In January 2003, McDonald’s announced its first quarterly loss, a $344 million deficit for the final three months of 2002. Restructuring charges accounted for much of the loss, but the warning signs were already visible in the restaurants. Comparable sales were falling, service was inconsistent, and customers had fewer reasons to choose a brand that had once felt indispensable.
How does a CPG company build a brand that AI systems can credibly recommend while also giving consumers more compelling and powerful reasons to prefer it?
Once upon a time, corporate brands scrambled to become pillars of Corporate Social Responsibility, aka CSR. CSR meant that a corporation had responsibilities for people and planet as well as profit. Enterprises had to find ways to operate in ways that benefited society and the environment, as well as shareholders. Along with fiduciary performance, organizations had to incorporate ethical, environmental, and societal impacts into strategic planning. CSR is all-encompassing, inclusive, and nondenominational: a focus on...
On July 19, 2024, a routine CrowdStrike software update crashed roughly 8.5 million Windows computers worldwide. Airports went dark. Hospitals scrambled. Delta alone canceled about 7,000 flights over five days. Plenty of observers expected customers to walk.
In the TV series Mad Men, fictional creative director Don Draper uttered the now-famous line: “Advertising is based on one thing, happiness.” It was true in 1960 and true today. Finding the key that unlocks that coveted response to a product has always been the marketer’s challenge. Is the most effective appeal logical or emotional? And is that appeal different, based on consumer or trade audiences? Despite occasional evidence to the contrary, every customer comes...
