Mattel Hopes Barbie Facelift Will Show Up Younger Rivals†

Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2009 — his was supposed to be the year that Barbie finally regained her tiara as the queen of the toy aisles. After many false starts, Mattel Inc. thought it had found a way to make the iconic fashion doll once more a must-have for girls of all ages — and to boost the company's flagging revenues as well. It is spending millions of dollars to promote its new "Fashionista" Barbies, even hiring a choreographer-to-the-stars to create a dance called "The Barbie" for a video that had its premiere on the "Today Show" and was posted on YouTube.

Starbucks Looks to Seattle's Best to Help Turn Things Around†

Michelle Gass to Lead Separate Unit for Brand

Advertising Age, September 14, 2009 — Starbucks is looking beyond its own brand to help transform the company.

CEO Howard Schultz has described Seattle's Best Coffee, which Starbucks acquired in 2003, as a big opportunity for the company as a whole. Now Seattle's Best will have Michelle Gass, one of Mr. Schultz's most-trusted advisers, at the helm. Ms. Gass is a 13-year company veteran and architect of Starbucks' multibillion-dollar Frappuccino franchise.

Turning to Tie-Ins, Lego Thinks Beyond the Brick

Lego has rebuilt itself, but its new Hollywood-themed products are a far cry from the purely imagination-oriented play that drove the company for years

New York Times, September 6, 2009 — FROM the outside, there is nothing playful about the drab, two-story Lego Idea House here, where designers gather in whitewashed rooms to dream up new toys. But upstairs, behind a series of locked doors accessible only to employees with special passes, is a chamber that might as well be toy heaven for kids — and more than a few adults.

Multicolored Lego creations in every imaginable size and shape spill from the shelves, from Indiana Jones’s biplane to Darth Vader’s fighter. Boxes stamped “confidential” hold potential future blockbusters, like Buzz Lightyear, the hero of the “Toy Story” animated films, as well as a police station bustling with miniature cops and robbers.

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.

RadioShack CMO: We're Not (Really) Changing Our Name†

'The Shack' Just a Marketing Nickname; Company Says Criticism Based on Confusion

Advertising Age, August 5, 2009 — Yes, RadioShack has seen the criticism of its new branding. No, it's not worried. Earlier this week, RadioShack unveiled its new branding, which includes the nickname "The Shack." Immediately Twitter users and a host of bloggers were sharing their thoughts — many of them unflattering. Tech blogs zeroed in on the fact that the company appears to be embarking on a pricey (and misguided) marketing effort rather than addressing any number of core issues.

Ford's Mulally Sees a Taurus in His Future†

CEO Hopes to Revive Sedan That Once Was Best-Seller; High Price, Large Size Are Obstacles

Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2009 — Ford Motor Co. is launching a revamped Taurus this summer, a big bet by Chief Executive Alan Mulally that he can revive an ailing model that once defined the American family sedan.

In late 2006, Mr. Mulally took Ford's helm in part because of his respect for the onetime success of the Taurus. But Mr. Mulally was shocked, he said, that the company had decided to pull the plug on the brand by the time he arrived, and he quickly reversed the move.

Netflix Boss Plots Life After the DVD†

Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2009 — Netflix Inc. is a standout in the recession. The DVD-rental company added more subscribers than ever during the first three months of the year. Its stock has more than doubled since October.

But Netflix's chief executive officer, Reed Hastings, thinks his core business is doomed. As soon as four years from now, he predicts, the business that generates most of Netflix's revenue today will begin to decline, as DVDs delivered by mail steadily lose ground to movies sent straight over the Internet. So Mr. Hastings, who co-founded the company, is quickly trying to shift Netflix's business — seeking to make more videos available online and cutting deals with electronics makers so consumers can play those movies on television sets.

New Ad Introduces Consumers to 'New GM'†

Spot Part of Multimedia Campaign That Aims For Transparency Amid Bankruptcy

Advertising Age, June 1, 2009 — General Motors plans to break a new ad Wednesday to explain the "new GM" to the American public, executives familiar with the matter said.

The automaker already posted the 60-second spot online, including on YouTube and Facebook, shortly after it filed for bankruptcy protection this morning.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1543292789?bctid=24931063001

A Tech Company’s Campaign to Burnish Its Brand

New York Times, May 6, 2009 — AD AGENCIES usually hang on their clients’ every directive. But when Intel was developing its biggest advertising campaign in years, it handed a carefully thought-out brief to the ad agency Venables Bell & Partners, which said Intel’s idea — to talk about the company’s role in everyday life — was, in a word, bad.