Brand Strategy back issues from February 2003:
The role of brands in high performance marketing. (Leader).
Feb 01, 2003; ... Marketing is the primary driver of long-term value creation in any business. Indeed new research into 6,000 companies by PA Consulting Group shows that competitive differentiation has on average 2.86 times more impact than operational efficiency on economic profit. Marketing is ...
A time for politically-charged branding. (Leader).
Feb 01, 2003; ... There's really only one story at the moment. Even businesses and their brands can't ignore the increasing inevitability of war. Last week the FTSE-100 index had an unprecedentedly bad time, falling to a seven-year low after the longest uninterrupted bear run in its history. ...
Coca-Cola. (Products).(new energy drink )(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Coca-Cola is trialling a new energy drink, BPM Energy, in Ireland. The drink targets men in their late teens and if it is successful, may be rolled out across the UK. It has ...
Red Bull. (Products).(new sugar-free soft drink )(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Red Bull has created a sugar-free version of its energy drink. The new variant has only eight calories as opposed to the standard 112 and is differentiated from its sister product ...
Flextech. (Products).(new Freeview digital TV channel)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Flextech has launched its Freeview digital TV channel, Ftn. The service carries a mix of homegrown programmes such ...
McDonald. (Products).(to offer organic produce )(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Fast food chain McDonald's is planning to sell organic produce in its restaurants. The chain will offer organic milk cartons with its meals to meet consumer demand for healthier options. The move follows the ...
Sports Loyalty Card (SLC). (Products).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... A new football loyalty scheme, Sports Loyalty Card (SLC), has been launched to offer football fans rewards from retail partners. The initiative goes head-to-head with Teamcard, the only previous ...
Masterfoods. (Products).(new candy bars )(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Masterfoods is launching a snack bar called Bisc&, which features a biscuit base covered by either a Mars Bar, Twix, Bounty or M&M flavoured topping. The brand is ...
Tesco. (Products).(teams with Cable & Wireless )(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Tesco has signed a deal with Cable & Wireless to offer a new fixed-line phone service from early summer 2003 called Tesco Telecom. The company promises to dispense with ...
Levi's. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Levi's has created a marketing campaign for its new Type 1 jeans. The campaign includes cinema, TV, press, posters and digital ads as well as point-of-purchase material in 270 Levi's stores ...
The Royal Bank of Scotland. (Marketing).(marketing agreement with Saatchi & Saatchi)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... The Royal Bank of Scotland's 10m [pounds sterling] retail business account has been won by Saatchi & Saatchi. The bank originally began a review of its business, then held by ...
UEFA. (Marketing).(Canon sponsors Union of European Football Associations)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... International football body UEFA has announced that imaging technology brand Canon has become an official ...
Abbey National. (Marketing).(marketing campaign with Martin Kemp)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Abbey National is running a new marketing campaign starring actor and former pop star Martin Kemp. The ads ...
Diary.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Consumer Insight Masterclass Cafe Royal London 20 February 2003 Sessions from Dr Nazar Azoz, research and insight general manager at United Biscuits, Sue Stent, head of insights at HBOS and Professor Gerald Zaltman from the Harvard Business School on his new insight technique, ...
EMAP. (Appointments).(Tom Moloney )(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Publishing house EMAP has promoted Tom Moloney ...
Marks & Spencer has appointed Alice Avis as director of marketing and e-commerce. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Marks & Spencer has appointed Alice Avis as director of marketing and e-commerce. Avis reports directly to chief executive ...
Mike Moran has been appointed to worldwide marketing and strategy director for Thames Water. (Appointments).
Feb 01, 2003 ... Mike Moran has been appointed to worldwide marketing and strategy director for Thames Water. Moran was ...
Ofcom. (Appointments).(Stephen Carter)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Stephen Carter, the former UK head of cable service ...
Co-Operative Financial Services has appointed Craig Shannon as executive director of marketing. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Co-Operative Financial Services has appointed Craig Shannon as executive director of marketing, ...
Burger King UK. (Appointments).(Paul Reynish)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Paul Reynish has been appointed as head of marketing for ...
Cancer Research UK. (Marketing).(will endorse Nivea suncare products)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... The charity Cancer Research UK has agreed to endorse Nivea suncare products. It is the first time a UK cancer charity has linked with a cosmetics ...
Velvet. (Marketing).(marketing campaign)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Toilet tissue brand Velvet has launched a 15m [pounds sterling] TV, poster and press marketing campaign. The ads, created by Publicis, encourage ...
Cereal Partners UK. (Marketing).(marketing effort promotes cereal bars)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Cereal Partners UK--a joint venture between FMCG company Nestle and US food group General Mills--has launched a new TV ad campaign for its Nesquik, ...
