Brands and Branding →
- 29 Apr 2013
- Research & Ideas
Diagnosing the ‘Flutie Effect’ on College Marketing
Boston College, after one of the most dramatic plays in collegiate football history, benefitted with a dramatic upswing in applications. Other colleges have experienced similar upswings from sports success. In a new study, Doug J. Chung demonstrates the reality behind the "Flutie Effect," named after BC quarterback Doug Flutie. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Sep 2012
- HBS Case
HBS Cases: Branding Yoga
As yoga's popularity has grown into a $6 billion business, a cast of successful entrepreneurs has emerged with their own styles of the ancient practice. Yet yoga's rise underscores a larger question for Professor Rohit Deshpandé: Is everything brandable? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Aug 2012
- Research & Ideas
Off and Running: Professors Comment on Olympics
The most difficult challenge at The Olympics is the behind-the-scenes efforts to actually get them up and running. Is it worth it? HBS professors Stephen A. Greyser, John D. Macomber, and John T. Gourville offer insights into the business behind the games. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Jul 2012
- Research & Ideas
Why Good Deeds Invite Bad Publicity
Many executives assume that investments in corporate social responsibility create public goodwill. But do they? Felix Oberholzer-Gee and colleagues find surprising results when it comes to oil spills. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 23 Apr 2012
- Research & Ideas
How to Brand a Next-Generation Product
Upgrades to existing product lines make up a huge part of corporate research and development activity, and with every upgrade comes the decision of how to brand it. Harvard Business School marketing professors John T. Gourville and Elie Ofek teamed up with London Business School's Marco Bertini to suss out the best practices for naming next-generation products. Key concepts include: Companies often take one of two tacks in naming a next-generation product—the sequential naming approach or the complete name change approach. Experimental research showed that each naming approach affects customer expectations. With a name change, research participants expected features that were distinctly different or new. With a name continuation, they just expected improved performance on existing features. Companies must assess risk versus reward when branding a product upgrade, weighing the excitement generated by a new name against the danger of scaring away customers who worry that new features pose the threat of new glitches and a steep learning curve. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Mar 2012
- Research & Ideas
Is JC Penney’s Makeover the Future of Retailing?
The stuffy department store chain has become emboldened under new CEO Ron Johnson, with plans for an innovative store upgrade, simplified prices, and a brand polish. Professor Rajiv Lal discusses whether Johnson can repeat his previous magic at Apple and Target. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 20 Oct 2011
- Research & Ideas
Getting the Marketing Mix Right
Marketers have a wide array of selling tools at their disposal, but lack an effective method for predicting their success. Associate Professor Thomas J. Steenburgh and collaborators offer a new model for guiding their marketing investments. Key concepts include: Discrete choice models commonly used to evaluate marketing strategies often provide misleading results, leaving managers with the inability to accurately measure how they can get the best bang for their buck. A new model could help managers figure out which marketing efforts work best, and therefore decide which strategies to invest in. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Sep 2011
- HBS Case
HBS Cases: Lady Gaga
What goes into creating the world's largest pop star? Before her fame hit, Lady Gaga's manager faced decisions that could have derailed the performer's career. A new case by Associate Professor Anita Elberse examines the strategic marketing choices that instead created a global brand. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 29 Nov 2010
- HBS Case
United Breaks Guitars
A new case coauthored by HBS marketing professor John Deighton and research associate Leora Kornfeld offers an object lesson in the dangers social media can bring for big, recognizable companies and their brands. From the HBS Alumni Bulletin. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Sep 2010
- Research & Ideas
The Consumer Appeal of Underdog Branding
Research by HBS professor Anat Keinan and colleagues explains how and why a "brand biography" about hard luck and fierce determination can boost the power of products in industries as diverse as food and beverages, technology, airlines, and automobiles. Key concepts include: Underdog brand biographies feature two intertwined narrative threads: a seemingly disadvantaged position in the marketplace, coupled with the passion and determination to succeed. Examples of "brands" that emphasize their underdog roots include Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Oprah Winfrey; candidates in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Nantucket Nectars, and Clif Bar. Underdog brand biographies resonate with consumers during tough economic times like those we live in. Popular stories about underdogs were prevalent during the Great Depression, too, and have been powerful around the world and throughout history. Use brand biographies carefully. Not all products and services are appropriate for underdog narratives. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Jun 2010
- Research & Ideas
Improving Brand Recognition in TV Ads
Advertisers pay millions of dollars to air TV ads that are subsequently ignored by a third of viewers. New research by HBS professor Thales S. Teixeira offers a simple, inexpensive solution for marketers to retain brand recognition. Key concepts include: Repeating or "pulsing" brief images of a brand can significantly reduce the likelihood that viewers will zap it. Altering commercials to mimic a pulsing strategy is a virtually cost-free fix for a significant payoff. Viewers' attention should be managed as any other scarce resource. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Apr 2010
- Research & Ideas
When Other Companies Compete Like Crazy, Dare to Be Different
Eye-catching colors and gee-whiz features aren't enough for successful products and services today. To rise above the "sea of sameness," companies need to be different in a way that is elemental—and game-changing. HBS professor Youngme Moon shares highlights and insights from her new book, Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd. Key concepts include: Companies that follow the usual paths to differentiate their products and services often just imitate competitors. Brand loyalty is harder to come by today because consumers see product categories as a blur of too many choices and not enough differences that matter. Different deconstructs and demystifies companies that are adventurous outliers, mavericks, and iconoclasts. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 22 Feb 2010
