STRONGBRANDS    Professor Tim Calkins, Kellogg School of Management

Some brand combinations make a lot of sense. The Intel brand has long been a good fit with Dell; Cruise giant Carnival is a reasonable partner with the Houston Texans; Lufthansa works with German luxury luggage brand Rimowa. When I managed Bulls-Eye BBQ Sauce, we partnered with Burger King on a BBQ Burger. All of these pairings […]

This week politicians and lobbyists are debating the future of Obamacare. Republican lawmakers have proposed a revision that makes few people happy; Democrats are unanimously against it. Many Republicans don’t like it either. You can read more about it here. A few days ago I had the opportunity to talk with Professor Craig Garthwaite, my […]

Last week The New York Times launched a bold new marketing campaign featuring print ads, outdoor ads and television spots, including an ad that ran on the Oscar’s on Sunday. You can read more about it here. I have three thoughts about the new effort. It is about time. The Times last ran television ads […]

Recently I posted my list of brands to watch in 2017. The list included Emirates, Tesla, GoPro, Wells Fargo, Amazon and P&G. I noted, however, that the most interesting and important brand to watch was clear: Donald Trump. Defining the Trump Brand I think everyone is confused about the Trump brand. What does it stand […]

With the holiday season in full swing, it is time to start thinking about the year ahead. Here are six brands to watch. Amazon Amazon is flying high, and the story is all about expansion and growth. The company is opening physical stores, getting into the shipping business and expanding private label options. It even […]

One of the core concepts I teach in my Marketing Strategy course at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management is that no one company can be all things to all people. The problem is that people are different. Delighting one person might mean providing a top quality product at a very high price, but pleasing […]

Donald Trump stunned Hillary Clinton and the world by winning the election. Here are four observations on his victory and what it means for marketers. Don’t trust the research data Few people expected a Trump victory. The most sophisticated researchers, using the most advanced techniques, were quite confident in their projections. In recent days the […]

Last year, outdoor retailer REI shut down the day after Thanksgiving. REI executives explained that they made the move in order to give its employees and customers an opportunity to enjoy time outside over the holiday. The company encouraged people to take a break from all the shopping chaos of Black Friday and explore trails and parks instead. […]

Last month, a new study came out that evaluated the impact of activity trackers such as Fitbit and Jawbone on weight loss. The conclusion was quite clear: the devices did not have a positive impact. If anything, they actually made things worse. According to the study, people lost more weight without them. You can read […]

It is always interesting when two firms in the same industry embrace completely different strategies. Both companies are presumably led by smart and savvy business leaders, both have the same overall goals of increasing profit, driving growth and building firm value, and yet they come to very different conclusions and take divergent strategic paths. A […]

Tonight is the first presidential debate. It is an important moment for both candidates; the debate will attract a vast audience. This makes it a key branding opportunity. There are only a few changes to reshape your brand over the course of a campaign. Most people don’t go to rallies or events. Despite all the media […]

Every once in a while, you come across a truly lackluster bit of advertising, the kind of marketing that makes you wonder who signed off on it. The new campaign from American Airlines falls into this unfortunate category. The New Campaign American’s new advertising effort kicked off this week. The core message: “The world’s greatest […]