The Trump Sign Controversy
Donald Trump is generating a lot of controversy in Chicago this week with his new sign. Several years back he built a huge building along the Chicago River. He finished it in 2008. It is one of the tallest and most recognizable buildings in the city. This week he is putting a big sign on […]
Brands in the News, Career Advice
What HomeMade Pizza Can Teach Us About Success
This week HomeMade Pizza abruptly shut down. The Chicago-based company sold fresh pizzas through retail outlets. People stopped by the store, picked up a fresh pizza and then baked it at home. My wife loved the product so we had it a lot. The pizza was delicious; the cheese bubbled in a highly satisfying manner […]
Three Questions about Amazon
Amazon recently released its quarterly results. The company grew revenue sharply, exceeding $16 billion for the quarter. Profit, well, there wasn’t much of that. The company made just $82 million, a margin of 0.5%. Amazon is a very strange operation. Here are three questions to think about. Question #1: Where is the profit? Amazon is […]
The LA Clippers, Donald Sterling and Branding
The LA Clippers are in the news today and not just for their playoff performance. A series of brands are dropping sponsorship deals with the team. It is an all-star list of companies including State Farm, CarMax, Kia and Virgin America. The commotion began when TMZ released a taped phone call between Clippers owner Donald Sterling and […]
Kraft’s Disappointing Annual Report
It is annual report season, the time of year when companies send out proxy information and annual reports to investors. I own a few shares in several companies so my mailbox fills up with these documents. It is interesting to see what the firms choose to send. An annual report is an important branding tool. […]
A Surprising (and Savvy) Move by Emirates
Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, was in the news recently when he said Emirates would prefer not to have a U.S. Customs and Border Protection post in Dubai. On the surface, this seems like a surprising announcement. A bit of background is in order. The U.S. has established customs posts in several countries including […]
GM’s Branding Disaster
General Motors is in the headlines today. Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are reporting that a House committee is investigating how the company responded to issues with faulty ignition switches. The story is astonishing. Apparently in 2004 GM learned that several of its car models had a faulty ignition switch that […]
An Odd Move by CVS
Pharmacy giant CVS recently announced that it would no longer sell tobacco products. CEO Larry Merlo explained the decision in a statement, noting “Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better […]
Sochi’s Olympic Surprise
The Sochi Winter Olympic Games wrapped up yesterday. Overall it was a surprising win for Russia and Sochi. It was not a flawless event. Going into the Sochi Games the discussion focused on Russia’s approach to human rights, especially the LGBT community. The event kicked off with reports of unfinished hotel rooms and amusement parks. […]
Six Brands to Watch in 2014
This will be a critical year for many brands. Here are six that I will be watching with particular interest in 2014. -Russia There is intense focus on the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the event a top priority and invested billions in constructing the facilities. One […]
Lands’ End and Sears
Sears today announced that it had filed paperwork with the SEC to spin-off Lands’ End. This is very good news for the Lands’ End brand. Lands’ End is a retailer based on Janesville, Wisconsin. Chicagoan Gary Comer started the company in 1963. It began selling equipment for boaters. By 2000, Lands’ End was a thriving […]
Volvo, Van Damme and the Future of Marketing
The world of marketing is changing. Traditional media vehicles are losing effectiveness as people communicate in new and different ways. Mass audiences are fragmenting into small segments. Developing a point of difference is harder than ever. Many business leaders are uncertain about the future. What will great marketing look like in the years ahead? Volvo’s […]