Mark Ritson: Don’t just stand for something, stand against your competitors
There are two ways to position a brand – ‘about’ something and ‘versus’ something – and the most powerful examples of positioning do both.
Mark Ritson: Stop propping up brand purpose with contrived data and hypocrisy
Channel 4’s research claiming consumers want purpose-driven ads is the latest flimsy attempt to bolster a morally bankrupt concept that simply covers over corporate indiscretions.
Mark Ritson: Lush’s moronic #Spycops campaign is a new low for brand purpose
Lush has only alienated consumers with its poorly judged #Spycops campaign, which has nothing to do with the brand as well as being of no benefit to society.
Mark Ritson: Pret must bite the cost bullet if it wants to keep its ‘natural’ brand positioning
Pret A Manger has built a brand positioning based on serving natural food, yet the E numbers in its bread clearly undermine that, so it has to decide whether to change its processes or its advertising.
Mark Ritson: Burberry’s luxury repositioning won’t work, it’s not in the brand DNA
After dispensing with chief creative officer Christopher Bailey, new Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti wants to take the brand upscale, but it goes against its history and traditions.
Mark Ritson: People are not brands – no, not even me
To succeed professionally you need to be known by your audience and stand out from your competition, but ‘personal branding’ is not a real discipline and if you position yourself to fill a niche you’ll come across as a fraud.
Mark Ritson: Only crap marketers mistake stereotypes for segments
The ASA’s research into harmful gender stereotypes is spot-on, but why do marketers believe lumping millennials together as one makes any more sense?
Mark Ritson: Opposing Trump means sacrificing sales for brand values
American marketers have an exquisite dilemma: should they stand against President Trump’s policies and risk alienating half their market, or stay impartial and weaken their brand values?
Mark Ritson: Brand heritage is more important than you think
As my DNA kit Christmas present demonstrates, heritage has a bigger role than most marketers imagine in defining how you should position yourself.
Mark Ritson: Ever heard the one about the Singapore noodle salesman…?
This is the touching story of the world’s first Michelin-starred street food chef, who in spite of his three-hour queues has hopelessly failed to grasp the concept of supply and demand.
Mark Ritson: Trump’s marketing success shows the power of personality
The stunning success of Donald Trump’s earned media strategy proves that social media and content marketing work when brands are willing to take risks.
Mark Ritson: Abercrombie & Fitch’s revival will be due to brand revitalisation, not brand repositioning
You will recall the rather sad story of Abercrombie & Fitch. The once all-powerful fashion retailer declined as a result of ageing customers, bizarre management edicts and over exposure. The company has endured 11 consecutive quarters of declining sales and, in perhaps the most painful blow yet, recently recorded the lowest ever score on the annual […]
Mondelēz pilots innovation hubs as it shifts focus from costs to growth
The Cadbury, Oreo and Ritz owner is piloting cross-functional innovation teams as it looks to take a more flexible and faster approach to new product development.
Ellen Hammett: M&S’s move to split its creative should bring some much needed spark back
The decision to put its clothing & home ad account up for review is the latest sign the retailer is finally addressing the very different problems its two businesses face – which come down to product perceptions rather than brand.
Sainsbury’s and Asda could be forced to sell one of the brands after merger deemed ‘bad for customers’
The competition watchdog has raised serious concerns around price and competition, saying the merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda would need some major changes, including the possibility of selling either the Sainsbury’s or Asda brand, to go through in a decision Sainsbury’s has called “outrageous”.
Mark Ritson: It’s time to shut down digital marketing teams for good
Consolidation of teams to remove duplication by specialist digital marketers can’t come soon enough, and will allow us to focus on the consumer instead of the media channel.
