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 […]
Healthcare Reform: Where are the Savings?
I am hoping that someone reading this post can help me answer a basic question: how will the proposed healthcare reform reduce costs? It is very hard to disagree with President Barack Obama when he says that we should reduce inefficient and unnecessary healthcare spending. I am entirely in agreement. Who can be against that idea? […]
Integrity and Healthcare Reform
I am astonished by the healthcare reform debate. Let me focus on just one issue. Apparently in the proposed legislation, ten years of incremental tax revenue is used to pay for six years of benefits. In other words, taxes go up immediately and the benefits begin in a few years. And by using ten years of […]
SeaWorld Bounces Back
On February 24 a whale at SeaWorld killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in front of astonished spectators. Three days later, on February 27, SeaWorld resumed shows. SeaWorld president Jim Atchison stated that the animal, a killer whale named Tilikum, would remain part of the show. SeaWorld is dodging a potential branding disaster. It is hard to imagine anything more […]