Brand Strategy articles from October 2003

Brand Strategy archives from October 2003

All's quiet on the new branding front.(Leader)
October 1, 2003... Just a few years ago new brand launches were being shouted from the rooftops, backed by multi-million pound TV campaigns, big launch events and overnight transformations at vast expense. Branding was all about big ideas, corporate ambition, and...

The burden of a complicated life.(Leader)
October 1, 2003... Consumers are drowning in choice. It's ironic that creating alternatives to make life easy for consumers, might result in alienating them. Charles Handy in The Empty Raincoat writes of "the burden of having too much choice." Pyschologists...

High street bank, Abbey National, has been restyled Abbey following an 11m [pounds sterling] rebranding exercise led by Wolff Olins.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... High street bank, Abbey National, has been restyled Abbey following an 11m [pounds sterling] rebranding exercise led by Wolff Olins. The company claims the brand's new simple appearance will reduce consumer confusion and provide a better...

Media owner, Emap, has launched a radio version of its entertainment magazine, Heat.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Media owner, Emap, has launched a radio version of its entertainment magazine, Heat. Available on free digital service, Freeview, the station will play a combination of 1980s pop and contemporary hits. Heat is the fifth Emap magazine brand to...

Coors Brewers has launched its global flagship brand--Coors Fine Light Beer--in bars and restaurants, and plans to roll it out to off-licences from January 2004.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Coors Brewers has launched its global flagship brand-Coors Fine Light Beer--in bars and restaurants, and plans to roll it out to off-licences from January 2004. The launch will be supported by a 19m [pounds sterling] marketing campaign which...

Nestle Rowntree has launched Rowntrees Fruit Jambos as a lunchbox treat for kids.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Nestle Rowntree has launched Rowntrees Fruit Jambos as a lunchbox treat for kids. Jambos come in a resealable carton with six three-biscuit portion packs and will retail at 99P. Aimed at children aged between seven and nine years old, the...

Sony-owned electronics brand, Aiwa is relaunching across Europe, aiming at a younger target audience of 15-19 year-olds.(Launches & Rebrands)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Sony-owned electronics brand, Aiwa is relaunching across Europe, aiming at a younger target audience of 15-19 year-olds. The relaunch will be supported by a TV, press, poster and online ad campaign by Wieden + Kennedy. The first phase of ads...

T-Mobile is backing its "Mix it" proposition with a 15m [pounds sterling] ad campaign aimed at the Christmas market.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... T-Mobile is backing its "Mix it" proposition with a 15m [pounds sterling] ad campaign aimed at the Christmas market. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, the TV, press, poster and online campaign promotes the company's combined prepay/pay-as-you-go...

Home electronics brand Sharp is to co-sponsor the UEFA Champions League football competition for three years, beginning in 2003.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Home electronics brand Sharp is to co-sponsor the UEFA Champions League football competition for three years, beginning in 2003. Sharp will receive side-of-pitch branding and the right to use the Champions League logo in advertising. The...

Kimberly-Clark's Andrex toilet tissue brand is to capitalise on the popularity of its puppy icon by embossing the image on rolls from next year.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Kimberly-Clark's Andrex toilet tissue brand is to capitalise on the popularity of its puppy icon by embossing the image on rolls from next year. From the beginning of 2004, the puppy shape will appear on a selected range of toilet tissue, but...

Microsoft's gaming console, Xbox, is to be repositioned worldwide as a social gaming experience for more than one player.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Microsoft's gaming console, Xbox, is to be repositioned worldwide as a social gaming experience for more than one player. The new positioning will focus on bringing people together to play each other and will be supported by a 40m [pounds...

Diary.(News Round-Up)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2003... State of the Nation: The Future Foundation Congress House. London 16 October 2003 Should marketers be slavishly following every new marketing Fad that appears, or is it time for a return to first principles? The Future Foundation's panel...

McDonald's.(Appointments)(appointed John Hawkes senior vice president, chief marketing officer)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... McDonald's has appointed John Hawkes to take over from Matthew Howe as senior vice president (SVP), chief marketing officer. He returns from a two-year secondment as European marketing officer and will manage the "I'm lovin' it" campaign. Howe...

The consortium behind London's 2012 bid for the Olympics has appointed Keith Mills as its CEO.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The consortium behind London's 2012 bid for the Olympics has appointed Keith Mills as its CEO. The founder of the Nectar loyalty programme will report to chairman Barbara Cassani.

Asda.(Appointments)(appointed James Condon as head of marketing for the company's clothing brand, George)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Asda has appointed River Island's former head of customer loyalty, James Condon, as head of marketing for the company's clothing brand, George. He will report to George MD, Phil Auld. The George brand is trialling stand-alone high-street stores...

