Brand Strategy articles from October 2007

Brand Strategy archives from October 2007

LEADER: The art of seduction.
October 9, 2007... My younger brother studied hypnosis for a while. He once told me that anyone who allows themselves to believe in it can be hypnotised. Although he added: "Those people with very high and very low IQs are more difficult." I offered him the...

MARKETING: User-generated ad campaign.
October 9, 2007... Doritos has launched a user-generated ad campaign for its new sub-brand Collisions where consumers can finish a track created by hip-hop act Missy Elliot. The TV and online campaign allows people to play with a tune, choose its style and...

MARKETING: WTO investigates China.
October 9, 2007... The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has launched a formal investigation into claims that China has failed to clamp down on counterfeiting after the US lodged a complaint. If the WTO finds that China has not done enough to stop the piracy of...

MARKETING: Mattel apologises.
October 9, 2007... An executive from the world's largest toymaker Mattel has apologised in China over its recall of Chinese-made products this year. The company said many goods were withdrawn over a design flaw rather than manufacturing issues. He said sorry...

MARKETING: Healthier meals at Burger King.
October 9, 2007... Burger King has announced that it will promote healthier meals to children under the guidance of the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative in the US. By December 2008, the brand plans to advertise kids' trans-fat free meals under...

MARKETING: Armani's electronics venture.
October 9, 2007... Fashion designer Giorgio Armani has linked with Samsung for an electronics venture to create a TV, mobile phone and other consumer products. The phone, which is credit card-sized, will be launched across Europe in November. Copyright:...

MARKETING: Orange campaign.(Brief article)
October 9, 2007... Orange has created a #5m multimedia campaign to advertise its landline service and broadband packages. The ads, created by agency Fallon and Harrison Troughton Wunderman, will run across TV, online, print, direct mail and outdoor. The brand...

MARKETING: Coors to sponsor Nascar.
October 9, 2007... Coors Molson has signed up its Coors Light brand to become the official beer of Nascar racing, replacing Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser. The reported $25m (#12.5m) deal will span five years and the sport's Bud Pole award will be renamed after the...

MARKETING: B&Q rebrand.
October 9, 2007... DIY brand B&Q has launched a TV and press campaign as the first stage of its #460m brand overhaul for 2008. It aims to cultivate a softer image for the DIY sector and exchanges the company's long-running 'You can do it' slogan for 'Let's do...

MARKETING: Nolita's anorexia ad.
October 9, 2007... Italian fashion brand Nolita has released an advertisement for Milan Fashion Week depicting a naked anorexic woman to highlight the effects of the illness. The photograph was shot by Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani - responsible for...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Dell has retail plans.
October 9, 2007... Dell is planning to open retail outlets in the UK to combat competition from Hewlett-Packard. The brand, previously only available direct-to- consumer, is reportedly hoping to emulate Apple by developing high-end branded spaces. It already...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Cadbury to relaunch Wispa.
October 9, 2007... In response to an online consumer campaign, Cadbury is relaunching its once-popular chocolate bar Wispa. Thousands of Facebook users globally have demanded the product's reinstatement. The Wispa Classic will hit shelves for a limited period...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Virgin launches consumer magazine.
October 9, 2007... Virgin Media is launching a new entertainment-focused consumer magazine. The digital provider's publication will run lifestyle features rather than TV listings. The magazine aims to support the service's new entertainment channel, Virgin 1. ...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Virgin Megastores rebrand.
October 9, 2007... Virgin Megastores is to rebrand as Zavvi, following its sale by Virgin Group to a management buy-out team. Launched in 1970, it was sold for an undisclosed sum due to pressures in the music retailing sector, although there are not expected...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS:.
October 9, 2007... Playboy Enterprises Inc has launched the first of a string of European stores in London. The boutique, selling items ranging from fitness gear to an eveningwear collection is the eighth and largest of Playboy's stores currently sited in the...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Halo 3 breaks records.(Brief article)
October 9, 2007... Halo 3, the final installment of the Microsoft Xbox's market-leading game, has broken all records as the biggest entertainment launch of all time with more than $170m (#85m) in sales on its first day in US stores. The company received 1.7...

LAUNCHES/REBRANDS: Allinson rebrands.
October 9, 2007... Baking brand Allinson Flour has rebranded its product range, redesigning packaging and segmenting flour ranges in response to increasing consumer interest in provenance and quality. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

FINANCIAL: Fortis buys carbon credits.
October 9, 2007... Dutch-Belgian Fortis Bank has bought E13m (#9m) in carbon credits from Brazilian city Sao Paulo. The sale is the first such deal to be done on a regulated stock exchange and paves the way towards institutionalising the carbon market (see...

