New York-based branding company, Brand Keys, recently completed its annual survey of the USA's top brands. Top of the class is Google, closely followed by Yahoo, Avis, LL Bean, Coors, J Crew, Samsung, Hyatt and Verizon. (Yes, I know that's only 9 companies but there seems to be no number 8 this year!) What's interesting is that it also splits it by category which is useful if you're fighting in your space. In Automotive for example, the top brands are Toyota and BMW; Ford is ninth. In... Read Full Story

At least it's honest! Wal-Mart's Chief Executive, H. Lee Scott, announced recently that, "We make no claims of being a green company. But what we are saying is we're doing sustainability in a way that's real and right for Wal-Mart." Everyone is trying to take on a cape of greenness these days and sometimes it's difficult to sift what's real and what's marketing fluff. Wal-Mart has the added hassle of being really big and really conspicuous. The Washington Post reported recently that, "a... Read Full Story

Starbucks is starting a national TV campaign to combat a stuttering share price, falling sales and falling numbers of customers. (As reported in Seattlepi.com). Apparently this is the first time its rolled out a national campaign although some its earlier TV ads were quite funny. I particularly like the Eye of the Tiger one. Chairman Howard Schultz said, "Consumers over time would not be satisfied with a "commoditized experience or flavor" (eg McDonald's) and they would trade up to the... Read Full Story

According to a report in emarketer.com, we marketers are getting politer when we tackle email. Almost 60% of companies in 2007 sent their e-mail recipients to pre-populated Web forms if they want to opt-out. (This was 30% in 2005). And, 65% of e-mail opt-out links led to a page for registrants to make changes to their subscriptions. (This was 12% in 2005). This is good news and makes the internet a more approachable place for the bulk of potential buyers. The graph highlights the number of... Read Full Story

While I was checking out of Futureshop the other day, the assistant who was taking our money was twice interrupted by her colleagues during the transaction. The first time, her cashier neighbour asked her what colour Christmas decorations she should put up around her register. In fairness, her neighbour realized her mistake, stopped talking and then asked me what I recommended. The second time, a manager came up asking for a superman game on a shelf behind her. He found it and walked on by... Read Full Story

My son went in to The Source to buy an iPod the other day, with his birthday money burning a hole in his pocket, while I waited outside with the dog. He came out and announced that they did not have it in stock but could order it by Tuesday and what did I think. He went back in and came out again and said this time they were not sure they could get one until the end of the week. We left, without one (and went to Futureshop where we picked one up off the shelf). To my mind, The Source... Read Full Story

I had to buy a Microwave last night so I popped in to Futureshop. I stood in an aisle of microwaves of different models, colours and sizes for a minute or so looking at the assistant who was on the phone, until he saw me and came over to see how he could help. "I need to buy a Microwave." "What size do you want?" asked the assistant. "I don't know. I think the one that we have, which has just broken, is about this size," I said, pointing to one near by. "Well, why don't you buy that one... Read Full Story

Everything is green at Chevrolet. In an effort to be perceived as green and to turn around its flagging fortunes, Chevrolet wants to be known as an environmentally friendly company, according to the Detroit News. The new tagline is "Chevrolet, from gas-friendly to gas-free." The marketing strategy includes Chevrolet's five "Fuel Solutions": more efficient internal combustion engines; biofuels such as E85 ethanol; gas-electric hybrids; electrically driven vehicles; and hydrogen fuel cell... Read Full Story

Seaweed is all the rage at Lululemon Athletica. The company has a product line called VitaSea, which is apparently made with seaweed. It “releases marine amino acids, minerals and vitamins into the skin upon contact with moisture.” It is obviously appealing to a high-end market and is riding the wave to profitability and growth. But, the New York Times commissioned some research and reported that "there was no significant difference in mineral levels between the VitaSea fabric and ordinary... Read Full Story

Macleans has just released its survey of Canadian Universities and Carleton University is much happier than it was a year ago. A year ago it was put at the bottom of the class in a ranking of Canadian Universities by Maclean's magazine. In fact, it was so upset with the way Macleans did its analysis that it joined 25 other universities in refusing to participate. This year, Macleans changed the way it surveyed the universities. Instead of relying on student information provided by the... Read Full Story