Soda Stream’s PR Win
Marketers advertising on the Super Bowl face two challenges. The main issue is breaking through the clutter during the game. The other challenge is getting PR attention in the days leading up to the event. The PR battle isn’t easy. There are only so many news outlets and business writers. A newspaper has only one […]
The Hype Begins
Tomorrow the build-up to the 2014 Super Bowl begins in earnest. It used to be that Super Bowl advertising was just that: Super Bowl advertising. Companies would buy some time, develop a spot and hope it generated some discussion and buzz the following day. The more sophisticated advertisers would add a bit of print into […]
Soda Stream’s Super Bowl Challenge
Last year Soda Stream ran its first Super Bowl ad ever. The spot was mediocre; the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review panel gave it a C. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7omFHhNNT4 Soda Stream was smart to advertise on the Super Bowl. The brand was growing quickly and needed to accelerate adoption. A Super Bowl ad […]
Heinz Steps Up
Yesterday Heinz announced that it would be running an ad on the 2014 Super Bowl. This is a big surprise; Heinz hasn’t advertised on the Super Bowl in more than a decade. The brand isn’t an obvious candidate. It is a mature, stable business with little competition. In addition, this is off-season. People aren’t buying […]
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 […]
The Remarkable Chobani – Whole Foods Fight
You don’t see manufacturers and retailers attack each other very often. Everyone has an interest in keeping disputes hidden from view. Today, Chobani and Whole Foods are fighting a nasty battle. Here is the story. Whole Foods announced yesterday that it was kicking Chobani out of its stores. The reason, according to an article in the […]
Super Bowl 2014: 53 Days Away
The 2014 Super Bowl is less than two months away. This is the time when marketers all around the world are putting finishing touches on their Super Bowl marketing campaigns. Some are shooting commercials this week; others are meeting with senior management to secure approvals and almost are plotting social media strategy. The stakes are […]
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 […]
Reality Comes to U.S. Colleges
One of the reasons I find it challenging to teach marketing strategy is that the theories don’t always seem to work in real life. I teach that companies need to build profits, for example, but Amazon contradicts the point. Snapchat doesn’t even have revenue to speak of and is apparently worth billions. I tell students that […]
India: Six Surprising Things
I am just back from a three-day trip to India; I was in Kolkata to speak at the 2013 Brand Conclave. It was a terrific event. Here are a few things that surprised me: – Low income consumers in India generally buy the most expensive cement. I had an interesting conversation with a marketing executive from one […]
Brands in the News, Career Advice
Branding Lessons from Jay Z
This week rapper Jay Z is dealing with some difficult branding challenges. Later this month Barneys will start selling a new line of products designed by Jay Z. The collection includes a watch, raincoat, shirts and other expensive items. Last week, however, two people accused Barneys of racial profiling. The stories hit the front page and received a […]