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The Ralph Lauren brand performs a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, it represents $3000 dresses. On the other, it is stacks of merchandise piled high on sale at Macy’s. Revenue from Ralph Lauren stores ($2.3 billion) is about equal to revenue from wholesale sales to other retailers ($2.5 billion). Yet the company stores …
“Viral Marketing Can Make Your Brand Sick” was a post here from two years ago. Since that time, marketing executives have learned some key lessons. Take the current Mountain Dew Dewmocracy campaign. Here are the five key ingredients of its successful use of social media: 1) Social Media Needs to Be On Brand: The campaign …
Mountain Dew Dewmocracy: 5 Elements of Successful Use of Social Media Read More »
Brand names often don’t “travel”. What works in one language often does not work in another. And that makes for funny brand names. (see the recent post on Putzmeister). But a funny brand name can actually be effective. Take the case of Bimbo Bakeries. Most brand consultants would advise adopting a new name for the …
The upcoming midterm elections and Chelsea Clinton’s recent marriage made me think of a winning “political brand” from the 1970’s. The classic advice for a good brand name is that it should be easy to pronounce. Wrong! This classic ad created by media pioneer Tony Schwartz, proves that unpronounce-ability can actually be a plus. Edward …
Airlines merge, but their brands do not. With the rumored airline merger of American with Jet Blue, the finally consummated deal between United and Continental, and Southwest’s acquisition of AirTran, the airline industry is facing some big brand issues—with the negative fall-out hitting their customers. More than Repainting Planes Merging airline brands is not so …
Airline Mergers and Consolidation Means Brand Chaos Read More »
With everyone piling on The Gap logo redesign fiasco, it is a good time to remember that this is just one of a long line of brand mistakes. Edsel–Spent $400,000,000 in development for a product that never found its market. New Coke–Abandoning its venerated formula nearly sank the brand before it reverted back to its …
The Gap Fiasco: The Latest in a Long Line of Brand Mistakes Read More »
Target’s mom-bashing ad makes you wonder: Don’t advertisers test their ads before broadcasting them–even in “broadcasting” is “just” YouTube and in-store media? This Target brand ad would never have passed the mom test: While the outcry hasn’t reached the angry Motrin Mom level, Target has still made a mistake putting down a costume made by …
Uh-Oh–Target Brand Angers Moms with Halloween Ads Read More »
Media insiders are buzzing about a potential name change for MSNBC.com to address the NBC brand problem. NBC Universal and Microsoft want to distance their co-owned Web site from the cable channel. MSNBC.com president Charlie Tinllinghast is quoted in the New York Times complaining the MSNBC “Lean Forward” repositioning “only exacerbates the brand misaligment problem.” …
MSNBC vs. MSNBC.COM Just Part of a Bigger NBC Brand Problem Read More »
The launch of the Google Speedbook tablet PC has hit the brakes. The company had hoped to make tracks challenging Apple’s iPad in the tablet PC market–just in time for the holiday gift buying season. Instead Speedbook has landed Google in naming hell. A small technology company CollegeNet has challenged the company’s trademark filing. The …
Hitting the Brakes: Google Speedbook Naming Disaster Read More »
If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth millions. Video production costs are shrinking as the tools and technology become more powerful. The value that video can bring to your business, both in effectively communicating with people and in terms of driving traffic to your site, is well-documented. Here are 12 ideas …