Procter & Gamble. (Financial).(plans to reach sales targets through acquisitions)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Procter & Gamble has indicated that it aims to make up a quarter of its long-term sales targets from acquisitions. The company's president AG Lafley claims that ...
Royal Mail. (Financial).(staff getting let go)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Royal Mail has announced that it is axing around 100 staff in a restructure of its sales and marketing divisions in a move ...
Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, says that his ad network will change its business focus from traditional advertising to disciplines such as market research and direct mail. (Financial).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, says that his ad network will change its business focus from traditional advertising to disciplines such as market research and direct mail. Sorrell, who was ...
Boots. (Financial).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Boots, the UK chemist chain, has released its best prefestive financial figures for 10 years. Sales of the chemist's own cosmetic range No. 7 hit 3.5m [pounds sterling] and the company's healthcare arm saw an 8.3% rise in sales. The ...
Amazon. (Financial).(posts a profit)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Web retailer Amazon has posted its second global profit with sales of $3.93bn (2.42bn [pounds sterling]) for 2002, up 26% ...
The DDB network and German agency Jung Von Matt have been hired to handle travel operator TUIs 100m [pounds sterling] pan-European ad account. (International).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... The DDB network and German agency Jung Von Matt have been hired to handle travel operator TUIs 100m [pounds ...
Coca-Cola. (International).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Coca-Cola has launched a new campaign in the US based on the brand's `Real' tagline. One ad shows actress Penelope Cruz drinking Coke and then belching in a `real' rather than demure film star manner. Other celebrities such as Courtney Cox also star in the campaign by Berlin ...
Gulf Air. (International).(plans low-cost airline)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Abu Dhabi-based airline operator Gulf Air has announced plans to launch a low-cost airline. The carrier serves Bahrain, United Arab ...
General Motors. (International).(developing Cadillac Sixteen engine)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... General Motors is preparing to take on the niche ultra-luxury car brands such as Rolls Royce with its new 1000 horsepower engine Cadillac Sixteen. The new vehicle will cost around ...
Schadenfreude and the dark world of the new consumer: we can't get enough of the dark side of entertainment--it's a symptom of tougher times ahead. (Trendspotter).(top ten companies by press coverage)
Feb 01, 2003; ... Remember the nineties? Remember trends like Soft Lad, Tenderness and the craze of caring for little Tamagotchis? Seems a long time ago now, doesn't it? It started with reality TV shows appealing to the voyeur inside us all. Then Big Brother introduced audience voting and things ...
If I got my hands on South West Trains ... I'd pull the communication cord says Jeremy Dale, brand marketing director at Orange who endures the service each day. (In an Ideal World).(Editorial)
Feb 01, 2003 ... I think South West Trains (SWT) has a tremendous opportunity staring it in the face. It has its most valuable customers interacting with the brand every single working day for a significant period of time. It could be using this time to build relationships with customers, rather than ...
Turn on, tune in, drop out with Radio Luxembourg: Morag Cuddeford Jones on what caused the demise of an English broadcast radio station that launched thousands of bands. (That Was the Brand That Was).
Feb 01, 2003; ... Radio Luxembourg began life in an obscure duchy, sandwiched between France, Belgium and Germany, but it was responsible for creating pop radio as we know it. Many of the UK's best loved broadcasting personalities owe their careers to the station. Alan `Fluff' Freeman, David `Kid' Jensen ...
Crazy colourful decor coming to a bar near you. (Brand Stunt of the Month).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... The paint manufacturing industry is not known for its innovative marketing--often about as interesting as watching the product dry. But Crown Paints has decided to break the mould and created a bar in Manchester's trendy St Anne's Square. The Colour Bar--a partnership with Noble ...
Brand mot.(can Laura Ashley regain heights of its heyday?)
Feb 01, 2003; ... Following poor post-Christmas sales results, and the news that the chain is to drop 35 outlets in continental Europe, analysts are asking if Laura Ashley can ever regain the giddy heights of its seventies heyday. Famous for floaty florals and chirpy chintz, can Laura Ashley cash in on the ...
Supermarket sweepstake: if Asda becomes Safeway's successor, Morag Cuddeford Jones asks if there are hidden benefits for the sector. (News Analysis).
Feb 01, 2003; ... In the growing feeding frenzy surrounding the Safeway buy-out, analysts are hedging their bets on Wal-Mart's Asda brand becoming victorious. But, can the incoming Asda brand depend on the loyalty of Safeway customers, or will its competitors see this as an opportunity to mop up some market ...
Anti-American brands cash in on political statements: an Islamic cola brand is capitalising on anti-American sentiment among consumers but is this a short-term money spinner? Ruth Mortimer discovers that not all Muslim brands are benefiting from this political situation. (News Analysis).
Feb 01, 2003; ... Its red and white packaging mimics the most famous soft drink in the world; it even tastes like cola, but it's far from the real thing. Mecca-Cola soft drink launched recently in France as a Coca-Cola substitute in an attempt to capitalise on anti-US sentiments among Muslim customers. The ...
