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Brandweek, November 11, 2008 — Given its recent financial struggles—at the core of which are weak sales that have forced the closing of about 600 of its U.S. stores through the first half of fiscal year 2009—the question many people are asking right now is: Can Starbucks get its mojo back?
New York Times, October 20, 2008 — Attendees of a big annual conference for marketers, held here last week, could have been forgiven for believing they had stumbled into a symposium for scholars of American history in the 1930s.
These are some of the words and phrases heard during the conference, the 98th annual meeting of the Association of National Advertisers: “financial crisis,” “scary,” “foreclosure,” “economic crisis,” “difficult times,” “the chaotic financial markets,” “devastating,” “under siege” and “unprecedented.”
Whether the members of the association — 400 companies that together spend an estimated $100 billion a year on advertising and other forms of marketing — are willing to stick to the spending plans they made “before the globe... continue reading
Starbucks Corporate Site, March 20, 2008 — With more than 6,000 shareholders in attendance, Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) today unveiled a series of innovative customer-facing initiatives at its Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Howard Schultz, chairman, president and ceo, shared his vision for transforming the Starbucks customer experience and reinforcing a strong foundation from which to grow. The announcements marked the next stage of Starbucks transformation following nearly three months of passionate work that began with Schultz’s return as ceo on January 7.
Wall Street Journal, December 20, 2007 — For a century, Kiwi shoe polish remained pretty much the same — just over one ounce of colored wax in a palm-size tin embossed with the image of a kiwi bird.
But about two years ago, Sara Lee Corp., whose predecessor company, Consolidated Foods Corp., acquired the brand in 1984, interviewed 3,500 people in eight countries about their shoe-care needs. What it learned was "a shocker," says Kiwi President Paco Casa: People don't care nearly as much about the shine on their shoes as they do about how fresh and comfortable they are on the inside. On a list of more than 20 attributes people desired in their shoes, shine ranked merely 17th.
New York Times, December 3, 2007 — A venerable bus line that once asked travelers to “leave the driving to us” is leaving nothing to chance in a campaign to promote an ambitious makeover.
The campaign, for Greyhound Lines, part of a British company named FirstGroup, takes an upbeat tone with an assertive theme, “We’re on our way.”
Prophet, November 1, 2007 — In the environment where you can reach your customers 24/7, success at building a brand—at solidifying and growing your relationship with customers—is really all about being selective. You need to pick the right time and place or, better yet, let the customer pick for you.
Los Angeles Times, October 9, 2007 — -- This Avon rep wears a hard hat and carries a pile of company catalogs to his day job on a construction site, encouraging the men to buy their ladies a little something.
Perfume and lingerie are his top sellers. Oh, and he won't go a day without the women's wrinkle cream.
Meet Bobby McKinney. Your local Avon man.
Prophet, October 1, 2007 — In this article, Andrew Pierce argues that the question for most companies is not if they will take action to make their brands environmentally friendly, but when and the extent to which they will do so. He then discusses what it takes to successfully make green work as a business and brand builder.
FORTUNE, September 17, 2007 — She's best known for building other people's brands, but Lazarus herself is one of the biggest names in advertising. With a blue-chip client roster that's the envy of Madison Avenue, the head of WPP's Ogilvy & Mather runs one of the most prestigious agencies in the world. Fortune's Matthew Boyle asked her your questions - and ours - on everything from Mattel's recall crisis to what it's like to be on the GE board.
Advertising Age, August 6, 2007 — In a 1999 interview with Advertising Age, then-P&G President A.G. Lafley shook his head at an admission by then-Unilever Co-Chairman Niall FitzGerald in a magazine article that at one point he and other Unilever executives hadn't been in a laundry room for years.
"That would never happen here," Mr. Lafley said.
In the end, that was the story of how one of the most fabled marketing battles of the past century was won — and lost. P&G had its head, literally and figuratively, in the laundry room. Unilever didn't.
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