April 2006
Brand Strategy's Trends and News for April
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Ruth Mortimer, editor (ruth.mortimer@centaur.co.uk) recommends...
DISNEY AT THE CLICK OF A MOUSE
Disney is launching free versions of its ABC Network shows online. But while consumers won’t pay - they can’t skip ads either. Ten companies including Ford and Procter & Gamble have already signed up. Has Disney found a dream solution to advertisers’ personal video recorder nightmares?
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WHEN CONSUMER OPINION TURNS
Wal-Mart core customers are the value-loving, ordinary folks of the world. But the brand has riled some consumers with a proposed application for a banking license in the US. While the company claims it has no plans to offer banking services, are people starting to feel that too much Wal-Mart is no longer such a good thing?
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PUTTING THE FIZZ BACK INTO THE BOARD
Coca-Cola has launched a new performance-related boardroom pay scheme to ensure its top executives are focused on the brand’s behaviour. The company’s largest shareholder Warren Buffet claims it will make the board focus on shareholder value. But will critics be right in saying that it promotes short-term thinking?
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FROM BEIJING TO BUDAPEST
If you haven’t tired of hearing about the latest emerging markets, then download the fourth edition of this report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, detailing the latest retail and consumer opportunities.
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Morag Cuddeford Jones, contributing editor, (morag.cuddeford@centaur.co.uk) recommends...
DO GLOBAL BRANDS WORK ON A LOCAL SCALE?
Polish prosecutors are apparently investigating whether the country’s PTK Centertel mobile operator has harmed its company by agreeing to adopt the orange brand. Recognition has allegedly slumped from 80% to around 50%. Could ditching the local brand for a global name backfire for the Poles?
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CHINESE COLA ALL OVER
Chinese brands are not up-and-coming; they are already here. This article is about the global spread of Chinese beverage company Zhejiang. Have you spotted its products yet?
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ALI BY ANY OTHER NAME
Legendary boxer Muhammed Ali has sold the rights to his name and image in a $50m (£28.6m) cash deal. He retains 20% stake while firm CKX, which also owns the rights to Elvis Presley, will own the rest.
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Kate Walsh, feature writer, (kate.walsh@centaur.co.uk) recommends...
FOOD BRANDS CHECKED OUT
The world's top 25 food firms' performance on tacking obesity and other diet-related diseases has been audited by City University, London. It compared what brands such as Mars,
Burger King and Cadbury have done against the strategy agreed by the World
Health Organisation to tackle obesity. For the full report see:
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PLAYBOY GOES FOR GAY BOY?
Playboy may have plans to launch a gay brand as it tries to boost its revenues beyond
$329m (£189m). The UK will, more than likely, be the base for its initial
move into this market. For more information see
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RANKING BRANDS
Wal-Mart was knocked from its four-year tenure of the number one position on
the Fortune 500 annual ranking of America's largest corporations. Exxon
Mobil is the new number one and is joined by four other energy companies
who also moved up places. This was the first year to see internet brands
Google, Yahoo and eBay featured. For the full listing, see
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Claudine Baker, feature writer, (Claudine.baker@centaur.co.uk) recommends...
CONSUMER CONTENT CRAZY
Allowing consumers to alter or spin content is an increasingly attractive technique for marketers clamoring for ‘engagement’ with their audiences. But letting consumers run free with a marketer's brand carries a huge risk, as General Motors has discovered. The carmaker has allowed consumers to insert their own copy and create customized 30-second commercials for its 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, resulting in a number of negative 'ads'.
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MOBILE VIDEO KEEPS ON ROLLING OUT
With two billion mobile subscribers around the world, 20% annual subscriber growth and new networks capable of distributing video, a new report by Magna Global predicts that advertising will play an important role in the mobile video world. But it claims that its full potential is still a way off…
More...Also see:
More...For the full report, see:
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From this month's issue (subscribers only):
Saul Klein, VP of marketing at Skype tells brands to form communities to find success:
More...Will the Aljazeera brand work on a global scale?
More...Intel, Ministry of Sound, Lastminute.com and other discuss search marketing and its effect on brands:
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