Career Advice

Kellogg Commencement Remarks

22 Jun 2013  

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 […]

Brands in the News

McDonalds: Hunting for Growth

14 Jun 2013  

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 […]

Brands in the News

A Fresh Start at P&G

29 May 2013  

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 […]

Brands in the News

Angelina Jolie’s Smart Decision

16 May 2013  

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 […]

Brands in the News

$40,000

13 May 2013  

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 […]

Brands in the News

A Long Shot

29 Apr 2013  

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 […]

Brands in the News

A Branding Lesson from France

17 Apr 2013  

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 […]

Brands in the News

Three Things We Can Learn from Ron Johnson

9 Apr 2013  

Ron Johnson is out at JC Penney. His seventeen month stint at the retail giant will go down in history as one of the great leadership fiascos of the decade. We can learn a lot from Ron Johnson’s tenure at JC Penney. Here are three of the key lessons.   – It is easier to […]

Brands in the News

The Switzerland Puzzle

8 Apr 2013  

In late March I spent several days over in Zurich leading a program for a global pharmaceutical company. I found Switzerland to be a surprising place. The first surprise was that the prices are remarkably high in Switzerland. I had perhaps the most expensive cup of coffee of my life at Starbucks across from the central train station in […]

Brands in the News

Branding Kevin Ware

1 Apr 2013  

I suppose this isn’t the moment to be thinking about Kevin Ware’s personal brand. After his spectacular and horrifying injury at yesterday’s NCAA game, the Louisville basketball player should focus on his recovery. I’ve had a little experience with orthopedic injuries myself and can only imagine the road ahead. Physical therapy, it turns out, is […]

Defensive Strategy

The Advertising Challenge

20 Mar 2013  

On Monday I flew back to the U.S. from Germany. On the Lufthansa flight I watched a short video called “World’s Best Commercials, 2012.” It featured winners of the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards. Apparently 430 senior advertising executives cast 430,000 votes and selected the finest advertising spots in the world. My observation: heaven […]

Defensive Strategy

Uber, New Product Strategy and the Critical Moment

11 Mar 2013  

Launching a new product isn’t easy. You have to come up with an idea, validate the concept, assemble a business model, develop a supply chain, create or break into a channel of distribution, begin production and get customers to notice you. The most important thing, however, is creating a positive trial experience. Trial is the […]