Geese shift positioning: Fiona Gilmore looks to the future, to a world which is as dominated by European and Asian brands as American ones. (Opinion).(Editorial)
Feb 01, 2003; ... "In the latest league table of the world's most valuable brands it was announced that for the first time a Chinese brand, TCL, was listed alongside Vodafone, Samsung, Nokia, VW, Sony, Microsoft and IBM. Corporate governance, social contract, social responsibility charters were all integral ...
Managing agency ties: with experience on both sides of the fence, Simonds-Gooding shares his top tips on nurturing client and agency relationships. (Opinion).
Feb 01, 2003; ... Few things in business excite me more than seeing a top rate advertising or design company in tune with its client. We at the client end deal in statistics, we're spreadsheet warriors. Join these skills to those of an agency charged with bringing the dead facts to life in a way that ...
Charge your glasses for Britvic's Marsden: Andrew Marsden's first love may be wine but as marketing director of Britvic he takes the responsibility of marketing soft drinks very seriously. Elen Lewis finds out how he copes as a "strong number two" to Coke. (Andrew Marsden).
Feb 01, 2003; ... If it wasn't for Andrew Marsden, the UK would not have been introduced to the culinary delights of canned red kidney beans. More importantly, we would never had sampled Ninja Turtle spaghetti shapes. There'd be no Lea & Perrins cooking sauces, no Slim a Soup, no Robinsons' Fruit Shoots, no ...
Could DVD kill the video star? JVC TVs and stereos adorn living rooms worldwide. Morag Cuddeford Jones asks if the Japanese company can hold its own against market leader Sony, or if it's just becoming part of the furniture. (JVC).
Feb 01, 2003; ... For a brand as ubiquitous as JVC, it is not surprising to discover that it has just celebrated its 75th anniversary. While it may seem like a relic from the stone age in technology years, it is in fact one of the younger kids on the block. Philips is a venerable 112 years old and JVC's ...
Fool's gold for marketers? Brand extensions have been a popular way to leverage brand equity for years, but times are changing as brands move towards a period of consolidation. Ruth Mortimer assesses what makes brand stretching successful. (Brand Extensions).
Feb 01, 2003; ... Remember when brands had boundaries? The days before motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson launched its range of wine-coolers and fragrances? And long before Maxim magazine created its own hair dye range for men. It seems that there is nowhere that marketing departments are afraid to go. ...
Smirnoff's cool extension: Smirnoff Ice survived a saturated alcopop market and has gone from strength to strength gaining popularity on the back of its parent brand. Ruth Mortimer finds out what makes the drink so appealing. (Case Study: Smirnoff Ice).
Feb 01, 2003; ... They don't make brand extensions more successful. Smirnoff Ice sold 4.7 million, nine-litre cases in the last year. It has a presence in 28 countries and some suggest that it is so successful that it has begun to overshadow its parent brand, Smirnoff vodka. Andy Fennell, ...
Smokescreens and mirrors: are tobacco and corporate social responsibility mutually exclusive? If marketing to kids is a no-go area, how do tobacco companies propose to get new recruits? Elen Lewis investigates the paradoxical nature of the industry. (Special Report: tobacco).
Feb 01, 2003; ... It is one of several business sectors that can be resolutely relied on to represent the corporate scum of the earth. The nuclear, arms and tobacco industries encapsulate all that is evil about capitalism, all that is exploitative about the Western world. They are invariably financially ...
The British tobacco habit: Philip Greenslade highlights some of the insights on British smokers from the TGI Great Britain survey. (Special Report: tobacco).
Feb 01, 2003; ... Women still make up the majority of smokers in Britain, as the first chart shows. Over 52% of the 13.3 million smokers are the fairer sex. Nevertheless, there has been a gradual decline in the number of women smokers over the last 20 years. In fact, deaths from lung cancer among British ...
Elastic brands: how far can you stretch the idea of `brand'? Simon AnhoLt argues that marketing can bring added value to any area of human endeavour including international relations. (Brand Papers).
Feb 01, 2003; ... At a time when branding is coming under a good deal of public scrutiny, it makes sense to ask what the limits of branding might be. There is a tendency for people to use the word in a carefree way for anything connected with public perception--from TV personalities to countries, and ...
Innovate or die: Mick Williamson suggests that new product development and innovation could be helped by a new form of market research which siezes the higher ground and analyses consumer's emotions. (Brand Papers).
Feb 01, 2003; ... In order to keep ahead, most blue chip companies have adopted the mantra: `innovate or die!' The more cautious businesses aim for a major launch once a year. Those who see innovation as lifeblood achieve a strike rate that seems closer to once a month. This pressure to innovate ...
