Brand Insight

For the past several years Mac has held itself up as a category separate from the rest of the computing world, putting its machines head-to-head with 'PCs' in terms of performance and quality. In reality, though, 'Mac' is just another PC brand in a saturated market, struggling to find a way to differentiate itself. Their "Mac versus PC" commercials are a strong indicator that their brand managers still hold the categories apart in their minds ... it's also an indicator that the immediate...Read Full Story

Louis Vuitton, renowned handbag designer, has come under fire for a conflict between its brand and an art campaign aimed at raising awareness of and financial support for the crisis in Darfur. Whether or not they made the right decisions leading up to today, there are a multitude of options still before them. What steps can L-V take to redirect public attention and opinion in a positive direction?Read Full Story

Tomorrow's successful MNC's will be driven by marketing like never before. The transition can already be seen in many firms as marketing departments move from operating in a relative vacuum in relation to firms' operations to being the driving force of market strategy. As this transition continues, successful marketing of tomorrow will draw in literally every business function imaginable to leverage and reinforce brand.Read Full Story

In the pharmaceutical industry, Viagra was a first. Men were unwilling to talk about, or even admit, their problems with erectile disfunction - creating a significant problem for marketers of the little blue pill. By advertising not their drug, but the act of discussion their drug, these geniuses opened a gigantic market for their companies. Unfortunately for us, this also spawned literally hundreds of copy-cat campaigns.Read Full Story

Business, on the whole, is hindsight. Sales and customer acquisition are largely based off historical data. Branding is viewed by many in the same light; it's reactive and shaped by previous marketing campaigns, employee behavior, and customer experience with products. Unlike the rest of business, though, it is easy (and vital) that you kick branding out of the rut.Read Full Story