Growing without a stink
As the economic might of China grows, so too does the ambition of Chinese brands to expand internationally. In fact, several Chinese brands have already started to gain traction in the West. Successful examples include Haier, a white goods manufacturer, and Lenova and Huawei, who offer computer and communication solutions.
A noticeable feature of first wave of successful Chinese brands abroad is a distinct lack of “Chinese-ness”. There is nothing in the brands’ imagery that clearly marks them as “made in China” or culturally recognizable as Chinese. Read more…
You are what you drink.
As a way of understanding the culture of a country, the role that beer plays within it is not a bad place to start. Beer is unrivalled in the variety of needs it meets for drinkers; the individual, the social, the wind up, the wind down. To be locally relevant Global breweries must understand the importance of and context in which these needs are satisfied in each market.
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Jerry Clode writes for AdAge Global: Brands in China are looking for more rebellious figures to create aspirational messages for their affluent young white-collar targets. The recent collaboration between Nescafe and popular writer, blogger and social critic Han Han is an interesting example of this dynamic.
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Tesco* have felt the wrath of the UK press this week after its worst performance in many years. A raft of issues has been cited: from badly-designed stores, poor customer service, failure to meet shopper’s quality expectations, to, above all, price.
Behind these factors lies a deeper problem: shoppers have fallen out of love with Tesco. And the reasons are two-fold: the brand’s failure to emotionally connect with consumers and Tesco’s own blurred positioning. And the two go hand-in-hand. Read more…
Sustainable Innovation Director, Leslie Pascaud, writes for GreenBiz.com: Despite economic turbulence, political abdication and consumer apathy, the corporate sustainable agenda is still alive & kicking. According to a recent McKinsey survey on “The Business of Sustainability”:
“More companies are managing sustainability to improve processes, pursue growth, and add value to their companies rather than focusing on reputation alone.”
Clearly, some companies are doing a better job than others. Near the top of my list is Danone *– a publicly traded company that, in my opinion, is a model for best practice in sustainable innovation. Read more…
On October 5th 2011, we lost (arguably) an iconic figure of our time. Steve Jobs.
The news sparked a debate when one of us asked:
“Did Jobs really make a difference to mankind?”
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BA. Two little letters that have for much of my travelling life meant – Brilliant, Actually. The age old British welcome at the door of the plane. The natty little ‘daaa-da-da-da’ jingle. The gentle sizzle of the Schweppes in my G&T. The folded Daily Telegraph. The magic of BA that signals the end of ‘Being Away’ and the first welcome step towards home.
That is, until recently. How the mighty BA seems to have fallen, hoist by its own communications petard, much to the bright delight of the Easyjetset and those vestal Virginites.
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Retailers! Bring your brand promise alive in you stores or no one will buy your products…
The “quarter day” in June saw many high street retailers in trouble – Jane Norman, Thorntons, Carpetright and Habitat – signalling a gloomy outlook. But all is not lost if retail brands take action now to stop the high street buzz from being silenced forever. Read more…
Sainsbury’s and Jamie Oliver are ending their association after more than 11 years and 100 ads together. The relationship is ending by mutual agreement according to Sainsbury’s and draws to a close with a Christmas campaign at the end of the year.
So what did the partnership mean for Sainsbury’s and Jamie Oliver, and what’s likely to come next?
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Added Value has appointed Kate Jones as Brand Director in its London office with responsibility for insight, innovation and brand development, specifically for financial services, FMCG and retail sectors. Read more…
Growing without a stink
