

A change in currency: Martin Hayward reveals a change in consumer behaviour which sees customers trading new resources with companies. (Opinion).
October 1, 2002... The old model of marketing is defunct. The premise used to be simple: identify what people want, implement a marketing strategy and make some money out of it. There are three main reasons why this doesn't work anymore. Firstly, consumers...

Watford's community club: ... a smaller football club builds a brand to stand out from the crowd and represent more than just sport. (Opinion).
October 1, 2002... Watford's home following is about 15,000 which puts it in the third rank of football clubs--not in the league of those clubs which have attendances in excess of at least 30,000, but also not in the same echelon as clubs such as Middlesbrough,...

Peter Stringham, group general manager of marketing at HSBC, talks about the challenges he faces in marketing the world's local bank in a time of scepticism towards globalisation. (Profile).(Interview)
October 1, 2002... It's a great anecdote. When Peter Stringham, group general manager of marketing at HSBC took the call from the headhunter to oversee the global rebranding of the world's second largest bank--he couldn't work out which company it was. He thought...

A tang of bitter-sweet loyalty: Air Miles has been the UK's best-known customer loyalty scheme for 14 years..... (Air Miles).
October 1, 2002... Over 450 million Air Miles were redeemed last year. It is a staggering statistic on its own, but even more interesting when the effects of events such as September 11th and foot-and-mouth disease on the travel market are taken into account. If...

Shooting stars burn bright: Elen Lewis charts the cult of the personality in branding .... (Celebrity Brands).
October 1, 2002... It has been a meteoric journey. For a brief moment of time, the faces beaming from the covers of business magazines defined an era. We knew them on first name terms--Carly, Jack, Richard, Marjorie, Jean-Marie, Martha and Stelios. We knew their...

Easing towards a philosophy: Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder and chairman of Easygroup announced he would step down from the board of Easyjet this year.... (Case study: celebrity brands).
October 1, 2002... Stelios Haji-Ioannou is a self confessed fan of fellow British entrepreneur, Richard Branson. In fact, he asked Branson to invest in his budget airline concept when he was a student, but Branson's financial advisers were wary not only of...

In cahoots to egg online: after initial trepidation, online banking has taken off, in many cases leaving the parent brands behind....(Special report: online banking).
October 1, 2002... The suggestion of online banking was met with much hysteria four years ago. Would fly-by-night operations steal your life savings? Could any old Tom, Dick or Harry log onto the internet and spend your money? Time has told, and a number of...

Loyalty hanging in the balance: Morag Cuddeford Jones asks the key players in banking if it is a case of `aggregate or be damned'. (Special report: online banking).
October 1, 2002... Account aggregation or bust--that was the mood of speakers at the Retail Finance Strategies Conference 2001. With 2002's event imminent, has the last twelve months retained any of the initial enthusiasm? Account aggregation allows the...

Will you still feed me when I'm 64? Amanda White charts the erosion of the pensions market and looks at viable alternatives for security. (special report: online banking).
October 1, 2002... Pensions are one of the most important financial products arranged by consumers. However, despite the importance of saving and retirement planning, nearly 40% of pre-retirees have neither a personal nor an occupational pension. With even the...

Third wave of branding: ... how service brands can offer extraordinary customer value by reaching back into their business. (Brand Papers).
October 1, 2002... What is the impact of information on the behaviour of certain brands? Enter rapidly our first acronym--move over FMCG--the "IBSB" (Information-Based Service Brand). What's an IBSB? Think Expedia, WebMD, Vanguard or iVillage. Also think...

Brand arrogance in India: ... Indian marketers are having to ... take their products to market. (Brand Papers).
October 1, 2002... Arrogance takes many forms and Indian brands are often guilty of a subtle form. Arrogance can be expressed by brands who do not provide the relevant education and information to help consumers make purchase decisions. Some Indian brands...

The death of advertising: ...Public Relations is far too important to take a back seat to advertising when establishing and building brands. (Brand Papers).
October 1, 2002... What's the most reported company in the world? According to Carma, a media analysis company, the most reported company in the world is Microsoft. Only 27 years old, yet the Microsoft brand has become the second most valuable in the world,...

