STRONGBRANDS    Professor Tim Calkins, Kellogg School of Management

Welcome to 2025! The year will bring a new administration in Washington and with it lots of discussion of tariffs and tax policy and Greenland. Here are my 2025 brands to watch. Private College Tuition Selective private colleges have long embraced a simple model: raise tuition and increase financial aid. The result: families with resources […]

In recent years I’ve started the year by highlighting a few brands to watch. These are brands that are set up to have an interesting year, some poised for growth and others likely to struggle. Here is a look back at my 2024 picks and how things worked out. Harvard 2023 was a rough year […]

It is the season for Christmas ads. No country does Christmas advertising quite like the U.K., where people wait anxiously to see what brands will come up with. Expectations are high. It is a bit like the Super Bowl here in the U.S. You can watch two of my favorite Christmas ads here, one from […]

Two of the most astonishing branding stories this year have been the struggles of Nike and Starbucks. Both firms might benefit from studying luxury giant LVMH. Starbucks and Nike A few years back, Nike and Starbucks were business school go-to brands. Want an example of a strong brand? How about Nike or Starbucks? Looking for […]

Anyone interested in branding should pay attention to GE. What will happen to the GE brand over the next decade? My prediction: it will start to fade away. A Glorious Past GE is perhaps the most famous corporate brand. Under CEO Jack Welch, GE was the envy of the business world and regarded as the […]

There seems to be a trend developing in the world of not-for-profits: rebranding. Many organizations are moving from descriptive brands to broad, general brands. In most cases, this is well-intentioned but a bad move. The Trend In recent years, a series of not-for-profits have rebranded to general, inspirational names. Here are a few examples: -The […]

I teach marketing strategy, branding, and biomedical marketing at Kellogg. One of my core beliefs is that it isn’t enough to develop smart strategies; you also have to communicate them persuasively to get people on board. A few years back I wrote my book on the topic, How to Wash a Chicken: Mastering the Business […]

The Chicago Bears last week unveiled plans for a new lakefront stadium. It is a spectacular proposal: a gorgeous stadium with views of the downtown skyline. The cost? More than $4.5 billion. All this raises four questions. Is a new stadium necessary? Sports teams thrive in glorious venues. The better the fan experience, the more […]

Colleges are announcing tuition and other costs for the 2024-25 academic year. Washington University in St. Louis is increasing tuition and fees by 4.5%, bringing the cost of attending to $87,644 (including tuition, housing, meals, student health, and activity fee). Yale is increasing tuition and fees by 3.9% to $87,150. Bucknell’s is up 4.75% to […]

The golden company Tesla is in the news for disappointing results. The stock price is down, and people are wondering about the company’s prospects. Tesla is facing many different issues, ranging from competition to the erratic behavior of Elon Musk. One of the most interesting problems is Tesla’s brand. The Tesla Brand Tesla has soared […]

To make good strategic decisions, it is important to identify the potential options and then think deeply about which one is best. Not thinking through the implications can lead to bad choices. The simple, obvious answers that seem right often aren’t. Chicago’s City Council provides a good example. The group recently passed a series of rules […]

Each year I highlight some brands to watch. These are brands facing unique situations as the year begins. You can see my 2023 list here, along with a look back at what actually happened here. Below are my 2024 picks. Harvard It has been a rough stretch for Harvard. The university has been attacked on […]