Michigan Sticks with a Winner
Things are tough in Michigan. Tax revenues are slumping. The U.S. auto industry continues to struggle. And the big news in Detroit is that the city is getting ready to knock down thousands of buildings, which is always a sign of progress. Despite all this, Michigan is continuing to invest in its compelling tourism campaign, […]
Sizing up the Pampers Crisis
Just how big is the Pampers crisis? P&G recently introduced Pampers Dry Max, replacing Pampers Cruisers and Swaddlers. The Dry Max product features an extra absorbent liner which makes the diapers thinner and improves overall performance. The Dry Max product is also cheaper to manufacturer than the old product, so P&G builds profits without taking […]
GM’s Marketing Struggles
General Motors continues to flail in the marketing area. This week brought two rather disconcerting announcements. First, GM announced that (surprise!) it was appointing a new head of U.S. marketing. This is apparently the fourth person to hold the post in the past 12 months, which means GM is going through marketing leaders about every […]
Verizon’s Incredible Map
Finding points of difference is a huge challenge. One of the core marketing theories is that brands need to be different. If you are in a competitive market, there are really only two ways to complete: be cheap or be different. Being cheap is certainly an option, but it is a very tough road. For […]
Goldman’s Falling Brand
Goldman Sachs is an incredibly special brand. Goldman is a clear industry leader, with a respected, admired and feared brand. People from Goldman are smart, tough and refined. If someone from Goldman gives you a ring, well, you will probably take the call. But this is all changing. Goldman seems to be emerging as one of […]
The Big iPad Question: What is it?
One of the core parts of any positioning is the frame of reference. Before you can tell someone about the benefits of a particular product you first have to tell them what the product is. This is a type of, well, what? It is hard to discuss the unique benefits of chocolate ripple ice cream, […]
Spirit’s Bold Move
Spirit Airlines generated quite a bit of commotion this week by announcing that it would soon start charging passengers for carry-on luggage. Every piece of carry-on luggage stored overhead will now cost $45 each way. The price drops to $30 if purchased in advance. This is a controversial move but a smart one. Spirit is cheap. […]
Differentiating Vanilla
Selling mainstream spices and seasonings has to be an enormous challenge. There are a number of strong brands in the market and there is always a risk that people will assume all the brands provide similar quality, and buy on price. In a tough economy I suspect that many people are very willing to let price drive […]
Tide Dry Cleaners?
P&G is one of the world’s top marketing companies. So P&G’s focus on expanding into services such as Tide Dry Cleaners and Mr. Clean Car Washes is worth a bit of discussion. Is this the future for consumer brands? You can see the logic behind the move. Perhaps most importantly, it opens an enormous growth […]
Hong Kong’s Branding Paradox
The people in Hong Kong have an incredible luxury goods. Every high-end brand, it seems, has an enormous store: Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, the list goes on and on. There is no question luxury brands sell exceptionally well. At the same time, Hong Kong is full of people selling copied products. In one twenty-minute period, […]
A Booming Economy
I’ve been in Hong Kong the past few days and the local economy appears to be booming. The South China Morning Post has reported the following pieces of news since I’ve been here: Minimum wages are going up by 18% Benefits are going up by almost 6% Unemployment is below 5% There is a growing […]
BMW’s Joy
Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal featured a rather striking insert from BMW. The message: BMW creates joy. The advertisement reads: We do not make cars. We are the creators of emotion. We are the keepers of thrill. We are the guardians of one three-letter word. Joy. This is quite a change from BMW’s long time focus on […]