Demographers say that aside from an apocalyptic event, demography is destiny. A global pandemic can be considered an apocalyptic event. Covid-19 did not just eliminate the lives of millions worldwide. In developed nations, Covid-19 upended or fast-tracked existing trends that have now changed the landscape of dozens of categories. The effect on brand-businesses has been immediate, profound and mind-blowing.
There is angst in Stuttgart, Germany. The executives at Mercedes believe that Mercedes has lost its luxury caché. Part of this concern has to do with its brand image. And, part of this has to do with its valuation in the eyes of investors and analysts. It seems that Mercedes is troubled that it is valued at a lower multiple than, well, tobacco. Mercedes CEO, Ola Källenius, wants analysts and investors to reconsider how they...
Peloton’s new CEO, Barry McCarthy, recently reported to analysts on his turnaround plan. He stated that a turnaround plan is hard work. He said that in turnaround situations there are always a lot of surprises. He said the turnaround would take a lot of time. If he was looking for support, he did not receive any kudos. Analysts and investors were not impressed. Maybe this is because most of what Mr. McCarthy said were not elements...
Many times, brand-businesses have insights about the future but do not find the courage to act on these insights. Lack of courage occurs for a number of reasons. Costs, fear of failure, complacency, the comfort of manufacturing what the business knows how to make rather than what solves customers’ problems, a chief of manufacturing who says, “Not on my line” or a siloed organization: all tend to collapse courage and get in the way of...
Make life easy. Keep it simple. Be convenient. These are benefits that will never go out of date. The proliferation of product and service options, and the diffusion of accelerating technologies have made decision-making more difficult than ever.
