This week I’m celebrating the end of a most unusual academic year – I just wrapped up my spring quarter courses. It was a busy twelve months: I taught a total of 10 courses in the Kellogg MBA program, including classes in Beijing, Miami, and Koblenz, Germany. Of the ten, four were in-person, five were […]
Last week I attended the Kellogg School of Management’s commencement ceremony. It was a spectacular event: a beautiful day with blue skies and pleasant temperatures, inspiring speeches and enthusiastic graduates. Simply being there in-person felt like a gift. Each year I provide some financial advice to graduates. I am a marketing professor, not a finance […]
It is rare to see a brand face a clear positioning decision. In most situations, brands change gradually over time, with the brand leaders working to nudge perceptions one way or the other. A brand might want to seem a bit more inclusive or innovative or young. The Republican party is in a unique situation; […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by loss, lockdowns and a conspicuous, almost embarrassing lack of great marketing. In recent days, however, things are changing – some leading marketing companies are stepping up. It is not a minute too soon. The Need for Marketing Marketing shapes behavior. By identifying and tapping into needs and wants, […]
I recently wrapped up the winter quarter and this week I’ve been reflecting on what I learned. It was a new experience because I was teaching my Marketing Strategy course in a hybrid format, with some students in the room and some elsewhere. Back in the fall I had a mix of in-person and Zoom […]
One of the most intriguing ideas floating around Washington these days is student debt forgiveness. Some politicians are arguing that the U.S. should forgive $50,000 of student debt per person. Other people think it would be better to forgive all the debt. It might be possible for Joe Biden to make such a move because […]
Joe Biden last night delivered a sober, thoughtful address looking back on a difficult year and promising hope for the future. The speech was remarkable for its tone. There was no boasting, no declarations of victory, no personal attacks on his opponents. It was simply a credible review of where we are now in the […]
The 2021 Super Bowl was notable for some great football but, for advertisers, the more interesting challenge was the complex environment – a struggling economy, a raging pandemic, political conflict. Many of the core Super Bowl advertisers took a pass this year: Coke, Pepsi, Audi, Hyundai and others. One reason was likely the creative challenge; […]
We are days away from the Super Bowl, the biggest marketing event in the world. It will be a very different game this year, with few big parties, not many people in the stands and no vast fleet of corporate jets winging in with big spending executives. The advertising will also be different. Watch for […]
COVID19 has turned the world of education upside down. The classroom experience has changed in profound ways; some instructors are teaching completely on Zoom, others are wearing masks and speaking to small, distanced classes, others are working to figure out a hybrid system. Still others are experimenting with asynchronous content to complement synchronous classes. Of […]
The year ahead promises to be interesting for lots of brands. Politics will certainly dominate the headlines. Can Joe Biden unite the country? What will Donald Trump do next? What happens to the Republican party? Many other brands face an uncertain year, too. Here is my list of 2021 Brands to Watch.
Every year I identify some brands to watch. Here is a look back at my 2020 brands.