Category — Strategy
Play Ball!
E-commerce is threatening in-store, but it ain’t over ’til it’s over. By Ken Barnett. The start of the baseball season always seems to bring with it the sense of the possible. Whatever happened last year is past and we have the luxury of a clean slate.
As we envision how this year’s slate will be written for the consumer packaged-goods industry, and particularly supermarkets, another baseball memory comes to mind: Yogi Berra. Who better to call on than the master of absurdity to help us fix a system that is, quite simply, broken?
“You can observe a lot by watching.” — Yogi Berra
Around 20 years ago, supermarkets were at the top of their game. They were the dominant outlet for food with 100 percent penetration and 83 percent share. Households were averaging close to 110 trips to supermarkets per year. Retailers had recently wrested information control from suppliers when scanners achieved 70 percent of ACV in 1988 … read >>
May 1, 2012 Comments
Do The Math
The future belongs to those who measure the total brand experience. By Al Wittemen. Each and every one of us has endured our share of pain over the last several years. In all my years in marketing, it’s safe to say I’ve never experienced anything quite like the last five. It now appears that the worst of the economic calamity is behind us, but it would be foolish to think that the pain is over.
In fact, in many ways, it is just beginning. A recent IBM survey of 1,700 chief marketing officers across 64 countries spelled out the sources of our discomfort. It identified some of the biggest challenges facing chief marketing officers, each of which is a pervasive and universal game changer … read >>
January 1, 2012 Comments
The Fourth Circle
Innovation in execution is the quickest route to victory. By Al Wittemen. I’m sure you’ve read The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu in the 6th century. What? You haven’t read my favorite marketing book? It framed a lot of things for me early on in my career, and there’s a famous quote in it that says: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.&rdquo
This wisdom speaks to me because, as marketers, we too often overlook the importance of execution. Innovation is typically lavished on the development of a big idea, but we need to apply the same level of creative thinking to the execution of our campaigns — especially shopper-marketing campaigns because the field is growing so rapidly … read >>
January 1, 2011 Comments
Why Not Success?
New products require behavioral insights and organizational support. by Jim Doucette and Paul Thompson. For many years, 3M has achieved volume and profit growth well above industry norms with its thirty percent rule: Thirty percent of business unit revenue must come from products introduced in the last four years.
Many firms have sought to emulate the 3M model of new-product driven growth. So, why do 75 percent of new products fail to meet $7.5 million in revenue during the first year of availability and less that one half of one percent ever meet a $100 million dollar threshold? Maybe it’s because too many of the new products looked like these … read >>
January 1, 2011 Comments
Framing Loyalty
The path to brand loyalty runs through positioning and spending effectiveness. By Jim Gabriele. In today’s uncertain economic environment, meeting the demands of consumers, customers and Wall Street analysts is no easy task.
Senior executives must contend with the slow economy, reduced consumer spending power, and significant cost increases across the P&L (higher ingredient and packaging costs, higher transportation costs and higher plant operating costs to name a few).
To grow profit in this environment, consumer packaged-goods companies face a stark choice: volume-driven earnings growth or cost cutting. Too often, companies choose the latter … read >>
November 1, 2010 Comments
The New Swoosh
Nike retail chief Jeanne Jackson sees big global growth in small local stores. An exclusive Q&A interview by Tim Manners.
(pdf) or (text)
July 1, 2010 1 Comment
Making Plans Count
July 1, 2010 Comments
The Walmart Crapshoot
Project Impact does not appear to be the "win" that Walmart expected. By Chris Hoyt. (pdf) or (text)
July 1, 2010 Comments
Hub Top 12 2010
May 1, 2010 Comments
The New Pop Culture
May 1, 2010 Comments
Jiminy Disney!
Disney Stores president Jim Fielding casts magic on retail as media. An exclusive Q&A interview by Tim Manners. (pdf) or (text)
March 1, 2010 Comments
Checkout Checkup
Insights, integration and collaboration bring retail success. A discussion featuring Tia Newcomer of Hewlett-Packard, Jay Contessa of Sun Products, Mary Goggans of Kimberly-Clark, and Al Wittemen of TracyLocke. (pdf) or (text)
March 1, 2010 Comments
Shopping Optimized
March 1, 2010 Comments
Baby Love
March 1, 2010 Comments
True Loyalty
What comes after the circular? Retailers pinpoint better ideas. By Spencer Hapoienu. (pdf) or (text)
March 1, 2010 Comments
Cracked Rear View
March 1, 2010 Comments
The Hub 35
The entire Mar/Apr ’10 issue of The Hub (48 pages), centered on retail, including an interview with Jim Fielding of Disney Stores and 13 other articles. (download pdf)
March 1, 2010 Comments
