Your brand can't just make promises, writes Allen Adamson, it has got to have a defining purpose so clear that employees can readily answer the question, "Why are we here?" Wal-Mart CMO Stephen Quinn brought this idea to life at the recent Association of National Advertisers conference in Phoenix, writes Adamson, who is managing director of the New York office of Landor Associates. During a period in which its promise -- "low prices" -- was seen as a liability by the media and some consumers, management realized that its promise was empty without its purpose to support it. …

Despite -- or perhaps because of -- its intense internal (pep rallies) and external (TV ads) marketing efforts, Starbucks is finding that its Via instant coffee brand can be a tough sell among both baristas and customers. Susan Berfield relies mostly on coffee blogs, including the company's mystarbucksidea.com, to finds examples of disgruntled employees and consumers. Blogs one barista: "We were just told to place a Via 12-pack in the customer's hand while asking if they would 'like to add some Via to their order.' I have seen more annoyed customers than enthusiastic ones from all these strong-arm …

Beth Snyder Bulik writes that it "looks like a marketing mission accomplished for video-game publisher Activision and its agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles." That because more than 7 million copies of "Modern Warfare 2" sold within 24 hours, according to VGChartz.com. It also estimates that sales will go over 10 million for the week, surpassing the record 5.9 million copies of "Grand Theft Auto 4" that sold last year. TBWA won a creative shootout this summer that asked agencies to create a campaign that would make the game the "biggest entertainment launch of all time." (Snyder Bulik points out …

Jim Gallagher has been pushed out as head of marketing at Walt Disney Studios, a victim of a broad overhaul of the business by new chairman Rich Ross. Dawn C. Chmielewski and Ben Fritz report that a new marketing chief, yet to be announced, will report directly to Ross and have a broad mandate, including live-action movies, animated films and home entertainment. The studio has been shedding executives since the ousting of former chairman Dick Cook in September, including Mark Zoradi, who oversaw worldwide marketing and distribution, on Monday. The departure of Zoradi and Gallagher suggests that Ross and …

A send-up of the typical new car announcement that perfectly captures the hyperbole and cadences of corporate speak.

Elaine Wong interviews Kevin Burke, who oversees Visa's global consumer marketing, about the company's launch of "Go World" -- its first-ever global Olympics campaign -- this week. Burke says that whether viewers are in Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, China or Latin America, they'll have a similar experience in terms of the broad message of the campaign -- how the world comes together to compete at the Olympics. "It's really about encouraging people to go and realize the potential they have hidden inside them," Burke says. But Visa is also customizing its content to each market by …

Back in the 1960s, Renault had a sporty blue car with two stripes on the hood that carried the Gordini badge. Now it's bringing the Gordini name back, David Pearson reports, to appeal to younger buyers who may think that most small, environmentally friendly cars are dull and to compete with brands such as BMW AG's Mini. The Twingo Gordini will go on sale in the spring, Renault announced yesterday, followed a few months later by the Clio. Gordini-badged versions of other cars such as the Megane could follow. The brand is …