- Op-Ed
Tragedy at Toyota: How Not to Lead in Crisis
"Toyota can only regain its footing by transforming itself from top to bottom to deliver the highest quality automobiles," says HBS professor Bill George of the beleaguered automobile company that in recent months has recalled 8 million vehicles. He offers seven recommendations for restoring consumer confidence in the safety and quality behind the storied brand. Key concepts include: Toyota Motor Corporation's problem is first and foremost a leadership crisis. It needs a credible leader with a strong, cohesive plan. Competitors Ford and GM are working to regain the market share they have lost to Toyota. Rather than blame floor mats and panicky drivers, as Toyota did when complaints first arose, it should have acknowledged that its vaunted quality system failed. Toyota should seize the opportunity to make radical changes to renew the company and restore consumers' trust. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 28 May 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Monopolistic Competition Between Differentiated Products With Demand For More Than One Variety
How and when is price competition most significant among firms? This paper develops a theoretical framework for studying price competition between multiple firms. Two examples of markets that fit the description for study are software applications and videogames: There are thousands of software applications as well as games, and different users are interested in different applications and/or games. A given software or game user's tastes may overlap with another's, yet they may have nothing in common with a third's. Thus, although there is a sense in which competition is localized (any given firm competes only with firms whose brands are similar to its own), it is not clear how the fact that consumers are generally interested in purchasing multiple products affects the type of competition waged among firms. Key concepts include: This paper proposes a theoretical framework for studying competition between differentiated products when consumers are interested in purchasing more than one brand. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 May 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Quantity vs. Quality and Exclusion by Two-Sided Platforms
It is common for two-sided platforms to deny participation to some potential customers, who would otherwise be willing to pay the platforms' access and/or transaction fees. Videogame console manufacturers such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, for example, restrict access to a select set of game developers and exclude many others by including security chips in their consoles, even though the latter would also be willing to pay the per-game royalties levied by the manufacturers. Apple routinely excludes certain application developers from its highly popular iPhone store. Professor Andrei Hagiu builds a simple model formalizing profit-maximizing two-sided platforms' choice of exclusion policies, which is fundamentally determined by a tradeoff between quality and quantity. Key concepts include: A simple model captures the incentives that two-sided platforms have to exclude some participants who would be willing to pay the platform's access fees. Platforms' exclusion incentives are fundamentally determined by a tradeoff between quality and quantity. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 May 2009
- Research & Ideas
What’s Next for the Big Financial Brands
Some of the great financial brands such as Merrill Lynch built trust with customers over decades—but lost it in a matter of months. Harvard Business School marketing professor John Quelch explains where they went wrong, and what comes next. Key concepts include: Turmoil and distrust in the financial services sector is an open invitation to non-financial companies to exploit the brand vacuum created by the demise of the likes of Merrill Lynch and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Financial brands today must address the most basic of consumer concerns: Will my money be safe with this company? Financial brands should continue to advertise but with messages that help customers with recession-relevant product and service offerings. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Sep 2008
- Research & Ideas
Long-Tail Economics? Give Me Blockbusters!
Although the Long Tail theory might argue otherwise, HBS marketing professor John Quelch believes in the power of blockbusters to excite consumers, motivate salespeople, and attract top talent. Key concepts include: In a globally integrated market, blockbuster brands that address common consumer needs are more important than ever. Blockbusters help companies excite consumers, motivate salespeople, and attract top talent. What makes a blockbuster? Size, speed, scarcity, sustainability, sizzle. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Jul 2008
- Research & Ideas
Starbucks’ Lessons for Premium Brands
After building a great franchise offering a unique customer experience, Starbucks diluted its brand when it overexpanded and offered too many new products. John Quelch thinks the trouble began when the company went public. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 May 2008
- Research & Ideas
Connecting with Consumers Using Deep Metaphors
Consumer needs and desires are not entirely mysterious. In fact, marketers of successful brands regularly draw on a rich assortment of insights excavated from research into basic frames or orientations we have toward the world around us, according to HBS professor emeritus Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman, authors of Marketing Metaphoria. Here's a Q&A and book excerpt. Key concepts include: Deep metaphors are powerful predictors of what customers think and how they react to new or existing goods and services. The seven deep metaphors discussed in Marketing Metaphoria appear across a variety of products. Recent advances in various disciplines are providing concepts and techniques enabling marketers to dig into what consumers don't know they know. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
From McRibs to Maseratis: The Power of Scarcity Marketing
In the new book Happy Money: the Science of Smarter Spending, behavioral economists Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton describe how money can buy happiness—but only if we spend it the right way. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.