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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.
Wall Street Journal, November 2, 2007 — Is there any food more perfect than the potato chip? A single thin slice contains the three primary food groups: salt, fat and crunchiness. Its very simplicity makes it irresistible. Since its humble origins in 1853, the potato chip has exploded in popularity, becoming America's favorite salty snack, with more than $6 billion in annual sales and 40% of the market. But not content to leave well-enough alone, America's snack mavens have broken out their spice racks, unsheathed their vegetable peelers, and fired up their deep-fryers in a desperate race to increase sales and be the last chip standing.
Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Fred Reid looks as if he could have played John Glenn in The Right Stuff. But the CEO of Virgin America--the new low-cost airline partly backed (but fully branded) by British entrepreneur Richard Branson--is a character all his own. As the president of Delta (NYSE:DAL), he launched the ill-fated, low-cost Song. (What did he learn from the experience? "Damn little," he says.) As the president and COO of Lufthansa (OTC:DLAKY), he was the first American to lead a major non-U.S. carrier. We caught up with the razor-tongued Reid, 57, in New York, one of the five cities his airline currently serves.
BusinessWeek, October 29, 2007 — Where most see turmoil, some see opportunity. And few are more opportunistic than Sir Richard Branson, the swashbuckling founder of everything from airlines to health clubs and—soon—an outfit offering space travel, all under the Virgin Group brand. So when a liquidity crisis sent British mortgage lender Northern Rock's share price plummeting, Branson was ready to come to the rescue—and add the bank to his growing roster of Virgin companies.
New York Times, October 28, 2007 — AS torrents of money streamed into his wallet from multiplatinum albums in the 1980s and 1990s, Duff McKagan, then the bass player for the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, had little interest in tracking his cash. Instead, he relied on intimidation and his group’s reputation as the “most dangerous band in the world” to prevent managers from ripping him off.
Like other rockers easing into middle age or seniorhood, Mr. McKagan is also experimenting with new partnerships in response to a music business in flux. Amid plunging record sales and Internet file sharing, rockers are eagerly plastering their names everywhere.
Advertising Age, October 17, 2007 — Gatorade is partnering with Tiger Woods on a new sports drink, the PepsiCo brand's first athlete-licensed offering.
Gatorade Tiger will make its debut in stores next March and will be supported by a major marketing campaign. It's Mr. Woods' first foray into selling sports beverages.
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