Boots.(Appointments)(Mark Johnson to join company as retail marketing director)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... European marketing director for Pedigree and Whiskas at Masterfoods, Mark Johnson is set to join Boots as retail marketing director at the end of October. Reporting to chief operating officer, David Kneale, and executive director of strategic...

Stella Artois, Interbrew's premium lager brand, is to make use of recycled materials in its packaging in response to consumer concerns.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Stella Artois, Interbrew's premium lager brand, is to make use of recycled materials in its packaging in response to consumer concerns. The change is part of a 35m [pounds sterling] packaging makeover by design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie...

John Lewis is launching its first major TV ad campaign, having only previously advertised locally in four regions.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... John Lewis is launching its first major TV ad campaign, having only previously advertised locally in four regions. The ads reflect the range of products in store and were created by Burkitt DDB, which is also responsible for media planning. The...

Diageo is launching 8.5m [pounds sterling] nationwide TV and poster advertising to support its prepackaged spirit Smirnoff Ice.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Diageo is launching 8.5m [pounds sterling] nationwide TV and poster advertising to support its prepackaged spirit Smirnoff Ice. Created by J Walter Thompson, communications will focus on the stories lads tell each other after a night out at the...

Austrian Airlines Group has revealed a new brand identity and livery created by Landor Associates.(International)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Austrian Airlines Group has revealed a new brand identity and livery created by Landor Associates. The group, made up of three carriers: Austrian Airlines, Tyrolean Airways and Lauda, flies to 122 destinations worldwide, with 7,200 staff and a...

Tesco.(Financial)(financial results announced)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Tesco has reported half-year pre-tax profits of 661m [pounds sterling], up 21.3% in the six months from March 2003. Tesco has a 12.3% share of the total retail market. The company attributes the rise to an ongoing two-year store refit...

Trade and Industry secretary Patricia Hewitt has backed the Competition Commission's decision that bids for Safeway by Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda should be blocked on the basis that it would be against the public interest.(Financial)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Trade and Industry secretary Patricia Hewitt has backed the Competition Commission's decision that bids for Safeway by Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda should be blocked on the basis that it would be against the public interest. She has instead...

Nectar, the cross-sector loyalty programme launched by Loyalty Management UK (LMUK) in September 2002, has exceeded its first year target of 12 million households.(Financial)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Nectar, the cross-sector loyalty programme launched by Loyalty Management UK (LMUK) in September 2002, has exceeded its first year target of 12 million households. There are currently 12.8 million cardholders collecting points and 5,300 outlets...

Advertising Association.(Financial)(UK ad expenditure fell in real terms second quarter of 2003)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Latest figures from the Advertising Association reveal that UK ad expenditure fell in real terms in the second quarter of 2003. Although there was a nominal increase of 1.2% to 3,488m [pounds sterling], adjusting for inflation led to a fall of...

Spinicism and suspicion--who can Joe public trust? Brands no longer have the benefit of the doubt and personal contact beats corporate facelessness.(Trendspotter)
October 1, 2003... Public faith in the traditional social pillars of government, commerce and church has been shaken by recent scandals such as the Kelly affair, BSE, Enron, Third World sweatshops and clerical abuses. It is hardly surprising to find consumers...

If I could get my hands on British Leyland ...: I'd have made sure the UK kept its iconic car brands, says Dairy Crest's marketing director, Richard Tolley.(In An Ideal World)
October 1, 2003... British Leyland may have begun Life as a bus company, but it built up a fantastic portfolio of iconic car brands. Land Rover, MG, Daimler, Triumph and of course the Mini are all highly successful brands made by Leyland. In the 1960s, the...

Aug 2003: presswatch top 10 media brands with negative coverage.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 1, 2003... Aug 2003: Presswatch top 10 media brands with negative coverage 1 BBC 2 ITV 3 Martha Stewart Living 4 Vivendi Universal 5 AOLTimeWarner 6 Walt Disney 7 Granada 8 Carton Communications 9 HIT...

No longer VIP access for this flexible friend: Morag Cuddeford Jones discovers that, when the plastic competition got too hot, the Access brand just melted away.(That Was The Brand That Was)
October 1, 2003... While 21st century credit cards are all about who's got the gold, platinum or even the rare black, back in the 20th century credit was altogether softer. The Access credit card was the friendly face of debt, quite literally (see picture right)....

Kingfisher lager curry favour with charity.(Brand Stunt Of The Month)(Kingfisher World Curry Week)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Kingfisher premium lager is reinforcing its position 'as the authentic Indian beer to accompany Indian food' by running Kingfisher World Curry Week for the third consecutive year. Taking place from October 19th--25th, the international festival...

