Brands in the News

United’s Lovable New Campaign

18 May 2022  

The world is full of mediocre advertising. There are commercials that simply deliver a product message, and many of these are perfectly fine. There are spots that promise a happy family and life, and these can work ok. Most advertising just does what it is supposed to do: slightly increase purchase interest. On occasion, however, […]

Brands in the News

Student Loans and Good Decisions

28 Apr 2022  

Last week I moderated a panel discussion at Kellogg on personal finance with three successful Kellogg alumni. It was a great session; the panelists shared their learnings about saving, spending, working with a partner and making career shifts. For me, the most surprising part of the discussion was about student loans. All three panelists had […]

Brands in the News

Evaluating the 2021 Annual Reports

14 Apr 2022  

It is annual report season. If you own individual stocks, this is the time of year when annual reports and proxy statements arrive in your mailbox. I like to dabble in stocks and I’ve been reviewing this year’s mailings. It is amazing how some companies invest in their annual report and mail out a well considered update on […]

Brands in the News

A Branding Disaster at the Oscars

28 Mar 2022  

A disaster. That is perhaps the one word we can use to sum up the Academy Awards this year, an event most notable for Will Smith attacking Chris Rock. The Branding Impact The Oscars were a disaster for Will Smith. At his time of great success, the moment when he should be celebrating and enjoying congratulations, […]

Brands in the News

The Transformation of Brand Russia

16 Mar 2022  

Brands are the associations linked to a name or symbol, and these connections are usually created over time. At first the Nike swoosh was just a swoosh, but today it has enormous meaning. Once created, brands are difficult to change. Brand repositioning, shifting the meaning of a name, is one of the great marketing challenges. All […]

Career Advice

Building a Strong Personal Brand

2 Mar 2022  

This week I’m giving a talk to Kellogg MBA students about building a strong personal brand during their summer internship. I’m looking forward to the session. Here are some of my main points. Personal Branding A lot of things need to come together to have a successful run at a company. You must have supportive […]

Super Bowl

Super Bowl Ad Review 2022 Results

16 Feb 2022  

The 2022 Super Bowl was one of the most watched television programs ever in the United States with estimated audience of over 100 million viewers. The football was exciting, and the advertising was just as engaging. For the 18th year, a panel of Kellogg MBA students evaluated all the ads to identify which ones took […]

Super Bowl

The Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review Returns

9 Feb 2022  

The Super Bowl is just days away, and once again a panel of Kellogg students will be evaluating all the spots in the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review. This is the 18th year of the event. I’ll be teaming up with my colleague Professor Derek Rucker again this year. The Start We started this event in […]

Career Advice

Learning from the 2022 Healthcare Case Competition

2 Feb 2022  

Last weekend we hosted the 19th annual Kellogg Biotech and Healthcare Case Competition, sponsored by Moderna. It was a terrific event. More than sixty teams applied and eleven gathered in Evanston for the final round. It was an in-person competition, complete with masks and vaccination cards and tests. It would have been easy to take […]

Super Bowl

The Biggest Super Bowl Ever

26 Jan 2022  

We are two and a half weeks from the Super Bowl, so it is time to focus on the big event. The Super Bowl is without question the #1 advertising platform in the United States. One could make the case that it is the most important marketing event in the world. The game is important for […]

Brands in the News

2022 Brands to Watch

12 Jan 2022  

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 […]