I have to hand it to Honda. The next new model from the Japanese firm is faster than the NSX and its old Formula 1 cars. It goes at Mach 0·72. The simplified version of Honda’s history goes something like this. Once upon a time, Mr Honda wanted to make cars. He wasn’t […]
Category: branding
Brand strategy, the practice of branding, identity, brand equity and related matters.
Apple’s brand evangelism can have a negative effect, providing an opportunity for rivals
What a great post today from Eric Karjaluoto on his blog about Macs v. PCs. He outlines his gripes on a number of fields and doesn’t believe Apple holds a great advantage any more. I have to say I agree with him. On his Facebook, I wrote the following. Well said, Eric. […]
Cortina, outdoors
I was peering through Ford’s archive as it celebrates 100 years in Great Britain. This brought back a few memories: the Araldite glue campaign. Right next to it is an outdoor ad for the 1982 Cortina—Taunus 80 to those outside the Empah. The Araldite ad showed how commonplace the Cortina had become. And back […]
Where do the Mac evangelists hide when Apples go, ‘Boom’?
Once again, I posted a Tweet (which went on to my Facebook) about Apple messing up (this time, about Mail with disappearing attachments). There were no replies. Interestingly, whenever I post about a Windows bug, the Mac evangelists all swarm on to it, usually with the sentiment, ‘Get a Mac.’ They all disappear […]
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Chloé chief sees China moving to more understated luxury—or is it?
Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye of Chloé believes the mainland Chinese market is moving toward more understated luxury. I believe there’ll always be a mixture. The understated buyer is emerging probably because of saturation by more extrovert brands—and often, buyers want to get something different, rather than conform. And the top-end luxury brands have […]
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Giving our young people a fair go
Earlier this month, I gave a workshop talk to the Leadership and Development Conference for the New Zealand Chinese Association in Auckland. I’ve just uploaded the speech notes, and as I did so, I wanted to append a few more thoughts. The topic was identity—not just branding, but personal identity. My self-critique […]
Volvo unveils its China strategy
Volvo has announced that it will build a plant in China, and seeks approval for a second, in what it calls its second home market. It was inevitable, though for the long-term survival of the brand, it’s not a bad idea. Through Geely’s acquisition, it can potentially leapfrog other foreign car brands inside […]
Air New Zealand acts in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake
Good on Air New Zealand for ferrying emergency supplies to Christchurch, for its $50 special to and from Christchurch till Friday 8 a.m., and for extra 747 flights to and from the disaster-struck city tomorrow (subject to the airport reopening down there). I’ve also learned that there is an extra Wellington–Christchurch A320 service departing […]
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Trade not supplied
In November 1993, while my mother was dying of cancer, I went and bought 12 cans of Wattie’s baked beans from Woolworth’s in Kilbirnie. She said it would be an easy breakfast to prepare for her, so I should go and get some. There was a limit of six, but there was a misunderstanding about […]
How will Chevrolet go down in Korea?
Last week, GM announced it would drop the Daewoo marque, as it has done through Europe, in its native Korea, in favour of Chevrolet. The company will also be renamed GM Korea, a name it once had nearly four decades ago. While most will think this makes sense, so GM can concentrate on […]