Retailing in danger – where has the middle gone?

December 31st, 2011

While the media and fashion journalists may get excited by Catherine Middleton’s wearing of middle market labels such as Reiss and Zara, the truth is that the middle ground of retailing is a very dangerous place to be right now.
Luxury brands are doing very well – witness the recent success of Burberry – while the pound [...]

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Negative branding – when good brands attract bad customers

August 31st, 2011

It was very noticeable that during the riots in August, the retailers that suffered the most – such as JD Sports – were those that had positioned themselves as a desirable, aspirational brand for the under 25s.

We may well see a radical ‘repositioning’ of some brands in the near future.

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Living the brand – a step too far for Amy Winehouse?

July 31st, 2011

Marketers often tell clients that they should ‘live the brand’. This is fine when the values of the brand are positive but the reverse may be true if the values are negative.

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Tesco’s new venture brands – genius or disaster?

June 30th, 2011

The news that supermarket giant Tesco has launched a range of premium own label products with branding that is not immediately recognisable – such as ChokaBlok ice cream and Lathams dry dog food – has caused a great stir in the media.

Maybe we are seeing the beginning of a trend in retailing – perhaps as a response to the difficult trading conditions.

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Rebranding the British Royal Family – too little too late?

April 30th, 2011

In the happy afterglow of the recent (British) Royal Wedding, commentators are already talking about the ‘re-branding’ of the Royal Family and how the young couple seemed to have brought a new ‘lightness and humour’ to what could have been very formal and ’stuffy’ occasion.

But, as every marketer knows, a successful re-brand is more than merely changing a logo or designing a new website – or in this case putting on a noticeably lighthearted major event

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