2022 Brands to Watch
Welcome to 2022! Every year I highlight a few brands to watch, brands that are heading into a particularly interesting year. This year I have five selections. The Olympics Rarely has there been a more interesting time for the Olympics. The big question: can the Olympics separate the event from the host country? The Olympic […]
Looking Back at my 2021 Brands to Watch
Each year I identify a set of brands to watch – brands facing interesting challenges and opportunities in the coming year. With just a few days left in the year, let’s look back at my 2021 selections and see what happened. COVID As I projected, one brand dominated all others in 2021: COVID. I feared […]
CEO vs Economist: Who’s Right?
One of the best things about teaching at Kellogg is that I get to hear and learn from remarkable business leaders. This week I had a particularly interesting morning. I first heard from a noted and gifted economist, who was commenting on trends in the global economy. Then I heard from the CEO of a […]
Grand Seiko’s Branding Challenge
The world of watches is a fascinating space for branding, and one of the most puzzling brands is the Grand Seiko. Watches and Branding When it comes to marketing something, there are two things to consider. First, there is the actual product or service. Second, there is the brand. When people see an offering, they […]
Aldi, McDonalds and Honest Discussions
An Aldi closed recently in Chicago. What happened next illustrates a basic problem in our country. The Closing The Aldi in question was located in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, on the west side of Chicago. It is a troubled area. For example, life expectancy for people living in the neighborhood is 16 years less […]
Don’t Use Virtual Backgrounds!
The business world is slowly emerging from the COVID lock-down. Front-line workers have been on the job throughout the pandemic, delivering packages, cooking meals and repairing engines. Managers and executives are just now going to meetings, traveling to visit customers and attending in-person discussions. Still, it is quite clear that virtual communication will remain a […]
A New World for Business Leaders
Every few classes, I look at one of my presentation slides and notice that something is off. I think, “Wait. That doesn’t look right. I need to fix it.” Sometimes it is a spelling or grammar mistake. Other times I notice that a particular example no longer works. And then there are the moments when […]
Inflation’s Slow Build
Inflation is getting a lot of attention. Prices are rising across categories, and the U.S. is hitting the highest inflation rates that it has seen in a very long time. Over the past 12 months, inflation was a remarkable 5.3%. The Transitory Inflation Theory Many economists have projected that this increase in inflation will be […]
Why Super Bowl Spots Are Selling Quickly
NBC last week announced that advertising space on the 2021 Super Bowl was close to sold-out, with just a few spots remaining. Prices are up dramatically this year, with a thirty-second spot going for $6.5 million. This is an enormous change from last year, when CBS had to scramble to unload advertising time, and the […]
Rebranding the Taliban
The U.S. and its allies are now out of Afghanistan, leaving the Taliban in control. It is a remarkable victory for the Taliban; there were fireworks and celebrations as the last U.S. plane left the Kabul airport. Once the celebrations are over, of course, reality will set in. Afghanistan has vast troubles, and people are […]
Ulta’s Target Growth Opportunity
This is a big month for Ulta, as the giant beauty retailer opens its first mini-shop in Target. This is just the first in what will be hundreds of locations. In the Marketing Strategy course that I teach at Kellogg, I highlight that strategy is all about choices. Analysis is good, but ultimately it comes […]
It All Makes Sense: Buy Now, Pay Later and Vaccine Hesitancy
I’ve been catching up on reading this week and was struck by two stories. Two Stories First, vaccine hesitancy continues to be a major issue and uptake is falling short of expectations. Joe Biden’s July 4 prediction that we would be past the virus by Independence Day was far too optimistic. We missed out on […]