Music to marketer's ears: Rob Hanlon reveals that record companies and their artists have become more receptive to using their music in ad campaigns but warns that a synergy between brand and band is essential. (Brand Papers).
Feb 01, 2003; ... With record companies and non-music brands increasingly targeting similar consumers, there is a growing recognition that there are considerable mutual benefits to be gained from integrating major artists and their recordings into marketing campaigns. After all, music is an ...
Moscow mules and DIY: Clive Woodger offers insights and advice on working as a brand design consultant in the growing Russian retail market. Emulating the consumer-driven West is not always the best route to take. (Brand Papers).
Feb 01, 2003; ... As brand design consultants, we help create perceptions that make a brand reality. Working internationally is about dealing with your own perceptions, experiencing local reality and readjusting accordingly. Having worked in Moscow since 1998 it has been interesting to handle the change in ...
Branding on a fine line: trust and transparency is key. Kevin Thomson encourages marketers to create clear brand objectives to build on the communication between staff and the delivery of the brand promise. (Brand Papers).
Feb 01, 2003; ... The last 20 years have seen businesses talk about `brand vision, missions and values'. But it is time for this hype and marketing jargon to be replaced with reality, truth and trust. A wave of corporate scandals has left employees questioning their own brands. Companies must acknowledge ...
Bright lights and big smells: Susan Storor sheds light on the difficult legal area of registering colours and smells. A scent or specific shade of colour must be clearly defined and branded in order to obtain a trade mark. (Brand Papers).
Feb 01, 2003; ... The ability to register non-traditional trade marks such as smells and colours was thought to have been settled with the harmonisation of European trade mark law in 1989. But both national and community trade mark registries have since grappled with the difficulties of such marks ...
SMEs--a small to medium effort. (Trends).(small and medium enterprises )
Feb 01, 2003 ... * The UK's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are adopting cavalier attitudes to brand development and protection, according to research commissioned by British Gas. It discovered that only 3% of SMEs conducted market research on brand names, 34% instead relying on a `flash of ...
Banking on blind faith. (Trends).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... * Heading into 2003 after the festive season, consumers of financial services have considerably more faith in their own finances than that of the economy, according to the first in a series of quarterly reports from Ernst & Young. The Retail Financial Services Report outlines an economy ...
Heading for fairer weather. (Trends).(Marketing budgets for 2003 are likely to rise)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... * Marketing budgets for 2003 are likely to rise, according to the IPA's Bellwether Report for Q4. The overall increase in marketing spend is projected to be the largest since Q4 2000, with twice as many companies reporting higher budgets than lower ones. FMCG, business services, consumer ...
Football fever in the Asia Pacific. (Research).
Feb 01, 2003 ... The World Cup generated a surge of interest in international football in the Asia Pacific market, according to a report by Taylor Nelson Sofres Sport (TNSSPORT). The survey found that eight out of 10 of the countries in the region put football in their top three favourite sports to watch ...
Marketing expenditures report reveals unexpected trends. (Research).
Feb 01, 2003 ... * It's all a bit of a shock. After months of media reports about the economic downturn in the US and UK, a new study reveals that marketing expenditure has actually risen in these countries in the period 2001-2003. The Marketing Expenditure Trends report found that it is the channels in ...
Researching the 4th dimension. (Research).(culture's impact on consumer behavior)
Feb 01, 2003; ... * By generating a brand history in the context of consumers' own lives, it is possible to understand where brands have been successful. It is only recently that the market research industry has highlighted culture as a specific tool to study consumers for the benefit of brand development ....
What's in a number? (Last Word).(CEO compensation packages up)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... According to Reuters, CEO compensation packages in 1980 were 42 times that of ...
Global village idiot. (Last Word).(Gerber baby food in Africa)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, it used the same packaging as in the US, with the beautiful Caucasian baby on the ...
Blowing hot and cold in the retail sector. (Last Word).(Marks & Spencer)(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... Marks & Spencer's reversal of fortune seems complete. Media monitor PressWatch reveals that it has topped the 2002 list of most positive coverage in the UK press. Not bad for a company that, the year before, was treated worse than Enron in the media. ...
The monthly brand brain-drain. (Last Word).(Brief Article)
Feb 01, 2003 ... February's prize for jaw-dropping publicity madness goes to 96.4FM BRMB. In a bid to drum up column inches the Capital Group-owned Birmingham radio station ran a competition inviting members of the public to sit for as long as they could on blocks of carbon dioxide to win tickets to a ...
Advertising futures: a structural adjustment is undermining advertising's long-term growth meaning consumers need more win-win situations.
Feb 01, 2003; ... "Mass aggregating media, on which advertising is based, are no longer functioning because consumers are getting editorial control through technology." With statements like this (from HHCL/Red Cell chairman Lee Daley) there's an ongoing debate: Is the current advertising recession a purely ...