Brand mot.(opinions on Boots branding)
October 1, 2003... Boots has just unveiled 5,000 new products for its health and beauty range (New @ Boots) and an overhaul of its loyalty card scheme. The move follows falling profits, the failure of the Wellbeing business and Pure Beauty stores, and poor...

Reebok has spring in its step: Reebok's Vector is the latest tactic to lure consumers away from the swoosh.(News Analysis)
October 1, 2003... After thirty years of being dominated in the sportswear market by Nike, British-born Reebok has decided, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. From now on, Reebok will be focusing on its very own 'swoosh': The Vector. To mark the occasion, it's...

There's no place like home for your favourite brands: Joanna Doonar investigates cluster consumer research which identifies six psychographic profiles and highlights the importance that the various groups place on brands on display within their homes.(News Analysis)
October 1, 2003... Homes are an oasis for today's consumers and have become personal brand statements as friends and family are increasingly invited in to share home space, according to research by Manning, Selvage and Lee (MS&L). "Homes have been called 'an...

China Mobile's revolution: Fiona Gilmore discusses the global aspirations of China Mobile, the telecommunications company with 123 million subscribers.(Opinion)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2003... Imagine a profitable telecommunications company with the world's biggest subscriber base in a home market where mobile phone penetration is a modest 15%. That company is China Mobile, China's leading cell phone operator. State-owned, it is the...

Driving business strategy: Philip Kotler argues that marketers need to grow their influence through innovation and knowledge of finance.(Opinion)
October 1, 2003... I believe that marketing today is not working well because it's 'one P' marketing. There are four Ps--price, place, promotion and product and most marketing today is promotion. Yes it's essential, but what about controlling the price, the...

There's more to Bidwell than window dressing: Selfridges' marketing director James Bidwell talks to Elen Lewis about the inspiration for innovative, in-store experiences and a space for other brands to flourish at Oxford Street's pre-eminent department store.(James Bidwell)
October 1, 2003... It's not that James Bidwell, marketing director of Selfridges doesn't like his office per se. There's nothing not to like about it. It's a large, light room off a hushed corridor. It's just that Bidwell's best ideas come to him when he's on a...

Is the bubble about to burst? Wrigley's has a firm grip on gum. But for how much longer can the Wrigley name stay number one? David Benady discusses how Wrigley plans to innovate and keep personality-led pretenders from the throne.(Wrigley)
October 1, 2003... Chewing gum giant Wrigley has increased its worldwide sales by 40% over the past three years with a range of products that it claims help protect your teeth, freshen your breath and soothe a sore throat. But the company's 100-year grip on...

Dedicated followers of fashion: Morag Cuddeford Jones asks if religion needs as much help with its brand image as commercial institutions. Would adding a bit of gloss increase the conversion rate or do the spiritual and secular worlds simply not mix?(Religion)
October 1, 2003... It is well established, with a universal brand, outlets in every community, many city centre sites with car parks and excellent goodwill. It has a visually well defined logo, with staff wearing easily identifiable uniforms. Although many of its...

A is for Alpha, C is for Christ: Morag Cuddeford Jones finds out how a local church group could become the first, official brand for the Christian faith. The Alpha Course appeals to under 34 year-olds and the company recruits around 4m [pounds sterling] in funds.(Case study: religion)
October 1, 2003... For the last decade or more, Christianity in the UK has been suffering from falling popularity. For example, according to a 2002 MORI poll, there has been a decline in those considering themselves as belonging to the Church of England (CofE),...

Fickle fun and games with kids: Dr Richard C Woolfson describes children's inborn need to learn, discover and investigate through play and argues that for 2-5 year-olds, every single play activity involves learning and developing social skills.(Special report: kids)
October 1, 2003... One of the advantages that you have when marketing toys to children--particularly to the 0-8-year-old age group--is that they have a basic inborn need to play. Their instinctive curiosity drives them to learn, discover and investigate through...

Kids need to eat their greens: parents are under pressure to provide rounded meals for their children, but time pressures and pester power are driving them to convenience foods. Giles Quick identifies the trends that influence parent spending.(Special report: kids)
October 1, 2003... Twelve million consumers, vocal, demanding, ever changing and with very particular requirements. Depending on your perspective, the under 16s are either a marketer's dream or a nightmare. In the last couple of decades children have changed from...

Building intangible equity: Peter Hutton argues that new measures for brands are needed which look at the business as a whole rather than focusing on reducing costs and boosting short-term sales.(Brand Papers)
October 1, 2003... Managing the brand and managing the business are the same thing. The key to outstanding business performance is developing a corporate culture that focuses all the delivery and support functions on meeting customers' needs. This requires...

