In the UK today, there are c60 million people now using subscription services and last week Apple unveiled further choices. Subscription models offer a number of attractions for business owners. These include sustained and more predictable revenue, increased customer engagement and a more confident calculation of lifetime customer value. In 2016 Unilever paid $1 billion for Dollar... Continue Reading →
Two years ago Kraft Heinz audaciously tried to takeover Unilever. It was a move that put both companies strategies and growth prospects into the spotlight. As former Unilever CEO Paul Polman summarised, it was a "clash between a long-term, sustainable business model for multiple stakeholders and a model ...entirely focused on shareholder primacy." With Kraft Heinz's... Continue Reading →
Transport for London (TFL) last year unveiled a competition for brands to represent women "in all their diversity" and "challenge outdated and often negative stereotypes". With the success of Dove's real beauty campaign and Sport England's 'this girl can' I am not sure brands need a big nudge, but TFL offered an incentive of free digital... Continue Reading →
Travelling by tube recently I simply couldn't ignore this advertising from Ecover. To start with there are the provocative, witty and challenging headlines capable of the grabbing attention of most commuters. Loud headlines are matched with loud colours - with posters showcased together for maximum impact. Disruptive, distinct and connected - there is a structure,... Continue Reading →
Persil is a brilliant brand - it promises the core benefit of 'dirt removal' and connects this to a social purpose. As Unilever explain: "Dirt is Good - especially when it’s the result of your kids going out into the world to have fun, explore, learn and experience the very best of the world around... Continue Reading →
Coca-Cola’s surprise purchase of Costa Coffee, the world's no.2 coffee chain, is an intriguing move for a business that has no track record as a retailer. The price of £3.9 billion (16 times Costa's annual earnings) suggests Coca-Cola see a big opportunity. So should Starbucks, the leading global coffee chain, be scared? Room for two... Continue Reading →
Volvo is a brand and business doing well in a challenging industry. Increasingly recognised as a premium brand, Volvo has enjoyed a fifth consecutive year of record sales and has won its first European Car of the Year award in 2018. Purchased by Geely Holdings in 2010 Volvo sold 90,417 vehicles in China last year —... Continue Reading →
In the week that Apple issued a profit warning bakery chain Greggs has gained huge press and social media coverage for sales of a vegan 'sausage' roll that has led to customer queues ‘out of the door’ at some stores. The public interest in part reflects a dramatic growth in those going vegan in the... Continue Reading →
The new MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE film looks like a big success. Audience reviews are extremely positive and the indications are that this will the biggest grossing film for the franchise. After 22 years and 6 instalments the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE brand health and sales are strong. There is no doubt the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE brand has been carefully managed. But, as... Continue Reading →
One of the things I help clients to do is see future scenarios. Given this I couldn’t resist considering where Amazon’s $1 billion PillPack acquisition may take them next. The purchase of prescription delivering PillPack is widely seen as a start of a consumer-centric push by Amazon into healthcare. Given Amazon's assets, scale and data could... Continue Reading →
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