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.

No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund

New York Times, October 24, 2009 — Parent alert: the Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for all those “Baby Einstein” videos that did not make children into geniuses.

Crowdsourced branding, a disaster for Kraft?

idsgn, October 15, 2009 — When Kraft launched a spin-off of their uniquely Australian Vegemite spread, they turned to consumers for a name… and it was dropped four days later. Last week another name was announced, can Kraft make it right this time?

Pepsi's Apology for Amp IPhone App Heightens Furor†

Social-Media Debate Over Energy Drink's Allegedly Sexist Marketing Spurs Criticism of Entire Company

Advertising Age, October 13, 2009 — PepsiCo has inserted itself and several of its brands into a heated debate surrounding an iPhone app launched by its Amp Energy brand. By introducing a Twitter tag #pepsifail, the company has spread the news further and associated its flagship brand with the sexist app. So is it a savvy, transparent social-media move or is it simply exacerbating the damage already done?

Toyota, Saatchi Sued for 'Terror Marketing Campaign'†

Online Effort for Matrix Had Woman Afraid for Her Life

Advertising Age, October 2, 2009 — Toyota Motor Sales USA and its ad agency of record, Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles, engaged in a bizarre, online "terror marketing campaign" that frightened and harassed thousands of consumers via e-mails, according to a lawsuit filed Sept. 28 in Los Angeles.

Does Klein's Temporary Leave Herald the End for the King?†

BK Insists All Is Well With Ad Efforts, but Franchisees Are Hungry for Change

Advertising Age, September 21, 2009 — An unusual Burger King memo stating that chief marketing officer Russ Klein is taking a leave of absence sent tremors through the organization last week and prompted speculation from franchisees about the future of the company's advertising.

How Starbucks lost its 'fidelity'

Exclusive book excerpt: In the trade-off between quality and convenience, the coffee juggernaut fell into the trap of becoming too familiar.

FORTUNE, September 16, 2009 — In this adaptation from his new book, Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't (Broadway Books), author Kevin Maney explains the tension between two key qualities and how a great brand got caught in a no-man's-land between them.

We constantly, in our everyday lives, make trade-offs between fidelity and convenience.

Those trade-offs, and how they affect business, help explain why Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) hit a wall in 2007 — and why CEO Howard Schultz is still struggling to get his company's mojo back.

Pfizer Pays $2.3 Billion to Settle Marketing Case

The settlement is the largest fine ever levied for fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid programs

New York Times, September 3, 2009 — The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal allegations that it had illegally marketed its now-withdrawn painkiller, Bextra.

It was the largest health care fraud settlement and the largest criminal fine of any kind ever.

Sigg Tries to Control Brand Damage After Admitting Its Bottles Contain BPA†

Klean Kanteen, CamelBak Ready and Waiting to Take Advantage

Advertising Age, August 31, 2009 — Sigg, maker of the metal, reusable bottles that became a badge of consumer eco-consciousness and all-around cool, is in danger of becoming a poster child for brand deception and corporate dishonesty.

Branded for Life? A New Taurus Heads Upmarket†

Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2009 — The federal “Cash for Clunkers” program lured consumers out of their bunkers and into showrooms. Now, car makers need to get their cars on all those hastily assembled shopping lists—a challenge Ford Motor Co. is confronting right now with the launch of its new Taurus.

Ford is repackaging the Taurus—a brand considered so uninspired a few years ago that Ford retired it—as a technology-laden, European-style sports sedan with features normally found on luxury brands and a price tag that can push above $37,000—the lower reaches of BMW 3-series territory. It’s a risky, costly venture.