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When I think about personal leadership and my personal brand, the first thing that comes to mind is balancing the fact that I am a woman and I aspire to lead.  This particular commercial made by Pantene really resonates with me because the duality of the perception of the same execution between man vs. woman really is a truth within our society.  I struggle with trying to strike a balance and not come off as "bossy or vain," but I want to gain the confidence and credibility that a man would in the same situation.  Having worked on a trading floor prior to my MBA, I worked in a predominantly male environment.  The few women that were on the floor seemed to take on this persona of being masculine or aggressive, and I almost countered that with showing that femininity is a welcome surprise in a testosterone driven environment.  I don't know which one is more effective, but I do know that I didn't want to ever assume the role of man because I am a woman and I am proud of it.  So, food for thought: how do you strike this balance as a leader in the work force?

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The reading on #McDStories was actually quite a timely one insofar as the latest twitter hashtag campaign that went completely awry: #MyNYPD.  The photos above are just a smattering of the majority of photos that have been posted over the last week with the #MyNYPD.  The attempt for the NYPD to show that it is well-loved and respected fell flat quickly when they encouraged Twitterers across New York City to demonstrate their love for the NYPD.  Little did they know that most people would use this as an opportunity to show the aggression and hatred and mistreatment of NYC citizens.  While there have been a few friendly/friendlier posts that show NYPD officers in a much more flattering light, this twitter campaign has really just only become a forum for people to show their anger/complain/etc.  

Perhaps timing is everything.  After a few years of a recession, with unemployment rates still high, and local NYC real estate prices skyrocketing, people are not feeling so benevolent towards NYC.  It would be interesting to see if this hashtag campaign was released in the wake of 9/11 or perhaps at the time of the 10year anniversary where the NYPD was seen as one of the biggest heroes in the city.  Certainly, this should be a potent marketing lesson for all of us - go to your fans, not to Twitter.  That's a rule I highly recommend. 

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The Intel case is an interesting one because it discusses a number of points when it comes to building a brand, particularly with regard to one that centers around technology.  One of the more poignant quotes that stood out in the case was:

"We have more discipline now.  In the past, our marketing teams did not work as closely with the technology teams.  Now, after the marketing teams do market research on consumer needs, they talk to the technical folks to see how to turn those consumer needs into product features.  As features other than speed have become important, input from marketing has become even more important."

Perhaps Intel's technology and marketing teams' collaboration led to the evolution of tech advertising - as in this Samsung cell phone ad.  Not only is it experiential, it discusses the consumer need and the technologies/product features in a way that the end user can really digest and hopefully, relate to.  Technology advertising, with the pioneer work of Intel, became one that was based on feelings and experiences.  And this Samsung ad shows just how far we've come with regard to technology product advertising.  It seems that the Samsung ad shows experiences that we have all experienced in some form or another (e.g. waiting in the Apple line for a product launch, upgrading to the "complex" Android while our parents are beginning to understand the iPhone, etc.), and that shared experience is what makes us engaged as consumers. 

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The Burberry Flagship London store shows the successful rebranding of Burberry under the leadership of Bravo and creative director Bailey.  Though the case ends on a high note, with implications for long-term sustainable growth and luxury definition, this video shows the strength and innovative quality behind Burberry since its rebranding.  In fact, having worked at Nike this summer, one of the cross-functional projects I focused on was digital integration into Nike's brick and mortar/direct to consumer stores.  Burberry was who we looked to as the icon and leader in this space.  I also attended a luxury panel last spring at Sloan that included panelists like Shauna Mei, founder and CEO of AhaLife and Laurent Claquin, head of Kering Americas, who all discussed digital integration into the luxury space.  Both speakers spoke to the way Burberry has done this seamlessly and really, as the leading innovator.  In fact, the challenge at Nike was not copying exactly what Burberry has done but all the while maintaining the integrity of the tactile aspect of shopping and the relationship building aspect as well.  It is even more important to note that the most recent CEO of Burberry, Angela Ahrendts was recently tapped to become an executive at Apple in order to help their product line revamp itself from falling victim to the "ubiquitous check" syndrome. Never has high fashion been part of the tech world, but clearly, Burberry's sitting at the cutting edge of innovation; I'm looking forward to see what this (not so) classic house churns out next.   

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Here is an example of a very well-executed house of brands architecture.  With a set of stand-alone brands, the Williams Sonoma, West Elm, and Pottery Barn brands have managed to dominate niche segments within the home decor/accessories industry.  While some may think that West Elm cannibalizes Pottery Barn or vice versa, this is not the case, given that each brand segments the customer market accordingly.  These brands each connect directly to their respective consumer with independent, targeted value propositions.  I would liken this house of brands strategy to the shadow endorser.  These brands are independent and not visibly connected, but many consumers know about the link between them.  Each store has its own personality, customer type, and brand name, and in doing so, each store has been able to target its respective segment of the home decor market.  Are you a Julia Child, a midcentury mod fanatic looking to furnish your Brooklyn bachelor pad, or are you traditional with a touch of country looking to make sure your slipcovered linen couches coordinate with your sisal rug?  Clearly, each brand has managed to segment the market perfectly.  Surprisingly, I have seen myself transition between these brands over the course of the years, and I believe, this is where the link has proven valuable to keep overall brand loyalty "in house," pun intended. 

