I’ve received some push-back on my last post on “leadership” as a powerful differentiator. Several marketers felt that being the leader is not critical to success. All right, let’s spend some more time on this subject.
Back in the day, when customer service was king, I worked after school pumping gas and handing out collectable tumblers at my father’s service station.
One of the biggest dangers is a brand extension that repositions the parent brand in a negative light (like Bayer “aspirin-free” products or “Fat Free” Fig Newtons). One of the trickiest extensions is creating a “value” version of the parent brand. Extending your brand up to a premium segment or down to a value segment has the greatest potential for negative impact, as a brand’s quality and value perceptions are often central to its positioning. ...
Recognized as a great moment in advertising, this speech was delivered by Leo Burnett at a meeting of the entire Chicago Burnett office on December 1, 1967.
Some of the best-loved ad images of the 20th century have names like Tony, Betty and Ronald. Others, like the Marlboro Man, may not be as beloved, but grew to have tremendous worldwide impact as an instant identifier of Philip Morris Co.’s Marlboro cigarettes.
