Eight years ago, Thorntons, the 98-year-old chocolate company, found itself in a very sticky situation. New chief executive Peter Burdon announced a three-year plan to turn the company around and, remarkably, through a major consolidation of stores, product portfolio and finances, he has done just that.
In the 70s it was Pepsi versus Coke. The 80s saw Virgin Atlantic take on British Airways. In the 90s it was own-label Puffin against manufacturer brand Penguin. Now, we have Bratz versus Barbie.
"Customers buy for their reasons, not yours." – Orvel Ray Wilson Sponsored By: Brand Aid
Three years ago, a student in my department rushed into my office and thrust a piece of paper at me, bearing the details of a doctoral symposium to be held in Philadelphia on the topic of international business. He was writing his thesis on global marketing and pleaded for the research funds to buy a plane ticket to attend the event. Eventually, I consented and off he went to email his registration to the conference...
It’s really quite simple. There are two parts to it. The first part is to find something important to say about your product.
