Grilled Chicken a Kentucky Fried Fiasco†

Off-Brand Bet Sunk by Poor Planning and Oprah-Driven Crowds

Advertising Age, May 11, 2009 — KFC's grilled-chicken launch was to be the biggest in the chain's history. Now it might also go down as a marketing case study in what not to do.

The story starts with a marketer testing the elasticity of its brand. After all, we all know what the 'F' stands for in KFC, so suddenly insisting the consumer associate the fast feeder with grilled chicken, rather than the Colonel's fried version, was always going to be a stretch.

A Strategy When Times Are Tough: ‘It’s New!’

New York Times, March 25, 2009 — THEY say money is the mother’s milk of politics. In marketing, it is new products, meant to pique the interest of consumers and thereby stimulate demand at stores, restaurants and dealer showrooms.

In tough times, it would seem the flow of new products would be slowed by companies fearing that shoppers have too much on their minds to consider still another cereal, soap or soup.

But as the recession grinds on, Madison Avenue is serving up a steady stream of new packaged foods, cars, drugs (prescription and otherwise), menu items (for both sit-down and fast-food restaurants) and beverages ( alcoholic and otherwise).

P&G Takes Laundry Brands In New Directions†

Dry Cleaning, Youth-Oriented Products and Tim Gunn Figure in Latest Initiatives

Advertising Age, August 25, 2008 — Procter & Gamble Co.'s Tide is branching into dry cleaning, fashion and more as it looks to innovate in new areas amid an economic downturn and changing consumer demands regarding laundry. Tide has launched a three-store test of a dry cleaner under its brand name in Kansas City, Mo. The test includes construction of a new company-owned store and partnership in two other stores with a local dry cleaner, GreenEarth Cleaning, which uses a dry-cleaning solvent it says is environmentally safer than traditional chemicals.

Expanding in Athletic Gear in a Tough Economy

New York Times, August 2, 2008 — AS far back as his days as a University of Maryland running back, Kevin A. Plank figured there had to be something better than sweat-soaked athletic wear. In 1994, after earning a business degree, he began making moisture-wicking T-shirts in his basement, and has built his company, Under Armour, into one of the most recognizable athletic brands.

Now Mr. Plank, 35, is expanding into athletic shoes and going up against the giants Nike and Reebok. In May, the company introduced its first line of performance training footwear.

At Sci Fi Channel, the Universe Is Expanding and the Future Is Now

New York Times, May 19, 2008 — The letters still keep coming to the Rockefeller Center offices of the Sci Fi Channel. Please, they all say, pick up “Jericho,” the science fiction show with a small but passionate following that was canceled in March by CBS, for a third season.

But those letters are falling on deaf ears. The Sci Fi Channel, still viewed by many as a niche network, is no longer a repository for failed fantasy shows cast aside by the broadcast networks. Instead, through a mix of original shows, movies and syndicated reruns (including old “Jericho” episodes but no new ones), the network has expanded its audience, especially among women, chiefly by stretching the definition of science fiction.

Change boosts P&G's Febreze; nearing $1B sales milestone

Chicago Tribune, May 18, 2008 — It took some new uses to turn Procter & Gamble Co.'s Febreze into a brand now within whiffing distance of the billion-dollar annual sales milestone. After its first few years on the market, people weren't using the original fabric odor spray all that often, and sales were flattening. But researchers then realized people were already trying out the spray in other ways in their homes.

Kraft: No More Cheesy Extensions†

Brandweek, April 29, 2008 — Until recently, Kraft's growth strategy largely revolved around extensions, like Philadelphia Cream Cheese snack bars or Jell-O cheesecake snacks entry with peaches and bananas. But now the company is taking a different approach.

The Iger difference

Bob Iger has led a renaissance at Disney. But can he withstand a bad economy and the tech revolution in the media business?

FORTUNE, April 11, 2008 — At a time of upheaval in the media business, Walt Disney has had a string of hits the likes of which it hasn't had since, well, the early tenure of former CEO Michael Eisner in the 1980s. Three years after succeeding Eisner - and confounding skeptics in the process - CEO Bob Iger talked to Fortune's Richard Siklos about buying Pixar, pulling Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) out of a creative slump with new megafranchises like "Hannah Montana" and "High School Musical," working with Steve Jobs, and wrestling with the image of a certain mouse. Edited excerpts:

Can New Quiksilver Line Reach Beyond the Beach?†

Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2008 — Quiksilver Inc., a brand long favored by sun-baked surfers, is banking on a clothing line aimed at 20-something women to help the company branch out.

The new line, which starting this summer will be sold by retailer Nordstrom Inc. and Quiksilver's 669 stores, among other outlets, will keep the brand's name and wave-and-mountain logo. But it marks a change in tack for the company with headquarters in Orange County's "Surf City," Huntington Beach, Calif.