Never a Lack of Ideas

In the not too distant past, there were basically only a few milk choices: skim, 1%, 2%, and whole. All of it came from cows. Of course, the numbers refer to the fat content of the milk. But whole milk only contains about 3.5% fat. That's not terrible. So why not call it 3.5% milk? Calling it "whole" milk conjures up jugs of fat. But for as long as anyone can remember, whole milk has either been just "milk" or "whole milk." Since 1975, whole milk sales in the US have decreased by 61%. See this chart ( source ): Somewhere along the way, milk producers decided that calling milk "whole" wasn't a good idea. They switched to calling it "Vitamin D" milk. That has a much healthier connotation. But it hasn't turned around sales. The product essentially hasn't changed in years, and re-branding it didn't do anything. Because sometimes changing the name just isn't enough. Of course, that's due to many factors...

Happy Halloween For the past two Halloweens, I have presented my lists of the top ten and next ten brands in the United States. I would remove Angry Birds from the list (what a difference a year makes!), but I'd keep everything else the same. My previous posts describe my criteria for these lists. So, in my final installment of this series, I give you my list of top brands #21-25: 21. Corona — There are thousands of brands of beer, but the one that stands out most makes us think of sitting on a beach every time a lime is placed inside one. 22. Tostitos — Go ahead, try to name another brand of tortilla chip. There's a party in every bag. 23. Christian Louboutin — There's only one brand of shoe recognizable simply by its red sole. Louboutin even has a trademark on the red sole in the US. 24. Tiffany & Co. — Every woman wants a gift in the little blue box, and every marketer marvels at the margins Tiffany brings in compared to its competitors. 25. Linked...

Less Was More Without even running an ad on last night's Super Bowl, Victoria's Secret was the biggest winner of the night. Why? Because Adriana Lima, the face of Victoria's Secret for the past five years, was featured in two different ads — one for Teleflora and one for Kia . And I'd bet the majority of Americans immediately associate Lima with Victoria's Secret (if you don't, just ask someone who was watching the game with you — I'll bet she does). Heck, the Teleflora ad seemed like a Victoria's Secret ad for the first 25 seconds. Because Victoria's Secret has such a strong brand, they essentially received $7 million in free advertising last night without paying a penny. Just more evidence for why I've named Victoria's Secret the best brand in the United States . Add This To Your To-Do List Check out all the Super Bowl commercials on Ad Blitz's channel on YouTube. Am I right? Did Victoria's Secret benefit most from the Super ...

Best Brands — The Remix Happy Halloween! Last year I presented my list of the top ten brands in the United States. After revisiting my list, I wouldn’t change anything, so I figured I’d present the next ten brands on my list. To create this list, I relied heavily upon my opinion of the general perception of each brand versus its competitors, and how much of a premium the brand can charge because of that perception. I didn't get hung up on revenue data or market share numbers — I just went with what I see and hear every day and threw in my own opinion from a marketer's point of view. Here's my list of brands ranked 11-20: 11. Starbucks — Just missing the top ten, Starbucks put gourmet coffee on the map and showed the world how to create a company focused on the customer experience that happens to sell coffee. 12. Disney World — Millions of families make a pilgrimage to Orlando just to visit the theme park every year. I’ll bet your parents took you there when ...

Flying High The air traffic control tower in Cancun, Mexico is blanketed with an enormous Corona logo. That's such a great place for Corona to advertise — the brand has aligned itself with images of the beach for years. And Cancun is one of the most popular beach party cities in the world — especially for US college students on spring break. Corona's sponsorship got me thinking: what other brands should sponsor air traffic control towers around the world? In other words, what brands have aligned themselves with cities or destinations around the world? I came up with five ideas. Can you add more to this list? Rice a Roni — San Francisco, California Foster's Beer — Sydney, Australia Uno Pizzeria — Chicago, Illinois Coors Light — Denver, Colorado Pat's King of Steaks — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Add This to Your To-Do List Creating a brand with a powerful association with a specific city is difficult to do on a national and worldwide scale. However, when it's don...

Best Brands in the Land Happy Halloween! In what will hopefully become an annual tradition, I present to you my list of the top ten brands in the United States. To create this list, I relied heavily upon my opinion of the general perception of each brand versus its competitors, and how much of a premium the brand can charge because of that perception. I didn't get hung up on revenue data or market share numbers — I just went with what I see and hear every day and threw in my own opinion from a marketer's point of view. Here's my list, starting with the best brand in the land: Victoria's Secret — The brand became a household name by charging a premium for products that very few people see when worn; and then turned that brand equity into a complete line of clothing. Google — Do you use any other search engine? I'll bet you've even used the word "Google" as a verb. Apple — The iPod, iTunes, and iPhone have defined their categories. Facebook — The d...