How Walgreens Is Positioning Itself as a One-Stop Shop†

Brandweek, September 8, 2009 — Walgreens is introducing a campaign with a new slogan, "There’s a way,” today (Tuesday). The effort—by agencies Downtown Partners, Chicago; Digitas and Arc Worldwide—seeks to position the drugstore chain as a one-stop shopping destination and healthcare provider for consumers. Walgreens CMO Kim Feil (pictured left) said the campaign stemmed from consumer research, which found that many shoppers see the drugstore as a community resource, but yet, the company wasn’t communicating as such. In the past, Walgreens was much more focused on marketing all of its businesses separately, Feil told Brandweek in a recent interview. The drugstore chain is moving toward its new messaging with a TV spot, breaking today, which centers on the importance of flu... continue reading

As Sales Slip, Whole Foods Tries Health Push†

Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2009 — John Mackey, the chief executive of upscale grocer Whole Foods Market Inc., is planning to reposition the struggling Austin, Texas, chain as a champion of healthy living in a return to its natural-foods roots.

Branded for Life? A New Taurus Heads Upmarket†

Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2009 — The federal “Cash for Clunkers” program lured consumers out of their bunkers and into showrooms. Now, car makers need to get their cars on all those hastily assembled shopping lists—a challenge Ford Motor Co. is confronting right now with the launch of its new Taurus.

Ford is repackaging the Taurus—a brand considered so uninspired a few years ago that Ford retired it—as a technology-laden, European-style sports sedan with features normally found on luxury brands and a price tag that can push above $37,000—the lower reaches of BMW 3-series territory. It’s a risky, costly venture.

Sequins? What Sequins? Canada's New Spin on Triple Loops†

Figure Skaters Have a Tough Time Pitching The Sport's Muscle; 'Show the Masculinity'

Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2009 — Vaughn Chipeur says he has "to pound it out" every day to keep up with the competition. He endures two grueling practice sessions a day, six days a week. He's suffered a groin injury and his feet are sometimes wrecked after a tough workout.

One thing Mr. Chipeur doesn't typically discuss: his shiny costumes.

Mr. Chipeur is a champion figure skater on Canada's national team. Off the ice, he's been talking up the sport's bruising side at the request of Skate Canada, the country's governing body for the sport.

The Issue: How P&G Brought Back Herbal Essences

It updated a stale mass-market shampoo to appeal to younger Gen Y and Millennial women

BusinessWeek, June 17, 2008 — When Procter & Gamble acquired hair-care company Clairol in 2001, it inherited a floundering shampoo brand. By 2004, Herbal Essences, at the time nearly 35 years old and a mass-market hair-care brand for women, was in a "long-term decline," reports Chairman and CEO A.G. Lafley. Marketed to all women (or at least those who wash their hair), the line had gone stale, with little distinction from the many competitors it shared on the drugstore shelf.

How the Discounters Hurt Themselves†

Wal-Mart, Dell, Others See Growth Stall as Rivals Learn How to Beat Them

Advertising Age, December 10, 2007 — If one thing defined the marketing landscape of the 1990s, it was the power of cheap.

Wal-Mart Stores, Southwest Airlines and Dell Computer reshaped their industries with low-cost models that forced competitors to adapt or die. Each of the power discounters thrived heading into the 21st century as their competitors often struggled.

But each is now facing a much tougher battle for growth. Wal-Mart's top line has continued to weaken; both its revenue and comparable-store sales — excluding grocery — grew slower than Macy's last quarter. Southwest is cutting expansion plans and revamping its service model. And Dell returned to founder Michael Dell as CEO to reinvigorate growth.

Is CBS Trying to Rebrand Couric?†

Latest Ads More Cronkite Than Katie as Newscast Continues to Trail Rivals

Advertising Age, December 10, 2007 — With Katie Couric's perky personality and "Today" background at the ready, her arrival at CBS to anchor the evening newscast was billed as a chance to reinvent the program in a way that would attract more women and younger viewers. That hasn't exactly worked out. Now CBS is promoting the show as if Walter Cronkite still sat behind the desk.

Teaching an Old Greyhound New Tricks

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.”

Wii will rock you

How Nintendo's new game machine won over the world - and beat the pants off Sony and Microsoft

FORTUNE, June 11, 2007 — Nintendo's legendary videogame designer Shigeru Miyamoto is lying face down on the floor in Kyoto, Japan, hobbled by a right cross and struggling to regain his composure. The man some credit with the very existence of the $30 billion videogame industry, the Walt Disney of our generation, has taken one blow to the face too many.

How Tupperware Made Itself Relevant Again†

Brand Shifts Image Via Endorsers Ice T, Brooke Shields, Sees Sales Increase 14%

Advertising Age, June 4, 2007 — Tupperware has undergone a resurgence of late, growing not only in places such as China and Russia, where Wal-Marts are still hard to find, but even in the U.S. and Canada.