The star of John Lewis’s Christmas ad, Monty the penguin, has been leading a march of activity for the company. The cute and fluffy mascot has become the star of the season, thanks to his display of friendship…
William Boyd’s latest protagonist.
Land Rover Our Planet
Best-selling novelist William Boyd’s decision to take a commission from Land Rover to write a short story might strike some as a sell-out of the highest order. Indeed, some publishers and writers claim…
Sainsbury’s Christmas ad has been criticised for using World War I to serve its bottom line.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury’s Christmas advert has stoked considerable controversy. It involves a cinematic re-telling of the “Christmas Truce”, where Allied and German soldiers ceased fighting on Christmas Day and played…
Philip Kotler says the rise of social media is challenging the concept of brand loyalty.
Gabriel Chmielewski/Mays Communications
International marketing expert Philip Kotler is in Melbourne this week telling Australian companies how best to position their brands in the face of new global challenges. These challenges include the…
Cricket attendance in the UK is on a steady decline, falling from about 1.8m going to games in 2004 to less than 1.4m in 2011. But the success of websites about the sport and the continued interest among…
As well as the tell-tale signs of decorations going up, the rolling out of Christmas advertisements has become a key moment for getting us all in the seasonal mood. And the competition to capture the festive…
As with its staff uniform, Qantas’ new advertising campaign lacks a unique brand identity.
Dean Lewins/AAP
With its new “Feels like home” campaign, Australian airline Qantas is seeking to “rekindle that emotional connection Australians have with the airline”. Improvements in staff morale and company yield are…
Facebook users willingly spread marketing messages on behalf of food and beverage corporations.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock
We all know obesity is a common, serious, and costly health issue. But while government action has stalled and the debate rages on about how best to combat this growing public health disaster, junk food…
Aldi and Lidl bring with them all kinds of new competition in the supermarket wars.
PA/PA Wire
The decline of big supermarkets in the face of brutal competition from discount retailers like Aldi and Lidl has been widely discussed. But, as shoppers move away from conventional ways of shopping, little…
Coca Cola has begun carefully rolling out its green-labelled “Life” brand, filling its iconic hour-glass bottles with a new fizzy drink which has nearly a third fewer calories than Coke Original. It is…
Remember when the airline seat with extra leg room was free?
Shutterstock
Remember the days when free really was free? When reading a news article to the end didn’t mean having to get over, around or through a paywall. Or when loyalty schemes actually rewarded loyalty with decent…
I live in the city of Hershey, otherwise known as “the sweetest place on Earth” (registered trademark). I’m surrounded by references to chocolate everyday – from the smell of it in the air to Kiss-shaped…
Pay-what-you want at the British Museum.
Eric Pouhier/Wikipedia
Across the street from my office is a museum full of fascinating collections that include paintings, sculptures, porcelains, and ancient archaeological finds. The chance to admire them all costs you nothing…
With the gay pride season coming to a close, here is a question: have you withdrawn money from a multi-coloured gAyTM this summer? Or have you even tucked into your Burger King Pride Whopper? And if you…
During World War II, residents on the islands in the southern Pacific Ocean saw heavy activity by US planes, bringing in goods and supplies for the soldiers. In many cases, this was the islanders’ first…
Consumers make subconscious decisions on what to consume.
Zoe/Flickr
Both research and popular media tell us that emotions and eating are intrinsically related. How many times have we seen a character in a TV show reaching for the ice-cream tub when feeling particularly…
You can shine light on a dog, but it’s still a dog.
cabancreative/Flickr
A passer-by happens upon a drunk searching for a lost wallet under a streetlight. With nothing in plain sight, the passer-by asks “Where did you drop your wallet?”. “Over there,” gestures the drunk across…
Geek pride. Apple fans show their loyalty.
Terry Johnston
How far are consumers ready to go to show their love to brands? As the BBC recently noted, tattoos representing brands are getting more and more common. But why? And what does it tells us about the psychology…
Damien Hirst, whose work Virgin Mother III is pictured here, has learned the lessons of personal branding.
Suzanne Gerber
Artists such as Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and more recently Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, are regularly held up as masters of self-marketing and as global artist brands. Koons, for example, is feted on…
Just hours after MH17 crashed into fields in eastern Ukraine, a mysterious Malaysian company filed an application with authorities in Australia to trademark the doomed plane’s flight number. If accepted…