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The 2010 Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints will be remembered not just for the game and remarkable come-back from the New Orleans flood by the Saints, but as a turning point for the annual love-fest of funny and insightful commercials.

The Super Bowl attracts an audience of 100 million people (by comparison, 37.8 million Americans watched a full-day of President Obama’s ingratiation).

Many tune in just for the ads- renown for their steep costs to broadcast at prime-time.

A survey  showed that Canadians were more interested in watching Super Bowl commercials than the big game.

Back in 1967, 30-seconds airtime for a Super bowl commercial cost $42,500 (£26,522.72) on CBS and $37,500 on NBC (£23.500).

This year, CBS asked $2.6 million (£1.62m) for 30 seconds.

Super bowl when the biggest brands on the market come shoulder-to-shoulder with biggest names on the field

Many familiar names chose not to pay.  These included FedEx, General Motors and Pepsi.

In Pepsi’s case, the brand felt it would be more prudent to donate the money to its community based social Web 2.0 Pepsi Refresh campaign.

Controversially, CBS allowed a conservative group called ‘Focus on the Family’ to air a 30-second commercial that told the story of the mother of footballer Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators, who chose his life over abortion.  Reportedly CBS charged $2.5m to broadcast the commercial.

However the global publicity surrounding the commercial was so great that by way of coverage, in terms of brand value Focus on the Family received back, several times what it cost to broadcast.

Sharing the love

The community spirit also spread to other brands on the Super Bowl commercial playlist.

Doritos crisps held a competition to produce its iconic Super Bowl commercials.

Four thousand entrants applied.

Six finalists each won $25k.

The top three, featured at the game itself, were rewarded $2m between them.

Rival brand Coca Cola featured a commercial with the Simpsons.

Many brands used the Super Bowl to cross-refer TV viewers to websites in order to complete their brand experience.

Some PR spinners used the Super Bowl to showcase commercials that would never get to the game simply because of CBS’s judgement on what constituted contentious content.

However the last laugh went to the brands, which, thanks to viral ‘web-of-mouse’ received thousands of hits for their ‘banned’ commercials online.

These included GoDaddy: Lola in which Larry Jones played a flamboyant gay man.

Man Crunch: Men Kissing.  Another example of CBS’s bias concerning homosexuals

Doritos: Murder, in which a crisp eater accidently kills a pedestrian.

(Definitely not a pro-life move).

Meanwhile rival sports brand conglomerate NBA, which boasts some of the world’s best-known basketball players who have deals with some of the biggest sport brand icons,  is gearing up for its version of the Super Bowl – the All Stars Weekend.

NBA has muted the idea of spreading its brand deeper into the European market.

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

The Super Bowl commercials for 2010

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Toyota. Still the brand in front?

The world’s biggest car manufacturer brand by volume – Toyota – (ranked eighth place in Interbrand’s 2009 Top Global brands) is wrestling with an increasingly flawed brand image.

Having identified issues with components in certain vehicles, the brand has recalled 8million vehicles worldwide.

In Europe, so far 28 reported cases of problems with vehicles have been identified.

Responding, Toyota recalled 1.8 million vehicles.

(In the UK ten thousand drivers contacted Toyota in the first few days of the recall announcement).

According to Toyota’s UK spokesperson Scott Brownlee, component issues were identified back in October 2009 (USA) and November 2009 (UK).

However the brand had played down complaints of unintended acceleration.

(In the US and Japan reports emerged of faulty brakes on its Prius hybrid car).

The branding challenge

The problem with a brand ‘staying low’ over rumours strategy is that the more it remains silent over a swelling rumour, the greater the buzz which powers the mill of suspicion; leading eventually to consumers assuming the worse.

In any crisis, people need leadership: an official seen to be doing something positive, practical and immediate to resolve the crises.

According to Reuters, initially Toyota President Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder, had not formally addressed the public or media on the recall problems.

It wasn’t until Tuesday 2^nd February that an executive from Toyota HQ appeared to face the public.

On January 31^st 2010, major US newspapers alerted consumers to the recall and production shutdown.

This was followed by Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA ,apologising on national TV.

The UK brand

Meanwhile in the UK, where Toyota has 1.6 million cars on the roads, over 180,000 vehicles are potentially affected by defective accelerator pedals.

Toyota advised that any driver in the UK who had suffered a problem with with sticking or jamming accelerator pedals should call the company’s hotline, and should not get the problem fixed independently.

Appropriate parts required to repair the cars are scheduled to arrive in UK for repairs to begin around 10 February.

The accelerator pedal problem involves seven of Toyota’s brand models: Q, Aygo, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Avensis and Verso.