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When I read the Singapore Airlines case, I immediately thought of an airline that has been able to successfully differentiate itself and only one came to mind (other than Singapore Airlines of course) - Southwest Airlines.  While they do have a different model (smaller airports, domestic flights, no hub and spoke), Southwest Airlines focuses on customer service and also work to cross-train their employees so someone who handles check-in can just as easily load bags or help turn around the airplane.  

In an industry that struggles so much with profitability, I think there's something to be said behind making customer service (and REALLY focusing on it) a key differentiator in the airline industry.  Clearly, both these airlines have something going for them, and it's their focus on the consumer and building that into their respective brands.  I think the main takeaway is that most people think of branding a product when actually, a service can be part of branding and an effective tool at that. 

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I spent a year working abroad in Chile through a post graduate fellowship where I didn’t speak the local language (Chileans don’t exactly speak Spanish; they speak slang) and where I didn’t know a single soul in the entire country.  But because of my lack of knowledge of this faraway “isla,” I was in the best position to explore.  And explore I did.  Traveling to Casablanca (wine country), Atacama (the desert), Patagonia (the south), and then some, I fell passionately in love with the beauty of this country and with the people.  Concha y Toro was my go-to wine when I brought a bottle to a friend’s house for dinner.  I remember it having such strong brand recognition locally and then went wine tasting there with all of my friends who came to visit, and even my family (see photo of my sister holding up a grape over the vineyards).  Made in Chile matters because when you do visit this place, you fall hard.  But before you do, it doesn’t resonate as a place where most people think of to visit or a place people understand.  It’s one of the most unique landscapes in the world with desert to the north, pacific ocean to the left, mountains to the right, and Patagonia to the south.  There’s a sentimental value that I extract from Chilean wines, and in fact, I do find them to be the best value for my money when I shop here in the states.  It’s interesting because I think Chile is better positioned to do a bottoms up strategy given that it’s so hard to visit, but that if you do get the chance to visit, you come back with a willingness to go premium after understanding the country and the beauty it offers.  

In college, I once did a blindfold water test with my friends.  We tasted Fiji, Dasani, and tap water (aka NJ’s finest).  We all swore that we could identify Fiji at the very least.  We all failed.  Some even opted for tap as being the finest.  So why do we pay for such premiums?  Is it packaging?  Is it that Fiji comes from “the exotic faraway fiji islands?”  Is is that we know Dasani isn’t sourced from a mountain but just a Coca Cola brand?  The bottom line is that branding matters.  The French will always be the Rolls Royce of wines (champagne is only champagne when it’s from France after all).  Chile’s attempt at competing from the premier brands doesn’t make sense.  Ralph Lauren is a good analogy in my opinion.  The brand appealed to the mass market first with the polo symbol on every man’s polo shirt.  From there, the brand has elevated itself to black label and purple label/collection.  But ask the LVMH or Kering brands and they will never consider Ralph Lauren “luxury” but sportswear.  It doesn’t matter that they share a similar price point on several items…it’s American made, not a French or Italian luxury house.  Chile’s finest sauvignon blanc can’t compete next to Montrachet when few people have even been exposed to the country.  By showing they’re good at mass market appeal through top down strategy, like Ralph Lauren and his polo shirt with 97% margins, Concha y Toro can become everyone’s go-to brand and then elevate.

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Do you notice something special about this "photo?"  Perhaps Facebook benefited more than we know from Zuckerberg's sheer intensity?

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The prediction of adoption is one that has baffled marketers, it seems, for decades.  While some CPG products are a bit easier to understand and forecast for than others, as we move into the world where things/products are more technology based, how does one predict adoption?  Why did myspace come and die and how did Facebook make it 10+ years to the largest IPO in the history of IPOs? What makes snapchat the next best thing to Instagram?  The peculiar thing is that myspace had more brand recognition at the time Facebook launched, but somehow Facebook, with its exclusive member base (Harvard, Yale and Princeton to start) could now boast over 1bn users?  So many questions and such little understanding.  Is Bass's model applicable to such scalable technologies today? 

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"Fun, Sun, and Beach."  When you think of Corona, these are the images that come to mind, so much that Kenny Chesney made a song about it! Talk about strong brand image...

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Power of a Brand

The power of a brand is so compelling it can lead you to tears.  I always cry when it comes to the Budweiser Superbowl Clydesdales - who doesn't?