A Cheap Date, With Child Care by Ikea

New York Times, June 11, 2009 — IKEA’S inexpensive, contemporary furniture has attracted frugal shoppers for years, but a different kind of bargain is luring deal hunters to the Swedish retailer as the economy struggles to recover. And this offer doesn’t even require you to use an Allen wrench.

Over-stretched, money-conscious parents are using the store’s supervised play area as their personal baby-sitting service.

Why Walmart Is Getting Serious About Marketing†

Giant Attributes Success to Segmentation, Market Research and Advertising

Advertising Age, June 8, 2009 — It's marketing's time at Walmart.

It's easy to become complacent when you are a $401 billion company whose shareholder meeting gets teen idol Miley Cyrus out of bed before 8 a.m. to perform for more than 15,000 employees as a warm-up act for American Idol Kris Allen. But Walmart executives know that if the recession abates, they will face a challenge holding onto shoppers who've been introduced, or reintroduced, to the retailer as they've traded down to save money.

In Mac vs. PC Battle, Microsoft Winning in Value Perception†

View Has Shifted Dramatically Among Young Demo Since 'Laptop Hunters' Campaign

Advertising Age, May 18, 2009 — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Apple may have some of the most interesting online ads we've seen in a while, but Microsoft's recent push to paint the competitor as pricey is starting to work, according to data from BrandIndex.

With Shoppers Pinching Pennies, Some Big Retailers Get the Message

New York Times, April 13, 2009 — IN real estate, the saying goes, the golden rule is location, location, location. For retailers in a recession as severe as this one, it is value, value, value.

As shoppers remain reluctant to open their wallets, stores are still scrambling to adjust advertising and marketing strategies to play up the value aspects of what they sell. Even as retail sales data for March suggested improving results at some chains, consumers are hesitating to buy much beyond groceries, gasoline, vitamins and candy.

Tiny Hotel Rooms Offer Big Savings

Cost-conscious travelers embrace European-style micro-hotels in pricey markets like New York

Chicago Tribune, March 30, 2009 — Borrowing from a ship’s berth or a train’s sleeper car, developers are moving beyond budget accommodations and gambling that in tough times travelers looking for a little pampering at lower prices will embrace micro-hotels.

The concept of a hotel room the size of a suburban bathroom has spread across Europe in recent years. And as the U.S. economy deteriorates, interest in the idea has grown, especially in high-priced markets such as New York City, where there are fewer options for budget travelers.

Value Is the New Green†

Wall Street Journal, March 13, 2009 — Until recently, being green was the best way for companies to demonstrate a sense of social responsibility, and for consumers to feel good about their purchases. Healthy food, hybrid cars, energy efficiency — these were the attributes that burnished brands.

But now green is taking a back seat to a new core value — value. Green hasn't gone away, but companies are having to consider their "value" equation to try to serve the millions of consumers who either can't afford premium experiences, or just don't want them anymore.

Study: Value Trumps Price Among Shoppers†

Brandweek, February 28, 2009 — Consumers are not buying based on price alone. Instead, they are relying more on their perception of value when deciding which brands to stay loyal to during the recession.

In fact, consumer expectations regarding brand value went up 20 percent, according to the 2009 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. Those brands that aren’t perceived as being worth it will fall to the wayside, said Brand Keys president Robert Passikoff.

Brand Keys polled 26,000 consumers of 441 brands in 63 categories earlier this year. Among the brands that received the highest marks for meeting or exceeding consumer expectations, “there is a price-value formula consumers use to calculate brand differences and to decide which brands to buy,” said Passikoff.... continue reading

Q&A: Hilton Steps Up Customer Loyalty Efforts†

Brandweek, February 24, 2009 — The hotel industry is going through a rough patch. But even in tough times, consumers are looking for an occasional getaway, according to Adam Burke, svp-customer loyalty at Hilton Hotels, which earlier this year kicked off its Hilton HHonors Double Points loyalty program. In a recent interview with Brandweek, Burke discussed the new program and how the Hilton family of hotels is faring in a down economy.

P&G, Others Are Confident Higher Prices Will Stick†

Wall Street Journal, February 20, 2009 — Chief executives from several big household-products makers voiced confidence they could make higher prices stick, even as the recession ratchets up pressure on retailers and consumers to cut costs.

"Our products don't deliver value [just] because the prices on the shelves are lower," A.G. Lafley, chief executive of Procter & Gamble Co., told analysts and investors at a conference here.

Like several other industry executives who spoke at the event, Mr. Lafley said his company doesn't plan to roll back the significant price increases it has made over the past several months.

Earnings Drop Won't Keep Kraft From Spending†

CEO Irene Rosenfeld Plans to Continue to Invest in Brands

Advertising Age, February 4, 2009 — Kraft Foods is sticking to its guns when it comes to increased marketing spending, despite missing analyst expectations in its earnings report today.