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There are a few silver linings to the dark clouds of recession that hang over us. One of them is very early signs of an end to what I call…

We believe that this is the year when growing the core finally gets the profile it deserves. Today's tough times will force us to spend more time growing the profitable…

I am in awe of successful service businesses, like Pret a Manger and Amazon. Delivering great service consistently is mind-bogglinlgy difficult. And inevitably, shit happens. One of the lessons I…

Almost 2 years ago, back in June 2007, a post here called "Is innocent about to lose its way?" made the following prediction:"The real risk for the brand is of…

The KitKat team have been brave enough to "kill the dwarves" in their range, those little line extensions that eat up money and time, and bring little in the way…

In previous posts we outlined our thinking on "recession-proof branding", here and here. The headline from the research we did with top marketing directors was that for well mangaged brands,…

The Knorr brand has had a hard time of late, as it is associated with dry packet soup and sauces, out of line with the trends to fresher food. However,…

From hot... Poor old innocent. For several years they have enjoyed consistent double digit growth, and the adoration of the press and many of us in marketing. In workshop after…

For many years retailers have been increasing their dominance over brand owners:- They have become masters at copying branded products, and selling them at lower prices. This has got worse…

Last week I posted on Pepsico's culling of PJ Smoothies. Well, this was not the only victim. Tropicana Spirit, a sparkling fruit drink, was also killed, less than 9 months…