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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.
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:
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.
Advertising Age, January 24, 2008 — America may run on Dunkin', but Dunkin' runs on Will Kussell.
As the coffee war with McDonald's heats up this year, the $4.7 billion, privately held doughnut chain has tapped Mr. Kussell, 49, as president-chief brand officer. Mr. Kussell has held a variety of marketing jobs, including senior VP-marketing and retail concept officer, during his 13-year tenure with Dunkin' Donuts, which has 5,300 U.S. locations. He was most recently chief operating officer of parent company Dunkin' Brands.
Wall Street Journal, January 7, 2008 — This fall, a McDonald's here added a position to its crew: barista.
McDonald's is setting out to poach Starbucks customers with the biggest addition to its menu in 30 years. Starting this year, the company's nearly 14,000 U.S. locations will install coffee bars with "baristas" serving cappuccinos, lattes, mochas and the Frappe, similar to Starbucks' ice-blended Frappuccino.
Internal documents from 2007 say the program, which also will add smoothies and bottled beverages, will add $1 billion to McDonald's annual sales of $21.6 billion.
Brandweek, December 10, 2007 — Three words: Precious Moments coffins. The keepsake-maker was one of many brands this year that didn’t know where to draw the line when it came to line extensions, according to the TippingSprung Brand Extension Survey.
Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2007 — At the recently opened Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Cinderella's castle in Walt Disney World, hordes of young girls in ball gowns jostle every day to get their hair coiffed, their nails painted and their faces plastered with make-up to imitate their favorite princess. It's an image that's become classic of the Walt Disney Co. Princess revolution. What started out in 2001 as a few princess outfits became an overnight sensation as Disney enchanted 3- to 6-year-old girls throughout America with everything from princess comforters and princess backpacks to princess-emblazoned sneakers. Smartly-packaged releases of classic princess movies have helped bring girls back for more each year.
Advertising Age, November 19, 2007 — Once you accept that star chefs are brands in their own right, it follows that many of the best restaurants in Paris are heavily branded. Gourmets flock to establishments such as Guy Savoy, La Table de Joël Robuchon, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and Senderens (named after another Alain)...But an upscale restaurant named after an automobile?
Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2007 — Beginning today at the Salvatore Ferragamo showroom on New York's Fifth Avenue, the famed leather-goods company is displaying a new sort of product: wristwatches.
Since the timepieces, called the Salvatore and the Tempo, come out of a licensing deal with Timex, they'll undoubtedly keep fine time. What's more, Ferragamo's excellence in footwear and handbags is notable — the company is even credited with inventing the wedge heel in the 1920s. But does the Ferragamo label make consumers want to pay $7,300 for a watch, even if it is 18-karat gold?
BusinessWeek, November 5, 2007 — Rolls Royce is about nothing if not extravagance. Its Phantom sedan, after all, is 19 feet long, sells for more than most houses, and includes a 420-watt sound system with 15 speakers, plush sheepskin carpets, and a 12-cylinder engine. So what to make of a downsized model that the company plans to introduce in 2009—a Rolls that you might, say, take to the bakery to pick up some bread for cucumber sandwiches? "This is your everyday Rolls," says Chris Bangle, design chief at German automaker BMW, which bought the Rolls name in 1998.
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