No new cars are affected

UK RECALLED MODELS

February 2005 – August 2009 AYGO

November 2008 – November 2009 iQ

November 2005 – September 2009 Yaris

October 2006 – 5 January 2010 Auris

October 2006 – December 2009 Corolla

February 2009 – 5 Jan 2010 Verso

November 2008 – December 2009 Avensis

Working with the UK’s official agency

The brand is collaborating with the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and will write to car owners whose vehicles may be affected – a process that could take 10 days.

A Toyota website is also being launched to enable owners to check their vehicles registration number.

This will also include owners bought cars second-hand.

The business view

Toyota’s posted a third quarter profit of 153 billion yen ($1.68bn, £1.06bn) after a loss of $1.81bn in the previous quarter.

Toyota’s shares dropped to a 10-month low in Tokyo’s Wednesday trading.

Whilst the company estimated it would lose about $2bn (£1.23bn) in recall costs and lost sales, the brand is still expected sales to boost to 7.18 million in the next financial year.

It added it had not yet worked out the cost of the latest reports of problems with the new Prius.

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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John Terry brand

Just as brands are recovering from their association with Tiger Woods, sponsors are grappling with allegations concerning the England football team Captain John Terry who is alleged to have had an affair with the partner of his former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.

The affair may affect the England line up for this year’s crucial World Cup tournament – as well as any current or potential lucrative sponsorship deals.

Terry reportedly took out a High Court injunction to prevent details of the affair becoming public. However once the ban was lifted, the News of the World newspaper suggested that Terry made Bridge’s French model partner pregnant, going on to subsequently finance an abortion and then paying £20,000 “to cheer her up”.

The News of the World, alleged that Terry (a previous winner of the ‘father of the year’ award ) frequently flirted with Bridge’s partner on footballers’ nights out.

Such salacious allegations may have deep repercussions for the £150,000 per week salaried Captain.

A brand own-goal?

John Terry is the public face of sportswear brand Umbro.  He also works with Samsung.

Neither would comment on their agreements.

However a Swedish betting brand, Svenska Spel, which had previously work with Terry, announced that it would not work with him again.

Svenska Spel’s press officer, Johan Tisell, said:

“It has been two years since we had any contact with John Terry and we currently have no business with him,” said Tisell. “Would we consider having business with him in the future? I don’t think so.”

Terry also advertises the computer-gaming series Pro Evolution Soccer and, as England captain, is involved with the national team’s sponsors, Nationwide.

A spokesperson for the UK building society said the accusation was a “private matter” adding that its contract was with the England team and “not any one individual”.

The Brand Forensics perspective

In the case of Tiger Woods’ affairs,he eventually lost sponsorship deals worth an estimated $1m (£617,000).  However, judging by some reactions to the Terry case, the outcome may turn out very different.

To begin with, whilst there is universally public condemnation of too many athletes – playing ‘away’ off the field, local perception regarding many British football players is a very different one than ’squeaky-clean’ golfers.

Generally, local UK footballers attract a very different demographic and so particular kind of public commentary.

Take this from author Toby Young published on the Daily Telegraph blogging site:

“As far as I’m concerned, John Terry can shag for England.”

He continued:

“I was on the fence about John Terry until Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, called his England captaincy into question. Now I’m four square behind him. If Robin Cook’s affair with his secretary wasn’t a good reason for him to resign from Labour’s front bench, why should Terry’s affair with Wayne Bridge’s wife be a  reason for him to lose his captaincy? “On the field John Terry is a fantastic player and a good England captain,” said Sutcliffe, “but to be the captain of England you have got to have wider responsibilities for the country.

“So it’s okay to have an extra-marital affair if you’re the Foreign Secretary, and quite literally represent your country, but not if your the captain of England, because you symbolically represent your country? What a load of balls.”

If the comment reflects the general underlining mood regarding the conduct of many football players, for now at least , the Terry case is very different from Woods’ situation.

Also, to put John Terry’s actual global brand potency into perspective, consider the latest list (January 2010) of the 100 most powerful athletes on and off the field.

Whilst the list is clearly USA biased, if nothing else it still offers general food for thought.

Bloomberg Businessweek teamed with CSE, an integrated sports and entertainment company and Bloomberg BusinessWeek columist Rick Horrow to produce the 2010 version of the Power 100.

The 2010 rankings  focus only on athletes. Measurements incorporated scores over a two-year period as well as total endorsement income, public opinion polls which evaluated the athlete’s awareness, trustworthiness, appeal and influence to calculate power off the playing field.

