A Muscle Car to the Rescue for General Motors

.M.’s new Camaro, a throwback to another era, is creating a buzz in otherwise quiet showrooms

New York Times, July 10, 2009 — Believe it or not, General Motors has a hit car on its hands.Amid the gloom of bankruptcy and a miserable market for new vehicles, G.M.’s new Chevrolet Camaro muscle car is winning over consumers looking for a little excitement in a bland landscape of look-alike sedans and watered-down sport utilities.

G.M. sold 9,300 Camaros during the month of June — more than either its entire Buick or Cadillac divisions could muster on their own.

Six Rules for Brand Revitalization†

McDonald's Did It, and You Can Too

Advertising Age, June 29, 2009 — Brands do not die natural deaths. However, brands can be murdered through mismanagement. Some brands are beyond hope — but others can be revitalized.

Of course, it's not easy. But it is well worth the effort.

Harley, You’re Not Getting Any Younger

New York Times, March 22, 2009 — SPUCK BENNETT’S dealership just outside Ocean City, Md., is cluttered with 65 shiny Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including the chrome Sportster and the sleek V-Rod. Last year, Mr. Bennett, 79, sold 200 bikes, down from 280 the year before. This year, sales have slowed to a crawl.

Bruised AmEx Returns to Roots†

Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2009 — American Express Co., after outclassing its rivals for the past 50 years, is looking uncomfortably like just another credit-card company.

AmEx is reeling from late payments and defaults by customers it aggressively wooed before the U.S. economy tumbled into recession. Its sterling reputation for customer service is under attack from longtime clients. Even cardholders with plenty of money are putting away their plastic, pushing shares of the New York company to a 12-year low.

A Fashionable Lift for the Everywoman

New York Times, February 17, 2009 — AT Liz Claiborne, the apparel company that is struggling to endure a shutdown in consumer spending, executives have their own stimulus plan.

Call it Isaac Mizrahi.

Mr. Mizrahi — whose fashions for Target were so popular he helped the discount chain become synonymous with chic design — was poached by Liz Claiborne last year to overhaul its aging brand.

CEO nears 10-year goal to clean up a soupy mess

Conant's determined to take Campbell from 'bad' to best

USA Today, January 26, 2009 — Sip. Slurp.

Repeat.

That sums up the business plan at Campbell Soup before Douglas Conant took over as CEO eight years ago this month. It was the same old company doing much of the same old stuff it had been doing since it was founded in 1869. It had no clear direction. No red-hot brands. Its innovation cupboard was bare.

Pretty thin for a company whose basic product — soup — is held in such high esteem that the typical American home has six cans of Campbell's in the pantry.

Conant went to work. His self-described mission: to take a "bad" company and lift its performance to "extraordinary" by the end of one decade — that's by 2011.

Gatorade Quietly Aims to Revive Brand†

Wall Street Journal, January 7, 2009 — Gatorade is looking to jump-start sales by keeping its mouth shut.

For about a week, the PepsiCo sports drink has been running teaser television, print and online ads that ask: "What's G?"

The ads are part of a big rebranding effort for the Gatorade brand that includes a redesigned package and, according to a person familiar with the matter, a Super Bowl commercial. PepsiCo is trying to reach consumers beyond sports nuts to help reverse the brand's weak sales performance.

Applebee's Hopes New Marketer Can Re-energize Chain†

Rebeca Johnson Brings Know-how From Brinker, PepsiCo, but Troubled Casual Dining Sector Won't Be a Piece of Cake

Advertising Age, November 11, 2008 — Applebee's, the biggest player in the casual-dining sector, said Rebeca M. Johnson is taking the marketing reins as senior VP-marketing. According to the company, Ms. Johnson will lead consumer insights, advertising, innovation and brand marketing, among other duties. She is charged with re-energizing the Applebee's brand, and rebuilding same-store sales momentum through a "focus on new, craveable grill and bar food that differentiates the brand from competitors."