We’ve all learned a lot about brands and crisis management in recent months. First, even the best brands can run into major issues. Toyota, one of the world’s most admired companies, took a huge hit as stories surfaced about potential safety and quality issues earlier this year. BP and J&J have taken hits, too. Second, […]
More and more stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day. For many years almost every retailer closed on the holiday. Then a few started opening on Thanksgiving. This year the trend is clearly accelerating: Sears, Kmart, Gap, Walmart and Old Navy all will be opening at least some of their stores. Is this a good idea? Personally, I […]
This week Sears Holdings released quarterly results. The latest numbers suggest that the company hasn’t managed to slow the declines at Sears. Overall results for Sears Holdings were poor, with revenue for the quarter ending October 30 down 5% from $10.2 billion in 2009 to $9.7 billion this year. The company lost -$215 million this […]
This week Sara Lee announced that it was selling its bread business to Mexico-based baking giant Grupo Bimbo, for $959 million. The sale is an embarrassment for Sara Lee. According to the Financial Times, Sara Lee acquired the baking unit in 2001 when it bought Earthgrains Corporation for $2.8 billion, making this a fine example […]
Chevrolet is out with its long-awaited new advertising effort; the campaign began running at the end of October. The effort is apparently the work of Chevy’s new advertising agency, Gooby, Silverstein & Partners, and head of marketing, Chris Perry. You can see the TV spots here: https://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/27/the-why-behind-chevy-runs-deep-slogan/ So how is the new campaign? I’ll begin with […]
Things are getting rather nasty in the political world. As we approach Election Day in the United States, candidates are spending incredible amounts of money, much of it on negative advertising. One of my favorite examples is from Illinois senatorial candidate Alexi Giannoulias. He is airing a spot this week that calls his opponent Mark Kirk a dishonest liar. The […]
Microsoft is currently running a teaser spot for its new mobile software, Windows Phone 7. The ad is charming; the folks at Microsoft have clearly found an insight that will resonate with people. The big question, of course, is whether Microsoft can turn the insight into a meaningful product benefit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHlN21ebeak In the new spot, Microsoft highlights a […]
This week Gap introduced and then promptly pulled a new visual identity. The new logo was a rather dramatic change and consumers quickly expressed their unhappiness with the new look. Gap reversed course in just three days. The company announced the decision on its Facebook page: “Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t […]
In my marketing strategy course at Kellogg I periodically ask students to review different marketing initiatives. The goal is to evaluate each initiative from a strategic point of view. Will it build the brand and build the business? After showing an initiative to the class, I ask students to grade it: A, B, C, D or F. […]
You might presume from the title of this post that I’m opposed to Southwest’s acquisition of AirTran. But that isn’t actually the case. I’m just confused. Why would Southwest do this? I don’t follow the logic. I can easily identify reasons why this deal isn’t a good one for Southwest. Southwest has a very distinctive and […]
Yesterday Starbucks announced that it was increasing prices. You can read an article about it here: https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703860104575508292633972562.html?mod=crnews The announcement isn’t a surprise. The price of green Arabica coffee has risen dramatically this year; it is now close to a 13 year peak. With that sort of increase in cost, Starbucks had to do something to maintain profits. […]
Nokia continues to clean house. On Monday Nokia announced that the head of its smartphone division was leaving. This follows a change in CEOs. Rumors are that Nokia’s chairman, Jorma Ollila, will leave later this year. These moves seem very appropriate given Nokia’s stunning collapse. Several years ago, Nokia was one of the dominant global […]