• Many CMOs Have No Defense For Sports Ambush Marketing
  • J&J 'Let The Public Down' Over Recalls, CEO Says
  • Jack In The Box To Shutter 40 Stores
  • New Study Asks If Brands Are The New Religion
  • Kodak Names Pradeep Jotwani SVP And CMO
  • More People Researching Online Before They Buy
    Allison Linn reports that 58% of Americans go online to research products and services they are considering purchasing, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, up from 49% in 2004. And 52% are purchasing products online as of May 2010, up from 36% in May of 2000. Men and women do online research at a similar rate, but 88% of users with a household income of $75,000 or more are using the Internet to research purchases, compared with 67% of those who make $30,000 or less. Twenty-four percent have posted reviews or comments …
  • The Battle To Rule The Digital Living Room Is Like Afghanistan
    There's a lot of competition for our eyes afoot in our very own living rooms among some of the world's most savvy marketers. Apple has launched a new version of Apple TV and one gets the feeling Steve Jobs would like to see this iteration elevated above "hobby" status. Google plans to embed its services on televisions from Sony. And Samsung is developing its own apps for its TVs and trying to woo software developers. "The digital living room is a lot like Afghanistan. Some superpower tries to take it over and set it straight, but the people …
  • Goldman Kicks Off National Advertising Campaign
    Thomas Kaplan blogs that Goldman Sachs is trying to counteract what it knows is an unfavorable image with the public with a national advertising campaign that endeavors to educate John and Jane Q. Public about what it actually does (other than, as some may feel, "epitomize money-making nefariousness"). A full-page ad that ran in several newspapers yesterday showed wind turbines next to a smiling worker, who was standing at the base of one of them. Type across the photograph reads: "How a plan to help a renewable energy company grow ended up creating more than just megawatts." The …
  • VW Continues Expanding While American Competitors Contract
    Even as Ford and General Motors shrink their portfolios, Volkswagen is expanding the models it produces under different nameplates, a move that's creating competition between VWs and cheaper brands such as Skoda that share engines and components, Andreas Cremer reports. "VW is becoming quite complex," says Anil Valsan, director of automotive research at London-based Frost & Sullivan. "It remains to be seen to what extent VW can afford some of its brands cannibalizing each other." It's not done yet. CEO Martin Winterkorn intends to integrate Porsche into VW's modular strategy, plans to forge a truck alliance …
  • Kmart Lengthens Layaway Plan; Adds Eligible Items
    Andrea Chang reports that Kmart is extending its layaway program, which has proven popular over the past two holiday seasons, so that consumers can make biweekly payments over 10 to 12 weeks instead of eight. It's also expanding the products eligible for the program to include items such as washing machines. "For us, it as an opportunity to continue to demonstrate an understanding of the hard times and give customers some extra solutions as they go into the holiday season," says CMO Mark Snyder. Snyder says Kmart is aggressively working to gain market share in a very …
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