The Chicago Air and Water Show is going on today. The weather is perfect with clear skies and bright sunshine. The U.S. military is absent this year, since the government decided to cut funding for air shows as part of the sequester negotiations. Government leaders promised the world would end if the cuts took place. […]
Russian officials are creating an Olympics branding disaster. With the Sochi Winter Olympics just months away, Russia is taking a very public stand against gay rights. The country recently passed legislation banning talk of gay rights and public demonstrations such as parades and gatherings. Today there are reports a senior Russian sports official is associating […]
The more I learn about marketing the more impressed I am with how people make decisions. We don’t just buy the best product, or the cheapest product, or the most convenient product. We weigh multiple factors; we are skeptical of information and use a wide range of cues to figure out the best course. This […]
On July 4 GM rolled out a new advertising campaign to support the launch of the redesigned Chevy Silverado. The first spot is an emotional commercial that focuses on traditional values. The ad touches on strength, power and reliability. As Tim Mahoney, Chevy’s CMO, explained in a recent interview, “What we’re trying to do is emotionalize […]
Apple is running a striking new campaign; it is hard to open a newspaper without seeing the two-page spreads. The ads are dramatic, highlighting Apple’s commitment to design. Here is one: This is it. This is what matters. The experience of a product. How it makes someone feel. When you start by […]
Yesterday I spoke at the Kellogg School of Management Commencement Ceremony; it is tradition for the winner of the L.G. Lavengood Professor of the Year Award to address the graduates. Here are my remarks. * * * Thank you so much for this award. I’d like to share with you one of my secrets to […]
You have to give the team at McDonald’s a lot of credit. Over the past decade, they have found a way to substantially grow sales at existing restaurants. This is a huge accomplishment. The stock has certainly responded. Shares traded at about $30 in 2005 and closed yesterday at over $98. The formula for growth […]
A.G. Lafley is back. Last week P&G’s board appointed Lafley CEO after Bob McDonald stepped down. This isn’t a new assignment for Lafley; he was CEO from 2000 to 2009. A look at P&G’s May, 2013 Brand Saver coupon booklet suggests he has some work to do. A few questions to consider: -Is investing in […]
This week Angelina Jolie announced that she had preventative mastectomy surgery to reduce her risk of breast cancer. People are debating her decision to have the surgery. Most seem be fully supporting the move. She clearly made a smart decision in announcing it as she did; Angelina Jolie dramatically enhanced her personal brand. By proactively […]
I have a cousin battling ovarian cancer. It has been a long and difficult fight but she has done better than anyone could have imagined. She is amazing. Last week I talked with her mother and learned that the family is rounding up funds to pay for a $40,000 oncology drug. My cousin lives in […]
Last week Michigan furniture retailer Art Van Furniture announced it was entering the Chicago market. The company will apparently invest about $40 million in real estate and marketing as it opens up five new stores and a new distribution center. Art Van is planning to capture 10% of the Chicago furniture market. I’ll paste the link to […]
This week France provided a very important branding lesson: full disclosure is not the best way to build a strong brand. After a rather embarrassing political scandal, France’s top political leaders released financial statements detailing all their assets. The reports are remarkable. You can read them here: https://www.declarations-patrimoine.gouvernement.fr/ Stephane Le Foll, Minister of Agriculture, for […]