The merger between Burger King and Canadian coffee-and-doughnuts chain Tim Hortons has sparked a great deal of reaction and much of it has been nationalistic in flavour. There was speculation that Burger…
With the gay pride season coming to a close, here is a question: have you withdrawn money from a multi-coloured gAyTM this summer?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…
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…
Airbnb’s new logo prompted a torrent of response as soon as it was unveiled. Everyone seemed to have a (not very original) opinion about the rebranding – yes, it looks like a vagina. And it doesn’t stop…
Hiptastic celebrations from the Colombian team.
Robert Ghement/EPA
The 2014 World Cup has been a tournament of goals galore – and with every goal comes a celebration. We’re now used to displays of individual and team pageantry with goal celebrations and they can sometimes…
If you haven’t heard the song by now, you soon will; Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 will be a big part of this summer’s soundtrack. As the World Cup in Brazil fast approaches, the 1963 Jorge…
Where brands would previously compete with no-frills brands, now they produce them as part of a new strategy.
AAP/Daniel Munoz
Only a few years ago jokes about home brand products were quite common. Having a blue and white or red and white dinner meant enjoying generic brand fare that night around the table. But the recent intensification…
It’s a physical struggle in these skirts, but we always shop in store.
Haute Couture News
In the world of luxury fashion, Chanel stands apart from the crowd. But it’s not the designs that make it different. The French luxury brand is one of the last few major labels that does not sell its clothes…
Lego is fighting back against a virtual onslaught.
Village Roadshow
Thanks to the release of The Lego Movie – which opened in the US to huge acclaim on February 7 – the Danish toy company looks set to extend its “brand connection” to generations of families, even further…
Airport lounges, loved by frequent flyers, don’t necessarily engender brand loyalty.
Richard Moross/Flickr
Recently Qantas and Virgin have been fighting a war for “high value” corporate contracts by refurbishing their invitation-only lounges. But is this a wise strategy? The airline industry has long been stuck…
Many commentators criticised Tony Abbott’s ‘female-lite’ frontbench last week. How might it affect his carefully managed and marketed ‘brand’ from the campaign trail?
AAP/Lukas Coch
In the last week, a number of political commentators have argued that newly-minted prime minister Tony Abbott’s frontbench is decidedly low on women. There is only one woman in Cabinet and an additional…
Craft beers are punching above their weight, and are increasing their market share in Australia.
AAP
The brewing industries in many countries are undergoing dramatic changes, with increasing numbers of craft breweries challenging the traditional volume-based business model of major corporations. In the…
A marketing triumph: Red Bull’s space diving project made headlines around the globe.
AAP
A newsworthy event is happening right now. And another, and another — it never ends. This is vital not just for feeding our 24-hour news cycle and hungry media corporations, but increasingly also for marketers…
Battle of the smartphones: the Apple iPhone IV and the Samsung Galaxy II .
AAP
Don’t worry — you’re not seeing double. Everything looks the same … well, certainly in mass market products such as consumer electronics. The high profile litigation between Apple and Samsung is just one…
Sweet victory: Cadbury now has the right to the trademark for the distinctive shade of purple it uses for the packaging of its chocolate.
AAP
Can you own a colour, a name, or a sound? Those questions have been highlighted again in the UK, where there has been another outbreak of litigation about “Cadbury Purple”. Australian trademark law, like…
We’re with the brand: how do we judge authenticity online with so many fakers hiding behind the screen?
Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com
I am the FakeMarkRolfe telling you that all FakeMarkRolfes on Twitter are liars. And so is the real Mark Rolfe @Marcjohnr. I’ve started with a variation of the old liar’s paradox, not to explore logic…
Qantas will now have to work very hard to persuade people to trust their brand again.
AAP
In 2011, brand is everything in the corporate world. While the rest of the business operations are considered a cost, marketing makes money. And central to so much of modern marketing is the brand, built…
Kevin Rudd used to manage his brand well, but was toppled after an advertising campaign against him.
AAP/YouTube
MEDIA & DEMOCRACY: Today, Andrew Hughes looks at how voters have become consumers of political marketing, as part of The Conversation’s week-long series on how the media influences the way our representatives…
Andrew Wilkie is correct when he says that the government needs to sell things better. Developing good policy is not enough in today’s consumer driven world. The government also needs to clearly communicate…
Adjunct Professor, with expertise in Branding, Marketing, Business Strategy, Corporate Citizenship and Social Responsibility. Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town
Professeur senior d’analyse financière, d’audit et de risk management - Directrice de Programme pour le MSc Fashion Design & Luxury Management- Responsable de la spécialisation MBA "Brand & Luxury Management", Grenoble École de Management (GEM)