FINANCIAL: H&M profits up.(Financial report)
October 9, 2007... Hennes & Mauritz has reported a 17% rise in profits to 4.4bn kronor (#334.8m) in the three months to August 2007. The business' sales reached 18.7bn kronor (#1.42bn) but like-for-like sales were down one per cent over the quarter. The brand...

FINANCIAL: Microsoft eyes Facebook.
October 9, 2007... Microsoft is reportedly interested in buying a stake in social networking brand Facebook. Google is also said to be interested and analysts claim that a five per cent share would cost $300-$500m (#150- 250m), valuing Facebook at around $10bn...

FINANCIAL: BP warning.
October 9, 2007... BP has warned of "dreadful" results for its third-quarter. More than #3.3bn was wiped off the company's share price last month after chief executive Tony Hayward told executives of production and refining problems. The company suffered a...

FINANCIAL: Pernod profits rise.(Pernod Ricard S.A.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 9, 2007... French drinks brand Pernod Ricard, which owns Malibu and Chivas Regal, has announced a 24% year-on-year rise in ordinary net profit for the year ending in June 2007. Net profit for the year was E831m (#580m), up from E639m (#445m) a year...

FINANCIAL: Timberland results.
October 9, 2007... Apparel company Timberland has cut its full-year forecasts and expects revenue to decline by around five per cent. It will close 40 specialty retail stores in the US, Europe and Asia and some American outlet shops at the start of 2008. ...

APPOINTMENTS: Nestle.
October 9, 2007... Nestle has appointed Paul Bulcke as chief executive, succeeding Peter Brabeck-LeMathe who steps down next April. Bulcke is currently executive vice president of Nestle's Americas region and will be taking over with a view to expanding the...

APPOINTMENTS: Hewlett-Packard.
October 9, 2007... Disney's global marketer in charge of parks and resorts, Michael Mendenhall, is to join Hewlett-Packard (HP) as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. He will be responsible for corporate marketing globally, including brand...

APPOINTMENTS: Sony Europe.
October 9, 2007... Former head of brand communications at Nike, Ben Moore, is to replace David Patton at Sony. He will be vice-president of communications for Sony Europe's consumer electronics division and will report to European vice-president Fujio Nishida....

APPOINTMENTS: Google.(appointment of Andy Berndt)(Brief article)
October 9, 2007... Google has appointed Ogilvy & Mather vice president, Andy Berndt, as head of its new 'innovations lab'. The company has denied that it is delving further into the ad market following the success of Adwords, saying that Berndt will be in...

TRENDSPOTTER: Join the crowd.(trend of crowdfunding)(Brief article)
October 9, 2007... Why some consumers buy a product before it's even been imagined The traditional route to market for some entrepreneurs is being turned into a two-way street, thanks to the new trend of crowdfunding. Instead of the more common method of...

BRAND STUNT OF THE MONTH: Indelible marks.(Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Channel)(Brief article)
October 9, 2007... Discovery's London Ink shapes the city with eye-catching sculptures It isn't every day that you come across a giant sculpture of a tattooed man swimming through grass. Or a giant woman lying in the middle of a train station with her head...

OPINION: High society and hampers at Fortnum & Mason.
October 9, 2007... Beverley Aspinall, managing director at Fortnum & Mason explains how even heritage brands can appeal to a modern consumer Heritage brands are in danger of being seen as reluctant to embrace new ideas but when approached creatively, the...

OPINION: Rebuilding the American dream.
October 9, 2007... Keith Reinhard, president of Business for Diplomatic Action and emeritus chairman of DDB Worldwide, says Brand America needs a relaunch 'Brand America' is suffering on an international scale and business has a responsibility and a reason...

BRAND THERAPY - NORTHERN ROCK: Not quite so rock solid.(Northern Rock PLC)
October 9, 2007... Northern Rock is making headlines as the first bank in years to seek emergency funding from the Bank of England to guarantee its cash flow despite the fundamental solvency of the business. While Northern Rock and politicians are asking...

PET SERVICES: Best in show.
October 9, 2007... The dog days are here. Polly Devaney looks at the growing trend for premium and luxury pet services in the Western world where pampering your animal has opened up a whole new world of marketing The saying 'it's a dog's life' used to imply...

PROFILE - FRED REICHHELD: The quiet American.(Interview)
October 9, 2007... Ruth Mortimer talks to Fred Reichheld whose net promoter score movement has changed the way companies assess brand advocacy. Gentle persuasion and respect is the driving force behind his theory Fred Reichheld, creator of the management...

PROFILE - FRED REICHHELD: Reichheld rates reputation.(Interview)
October 9, 2007... Ruth Mortimer discusses the benefits of loyalty metrics with Fred Reichheld and asks why the net promoter score is so significant RM: You're known for your work on loyalty. What made you start looking at advocacy? FR: In my earlier...

