Marketing Spoonful

Land Rover shows us there is an alternative to “Buy American” as a way to talk about our current dire economic straits and what to do about them.
Now, a Land Rover is not an inexpensive vehicle. Land Rover has a brand reputation as a well-made vehicle and a name that inspires adventurous thinking.
Maybe that’s why [...]

Tags: auto advertising, car ads, economic downturn, Land Rover, Range Rover

Recent cutbacks at Web pioneers, such as Google and Digg remind us that it’s not enough to be wildly and successfully innovative. In today’s economy, like perhaps none other in history, you have to run lean. The news of a 10-percent workforce reduction at Digg is especially poignant since the social media site has been busy [...]

Tags: Customer Service, Digg, economic downturn, free ways to grow your brand, Google

We’re entering territory we haven’t seen in some time, with restaurant trips down and customer satisfaction seemingly more important than ever.
So tonight, I’m watching the movie No Reservations, in which Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a neurotic chef named Kate. In one scene, a patron at the restaurant where Kate works complains that the foie gras is [...]

Tags: blog, Customer Service, economic downturn, Food, Marketing, Restaurant

In case you’ve been hibernating for the past year, we’re in an economic downturn. We stop short of saying “recession” because a recession is officially defined as two straight quarterly declines in GDP.
We’ve also written a lot in this blog about the increased importance of price to consumers.
But lest we forget, branding still works. Just [...]

Tags: beverage, Coca-Cola, Coke, economic downturn, Food, Pepsi, power of branding, rival brands

We’ve blogged a few times about the power of duality, combining two brand attributes to form one strong differentiator. Our favorite example is Subway, which combines health and low prices, or some might say health and convenience.
Now, the Wall Street Journal and one of our favorite food newsies, Kevin Coupe, are discussing how the convergence [...]

Tags: duality, economic downturn, green consumerism, green marketing, thrifty decision

Comfort is king (or queen). And now more than ever, amid escalating costs, increased competition and greater incidence of consumer trade-offs.
In other words, brands and products that fit consumers to a tee will prosper when disposable income and time become more precious and economical choices more numerous. Our research shows that when consumer confidence wanes, [...]

Tags: Blue Bunny, brands, comfort food, Dean Foods, economic downturn, Edy's, Food, food marketing, Frito Lay, Haagen Dazs, Marketing, Rancher's Reserve, recession, Retailing