Raising the stakes: ... sponsorship is frequently misunderstood by marketers ... [and] how to maximise brand potential. (Brand Papers).
October 1, 2002... Sponsorship is emerging as the new battleground for agencies seeking to increase their influence and improve their bottom line. Communication conglomerates are rushing to buy or build expertise; media planners are forming specialist divisions;...

Branding the government: ... how the government can get beyond the confusion of its ... departmental brands to form a coherent communication strategy. (Brand Papers).
October 1, 2002... Government communications have never been more in the spotlight. This government is acutely brand aware, and with a lingering reputation for spin, it is no surprise that government communications are more carefully scrutinised than ever before....

Corporate scandals: Edward Keller assesses the effect of the American corporate scandals on US consumer confidence ... impact on global brands (Brand Papers).
October 1, 2002... Consumer confidence in America has plummeted over recent months. There has been a sharp decline in optimism about the future of both the country and the economy. Around two million people have lost their jobs and more layoffs are likely. Many...

Which name please? ... the legal struggle between two public telecommunications operators... (Brand Papers).
October 1, 2002... A company or brand reluctant to make the nature of their business transparent only leads to confusion and distrust among customers. "Which name please?" is a familiar phrase to users of the 192 directory enquiries service. However there are now...

Marketing spend ad(d)s up. (Trends: research).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Cynics might approach advice by ad agencies to continue buying advertising, recession or not, as a blatant attempt to buoy up the industry. But, a new report from the Economics Committee of the Advertising Association, suggests that the only...

Fading to grey. (Trends: research).
October 1, 2002... A recent study by market information supplier, Key Note, says companies are missing out on rich streams of revenue by ignoring the `grey' consumer. This forty-plus demographic is driven by more selfish motivations than its younger counterparts,...

UK not plugged in. (Trends: research).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Despite ever growing opportunities to manage essential services and entertainment online, a recent survey by Nielsen/NetRatings indicates that the UK's technology is less than up to the task. While 39% of Germans enjoy high speed broadband...

Tribe culture and brands. (Research).
October 1, 2002... The ancient concept of tribes has not gone out of existence. Tribes are alive and well and living in the UK, according to qualitative research from Vegas, the youth division of The Research Business International. Andy Davidson, an...

If you want to understand the future, talk to a ten year old ... (Research).
October 1, 2002... Kids' understanding and use of internet technology is growing faster than ever before. A number of key research houses have studied kids' online useage patterns to discover that they're using it younger, for longer and it has begun to...

Stop that monk(ey) business. (Last Word). Shaolin monks copyrighting their name.
October 1, 2002... Monks are not known for their keen interest in commercial affairs. They are usually too concerned with, well, praying. But in China, they are now swapping meditation for management. The country's famous Shaolin monks are hoping to copyright...

Dog tags--the new graffit. (Last Word).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The dog has always been man's best friend. And now the canine is the advertiser's favourite buddy too. Companies in the Russian city of Penza have begun using stray dogs as billboards. They catch the unlucky animals, feed them up and spray...

Alco-shakes whip up a fuss. (Last Word).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Why should kids have all the fun? Everybody loves milkshakes and now an Australian company called Wicked Holdings plans to upgrade them for adults. The business plans to create "Moo Joose" strawberry, banana and chocolate milk drinks, each with...

Scent-imentality taken too far. (Last Word).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Everybody has a signature scent. Movie icon Marilyn Monroe famously wore nothing in bed but Chanel No 5. But a German inventor has created a scent that is rather more familiar to women across the world than even Marilyn's choice: the smell of...

The sensitivity of price: price is no longer just a signal relating to products or services, it is also a signal of the relationship between buyer and seller.
October 1, 2002... It may not last forever, but it's significant nonetheless. Low cost airline Ryanair now has a higher market capitalisation than both British Airways and Lufthansa, and two low cost airlines (Ryan and Southwest) now rank among the world's top...