CASE STUDY - AXE: Let me entertain you.(Case study)
October 9, 2007... Maeve Hosea discovers what is behind the Lynx (or Axe) effect and discusses how the male toiletries brand has dominated the sector through targeted campaigns and integrated media A typical teenage boy might be waiting on a subway station...

CASE STUDY - AXE: Axe facts.(Case study)
October 9, 2007... * In the Americas, India, South Asia and mainland Europe, the brand is sold as Axe. In Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom it is sold as Lynx. * Axe was launched in France in 1983. Germany and the UK were next in 1985...

CARBON OFFSETTING: Burning desire for change.
October 9, 2007... In a climate where debate about global warming is heating up, can brands just buy their way out of hot water? Morag Cuddeford Jones wonders if carbon offsetting is really the answer It's a solution that dismays meat eaters everywhere. While...

CARBON OFFSETTING: Case study: HSBC - a credit to the environment.(HSBC Holdings PLC)
October 9, 2007... HSBC claims to be the world's first major bank - and the first FTSE 100 company - to be completely carbon neutral. That is to say that it can claim its CO2 emissions are set at zero through a programme of reducing pollution, creating or...

CARBON OFFSETTING: Carbon offsetting options to date.
October 9, 2007... Tree planting 1. Recreating natural forests 2. Avoiding deforestation 3. Logging, biodiesel production, commerce Pros: Inexpensive, easily quantified and communicated to the consumer. Cons: Draws criticism because of the...

BRAND CONSCIOUSNESS: The art of product placement.
October 9, 2007... Psychiatrist Raj Persaud explains how new research can provide insight into young consumers' thinking and break through their defences The 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet concentrated on the machinations in a real estate...

MARKETING TO MUSLIMS: Engaging Muslim consumers.
October 9, 2007... Marian Salzman explains how brands are failing to meet the needs of the Muslim consumer and missing out on a responsive and valuable audience The world continues to fragment and the notion of mass media markets is waning in favour of...

BRAND CONSULTANCY: Helping you to help yourself.
October 9, 2007... Aidan Bocci describes how brands can unlock potential through decision- making processes while keeping a creative mindset 'The consultants are in' is an expression that is more often than not met with disparaging groans or sighs of...

BRAND AFFINITY: Stars in their eyes.
October 9, 2007... Tim Kopp, formerly vice president of interactive marketing at Coca- Cola, says brands need to relax control because consumers will do what they wish anyway In the online virtual world, Second Life, you can look and be whoever you want to...

USER-GENERATED CONTENT: Optimum distributed creativity.
October 9, 2007... Tom Himpe outlines eight key points and asks how brands can minimise risks and maximise benefits from user-generated content initiatives There are two schools of thought when it comes to user-generated content. One states that the...

SUSTAINABILITY: For the good of mankind.
October 9, 2007... Luke Vincent and Liana Dinghile discuss how businesses and consumers are shaping a more sustainable way of operating and living Sustainability poses many challenges for businesses and their brands, but arguably the positive opportunities...

BOOK REVIEW: Killing off competition.(Book review)
October 9, 2007... Killer Brands - Create and Market a Brand That Will Annihilate the Competition By Frank Lane Published by Adams Media Corporation, #9.99 Tim Backshall, managing director at agency Integrity, finds Killer Brands by Frank Lane an...

From the bookshelf of... Aaron Shields.(Brief article)
October 9, 2007... Aaron Shields is partner at Brandinstinct In the Name of Identity By Amin Maalouf While the name may label this book as a marketing guide, it is really an exploration into the motivations of extremists and the changes to their...

CHALLENGER BRANDS: Are you up to the challenge?
October 9, 2007... Challenger brands may have more opportunities in the current era of consumer power than more established marques, according to research into 24 companies from the Cranfield School of Management and Npower. The survey, which garnered opinions...

CHALLENGER BRANDS: Rules for being a successful challenger brand.
October 9, 2007... 1. Have strong leadership It's no surprise that 55% of respondents selected Virgin and Microsoft as the two brands with the strongest leadership skills. Both brands have very active and media-friendly founders. Interestingly, despite...

RESEARCH - PARTICIPATION 2.0: Global consumer participation.
October 9, 2007... The notion that understanding consumers is pivotal to business success is well entrenched throughout most organisations. Many of the companies and brands that are widely regarded as success stories have become so by providing innovation and...

Brand Stats: October 2007.
October 9, 2007... Market focus Mouthwash Across Britain, France, Germany, and Spain - around 85 million people aged 15+ (more than 40% of the adult population) use mouthwashes or gargles. Consumption is highest in Spain, where it is used by half of all...