Defensive Strategy

Saving Lincoln

28 Jun 2010  

The Wall Street Journal today has an interesting article on Ford’s efforts to revive the fading Lincoln brand. Turning around Lincoln is not a hopeless task but it is certainly a challenge. The good news is that Lincoln is a rather well-defined brand; it stands for something distinct and unique.  Lincoln’s are stable, solid and […]

Defensive Strategy

Motorola’s Branding Dilemma

24 Jun 2010  

Motorola is apparently going ahead with plans to split up the company. This move will raise a large and rather difficult branding question. The proposed split with separate the handheld division from the rest of the company. The handheld division produces cell phones and smart phones such as the Droid.  The rest of the company […]

Defensive Strategy

Motivation, President Obama and BP

18 Jun 2010  

People aren’t motivated by insults. Criticizing someone feels good, but it isn’t likely to result in a behavior change. This is why companies selling weight loss products don’t go around pointing fingers, “Hey, you there. You really do look fat. Put the donut down now.” It is also why people in the fashion industry focus […]

Defensive Strategy

Prediction: The BP Brand Won’t Survive

9 Jun 2010  

There are huge unresolved questions around the uncapped well in the Gulf of Mexico. When will it stop? How long will it take to repair the environmental damage? What will the total cost be to BP? Will the BP brand survive? For anyone interested in brands this last question is a particularly interesting one to […]

Defensive Strategy

The Starbucks-Seattle’s Best Brand Portfolio

4 Jun 2010  

Starbucks is making some big moves with its brand portfolio, dramatically elevating the role of Seattle’s Best Coffee. Executives at Starbucks first announced plans to dramatically expand Seattle’s Best and then rolled out a rebranding effort. The expansion for Seattle’s Best is dramatic; executives are planning to reach 30,000 locations within a year, up from […]