STRONGBRANDS    Professor Tim Calkins, Kellogg School of Management

Happy Friday! Inflation is dominating the news these days. The Federal Reserve is boosting interest rates and reducing liquidity in an effort to slow the increase. Inflation is quickly becoming a dominant theme in the upcoming election, with Democrats being accused of sparking the rise with too much government stimulus. There is no question that […]

It is always interesting when a company does something that just doesn’t make sense. Tyson’s announcement that it was closing its Chicago office is one of those decisions. The Announcement Last Wednesday, Tyson put out a press release announcing that it was closing its Chicago office and moving the positions to its global headquarters in […]

The world this week is mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth. People are piling flowers at Buckingham Palace and lining up for miles to view the casket. There is much to be learned from the queen’s long and eventful reign. I will leave it to others to address questions of politics and the monarchy. Instead, […]

Hearing aids are in the news this week, as the FDA announced new rules allowing people to buy some of the devices over the counter. Previously you needed a prescription. This simple rule change will transform the industry. Hearing Aid Branding Here is a simple quiz about hearing aid brands. 1. How many brands of […]

Last weekend my daughter Anna and I headed up to the Racine County Fair. We enjoyed seeing all the animals and exhibitions, including the first placed pies and tomatoes. The highlight was the 4-H livestock auction; we watched the end of the steer auction and most of the market pigs. I was once again impressed by […]

There are a lot of big issues in the world. There is a war in Ukraine. Global warming is changing our environment in profoundly negative ways. The U.S. is battling inflation and fractured over abortion. It is exhausting. So, this week, I’d like to focus on a very small issue: the tradition of not clapping […]

Airbnb’s stock is way down this year. Back in November, the stock was trading over $205. Today it is less than $95. So, should you invest? The price is down much more than the stock market overall, so perhaps this is the moment. While Airbnb is a remarkable brand, it is facing some complex incentive […]

The big news this month, of course, has been the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade. This is the first of two articles I’ll be writing about the ruling. This week’s theme: both supporters and opponents need words. We need to rebrand the abortion debate. Brand Choice vs. Brand Life It used to be […]

Today is Commencement Day at Kellogg! This is one of the best days of the year on campus. Graduates are taking pictures, visiting the Global Hub with family, and getting ready to walk across the stage. Marking these moments in life is important. This is a particularly happy milestone, full of hopes and anticipation. It […]

Things are not going well for Peloton, one of my 2022 Brands to Watch. The stock is trading at about $13 a share, a remarkable fall from its peak of over $160. The company lost a staggering $757 million in the latest quarter. Perhaps more concerning, the company has a vast amount of inventory and […]

The world is full of mediocre advertising. There are commercials that simply deliver a product message, and many of these are perfectly fine. There are spots that promise a happy family and life, and these can work ok. Most advertising just does what it is supposed to do: slightly increase purchase interest. On occasion, however, […]

Last week I moderated a panel discussion at Kellogg on personal finance with three successful Kellogg alumni. It was a great session; the panelists shared their learnings about saving, spending, working with a partner and making career shifts. For me, the most surprising part of the discussion was about student loans. All three panelists had […]