Revolutionary branding: Konstantine Samoylov describes the challenges facing local premium brands in Russia, a category appealing to the middle class which emerged during the financial crisis of the late 1990s.(Brand Papers)
October 1, 2003... Local premium brands emerged in Russia during the 1998 financial crisis when well-known foreign brands disappeared from the marketplace, driven by a 380% devaluation of the local currency. The 1998 economic crisis drastically changed the income...

The loyalty paradox: Michael Wilmott and Charlotte Cornish argue that loyalty may not be the result of emotional connections with customers and that investment in CRM may not have been money well spent.(Brand Papers)(customer relationship management)
October 1, 2003... Over the course of the 1990s, companies became obsessed with loyalty. Millions of pounds were spent on customer relationship management (CRM) programmes. They promised that through a better understanding of their customers' behaviour and...

Sponsorship with a strategy: based on his two-and-a-half year relationship with the Premiership, Barclaycard's Nic Gault sets out six steps to ensure sponsorship becomes a genuine part of the marketing mix.(Brand Papers)
October 1, 2003... Sponsorship is no different from any investment decision made in marketing and commercial terms. It starts from the business strategy and is all about making value for shareholders. At Barclaycard, we needed to achieve a number of things:...

The customer service myth: an isolated marketing department is a redundant one. John Abram and Paul Hawkes suggest marketers listen to customers and staff to gain insights on how best to conduct business.(Brand Papers)
October 1, 2003... Most managers spend far too little time with the people who ultimately pay their salaries--their customers. Why do most managers find it so hard to justify making the effort? Arrogance is all too often at the heart of the matter. Many...

Nestle and Mars on a break: Anna Duffus discusses the case between Mars and Nestle over the slogan 'have a break' to demonstrate the problems facing brand owners who wish to register a subsidiary shape or mark.(Brand Papers)
October 1, 2003... What do the words 'have a break' mean to you when used on a chocolate product? Do they mean, take a rest and eat the chocolate? Alternatively, do they provoke the response, 'Have a KitKat', the well known chocolate bar produced by Nestle? ...

Net spend doubles in the last year.(Trends)(consumer spend on online shopping)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 1, 2003... * Consumer spend on online shopping has doubled in the last year to 10bn [pounds sterling], according to Continental Research's Internet Report. The 21.5 million adult internet users spent an average of 470 [pounds sterling] online in the...

Brand new father figures.(Trends)
October 1, 2003... * New fathers are becoming more involved in the upbringing of their babies which presents opportunities for consumer packaged goods (CPD) marketers, according to research from Datamonitor. As men become parents and increasingly seek to be...

The scent of a woman.(Trends)(sales of women's fragrances in the UK)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... * UK sales of women's fragrance increased by 9% between 1998 and 2002 with a 2002 value of 504m [pounds sterling], according to research by Mintel. Premium brands (such as Estee Lauder and Chanel) account for 74% of the market with mass brands...

Collective concerns.(Research)
October 1, 2003... * Unemployment is by far the greatest concern among people across Europe, although every country has its own individual problems. It has topped the charts of worries since the start of the GfK survey three years ago. Almost half the people...

Anti-Americanism: the implications for marketing.(Research)
October 1, 2003... * British consumers are disenchanted with America. The UK's ratings of the US in terms of favourability have dropped 8% in the last two years, according to the Pew Global Attitudes Survey. In January, more than a million people took to the...

What's in a number?(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The amount the Recording Industry Association of America is suing a 12 year-old girl for downloading a nursery rhyme from the internet. $2,000

Global village idiot.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Brand Strategy has got wind of news that famous Marconi subsidiary company, GPT, has found efforts to break into the French market less than a breeze. The initials in French sound remarkably like "J'ai pete"--"I've farted".

Blowing hot and cold in the internet sector.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Microsoft's MSN chatrooms are to be closed down to prevent paedophile abuse, a move that has been praised by children's charities. An NSPCC spokeswoman called the decision a "very positive step". The company will close down the free service in...

The monthly brand brainstorm.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... While the public theorises on what torture it is for American 'magician' David Blaine to fast in a box for 44 days while drunks taunt him with tepid burgers, Brand Strategy knows his real turmoil. Those eggy smears and 'easy stains must have...

Last word.
October 1, 2003... * Opinion: Philip Kotler, professor of international management, page 13. Marketing is not working today because marketers are purely concerned with promotions rather than driving business strategy, in order to grow their influence at the...

The risk of no innovation: companies' pressure to perform is leading them to turn their back on bold innovation which is a risky strategy.
October 1, 2003... Danone, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt-Benckiser and Unilever all agreed that the best route to profitable growth is to cut off brand tails and focus on big brands to give them even greater critical mass. If immediate results are the test of...