P&G, Walmart, Unilever, General Mills Are Major Marketers on a Mission†

From 'We Save You Money' to 'We Nourish Lives,' Giants Make Some Big Statements

Advertising Age, November 16, 2009 — If you haven't touched and improved more lives more completely lately, you probably wouldn't last long as a Procter & Gamble Co. marketer.

The touching-and-improving mantra flows off lips at P&G these days with the eerie ease that "consumer is boss" did nearly a decade ago. The catchphrase rotation has been the most obvious manifestation of the transition to CEO Bob McDonald. He and Global Brand-Building Officer Marc Pritchard frequently answer questions about everything from growth strategy to the role of a brand manager by citing that touching/improving theme.

The Illusion of Brand Control†

Harvard Business Review, November 13, 2009 — You've probably heard by now that "your brand is no longer yours." The assertion's based on simple math. In the era of blogs, discussion boards, Facebook, Twitter, and other Web 2.0 tools, virtually everyone can get online and talk about your company and its offerings. As a result, the amount of information your marketing and PR departments can generate is only a small percentage of the total volume of content on the Internet about your firm.

IAB, Bain Unveil 'Roadmap' For Building Brands Online: Report Addresses Industry's Dysfunctions

MediaPost Publications, November 12, 2009 — Last year, the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Bain & Co. released the findings of a shocking study showing the commoditizing effects the burgeoning marketplace of online display advertising, and new secondary sales channels such as ad networks and exchanges were having on the value of online advertising inventory. Today, they will begin to fight back. In a meeting with nearly 100 top industry executives, including many of the largest brand marketers, the IAB and Bain will release the findings of a new report they believe will provide a "roadmap" to rebuilding the industry's perceptions about the brand-building value of online advertising.

Define Your Brand's Purpose, Not Just Its Promise

Wal-Mart, Charles Schwab returned to their roots to strike a recession-appropriate message.

Forbes, November 11, 2009 — Every brand makes a promise. But in a marketplace in which consumer confidence is low and budgetary vigilance is high, it's not just making a promise that separates one brand from another, but having a defining purpose.

Burberry Looks Online for Ways to Gain Customers

New York Times, November 9, 2009 — Angela Ahrendts still remembers when she bought her first Burberry trench coat. She was 21 years old, had just finished her studies in Indiana and was looking for a smart but warm coat to wear for her first job at a small men’s wear firm in New York.

Those raincoats, a 95-year-old fashion icon, remain Burberry’s best-selling item, and Ms. Ahrendts — who now runs the company — is hoping to move the quintessentially British brand into the age of the Internet to attract a new generation of shoppers.

Flip's Quest in First Major Ad Push: Become a Lifestyle Brand†

Camcorder Maker Tries to 'Verb' Itself -- and Stave Off Smartphone Competition

Advertising Age, November 9, 2009 — Flip, the Cisco-owned maker of pocket-sized camcorders, wants to go mass, and it's hoping its first, multimillion-dollar ad campaign, launched today, will establish it as a lifestyle brand.

Marketer of the Year: Hyundai†

The Carmaker Won Handily in Our Reader Poll, Besting Walmart, McDonald's, Lego and Amazon

Advertising Age, November 9, 2009 — Consider the state of affairs when viewers tuned into the Super Bowl in February: Banks had failed, a stimulus package still hadn't been announced, and unemployment was surging toward 8%, up from 4.8% the year before. Escapism was the order of the day, and most advertisers played right along, with brands like Coke and Pepsi offering saccharine happy-happy joy-joy visions that jarred with the bleak reality.

The TGIF 'Revolution' Is Nothing Without a Marketing Strategy†

Social Media Isn't Enough to Save a Weak Brand

Advertising Age, November 9, 2009 — If you were a first-time visitor from Mars and you happened to drop into a marketing meeting somewhere in the United States, you might assume that marketing people do nothing but talk about "TGIF."

That's Twitter, Google, the internet and Facebook.

There's no question these four revolutionary developments have forever changed the marketing function. Word-of-mouth has now become word of finger.

Brands Need Face-To-Face Connection

MediaPost Publications, November 5, 2009 — We live in the most hyper-connected time in the country's history; and yet we exist in a constant state of disconnection. While Apple, BlackBerry, Twitter, Facebook, LimeWire, Match.com, Fresh Direct, and Amazon are well-designed, convenient, and address specific needs — and for the most part work well — they are also responsible for the undeniable erosion in the kind of personal interactions we used to take for granted during the course of a regular day

Facing Disaster, Trustmark Launched a Renaissance

Setting tradition aside, the 95-year-old insurance company looked to Apple and American Girl as a guide to its future

BusinessWeek, November 4, 2009 — On a sunny day in June 2006, David McDonough, chief executive of Trustmark Insurance, was roaming Chicago's Navy Pier, talking to strangers. "We needed to understand what made people tick," says McDonough of the exercise, which was part of a two-day workshop designed to get his executive team to look beyond actuarial tables and stimulate thinking about the company's future.