POWER 100 LIST

Athlete                       Sport

1. Tiger Woods         Golf

2. LeBron James        Basketball

3. Phil Mickelson      Golf

4. Albert Pujols           Baseball

5. Peyton Manning      Football

6. Dwyane Wade         Basketball

7. Michael Phelps      Swimming

8. Adrian Peterson     Football

9. Shaquille O’Neal    Basketball

10. Lance Armstrong     Cycling

11. Rafael Nadal        Tennis

12. Kobe Bryant         Basketball

13. Larry Fitzgerald    Football

14. Ryan Howard         Baseball

15. Brett Favre         Football

16. Serena Williams     Tennis

17. Roger Federer       Tennis

18. Eli Manning         Football

19. Joe Mauer           Baseball

20. Tim Duncan          Basketball

21. Jimmie Johnson      Auto Racing

22. Kevin Garnett       Basketball

23. Chris Johnson       Football

24. Randy Moss          Football

25. Drew Brees          Football

26. Kurt Warner         Football

27. Usain Bolt          Track & Field

28. Jeff Gordon         Auto Racing

29. Dirk Nowitzki       Basketball

30. Tom Brady           Football

31. Kevin Durant        Basketball

32. CC Sabathia         Baseball

33. Derek Jeter         Baseball

34. Prince Fielder      Baseball

35. David Beckham       Soccer

36. Dwight Howard       Basketball

37. Alex Ovechkin       Hockey

38. Andre Johnson       Football

39. Sidney Crosby       Hockey

40. Hines Ward          Football

41. Mark Martin         Auto Racing

42. Venus Williams      Tennis

43. Donovan McNabb      Football

44. Chris Paul          Basketball

45. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Auto Racing

46. Mark Teixeira       Baseball

47. LaDainian Tomlinson Football

48. Tony Stewart        Auto Racing

49. Chase Utley         Baseball

50. Jim Furyk           Golf

51. Shaun White         Snowboarding

52. David Wright        Baseball

53. Ilya Kovalchuk      Hockey

54. Ben Roethlisberger  Football

55. Steve Nash          Basketball

56. Lorena Ochoa        Golf

57. Evan Longoria       Baseball

58. Deron Williams      Basketball

59. Paul Pierce         Basketball

60. Carmelo Anthony     Basketball

61. Alex Rodriguez      Baseball

62. Johan Santana       Baseball

63. Tim Lincecum        Baseball

64. Apolo Anton Ohno    Speedskating

65. Stewart Cink        Golf

66. Ray Allen           Basketball

67. Carl Edwards        Auto Racing

68. Yao Ming            Basketball

69. Troy Polamalu       Football

70. Kyle Busch          Auto Racing

71. Landon Donovan      Soccer

72. Manny Pacquiao      Boxing

73. Padraig Harrington  Golfer

74. Vince Carter        Basketball

75. Tony Romo           Football

76. Dustin Pedroia      Baseball

77. Ichiro Suzuki       Baseball

78. Ray Lewis           Football

79. Andy Roddick        Tennis

80. Maria Sharapova     Tennis

81. Sergio Garcia       Golf

82. Fedor Emelianenko   Mixed Martial Arts

83. Derrick Rose        Basketball

84. Vijay Singh         Golf

85. Steven Jackson      Football

86. Andy Murray         Tennis

87. Allen Iverson       Basketball

88. Danica Patrick      Auto Racing

89. Brandon Roy         Basketball

90. Manny Ramirez       Baseball

91. Floyd Mayweather    Boxing

92. Candace Parker      Basketball

93. Shane Mosley        Boxing

94. Diana Taurasi       Basketball

95. Misty May-Treanor   Volleyball

96. Brock Lesnar        Mixed Martial Arts

97. Patrick Kane        Hockey

98. Chad Ochocinco      Football

99. Matt Ryan           Football

100. Ryan Sheckler       Skateboarding

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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A boost for e-publishing brands

The global publishing brand, Macmillan has reportedly withdrawn its e-book titles from being sold for Amazon brand’s Kindle reader.

Apple announced at the end of January that Macmillan was part of a group of major publishers that would sell their titles on Apple’s ibookstore designed for the iPad.

Apple is letting publishers charge more than the $9.99 which Amazon set for titles sold for its Kindle.

Under the Apple understanding, publishers set their own e-book prices, with Apple profiting from 30 per cent of the revenue. This is expected to raise many e-book titles to $12.99 and $14.99.

Whilst not being as ambient-light ‘friendly’ as products like the Kindle or Sony e-reader, the iPad does allows embedded multimedia as well as colour (making it ideal for publishers of textbooks).

Trouble ahead for iPad?

In designing the iPad, Apple reportedly overlooked incorporating the ability for viewers to see Flash-enabled content.

Equally, and from a branding point of view, potentially more problematical, rival technology brand Fujitsu claims that the name iPad is theirs.

It’s our understanding that the name is ours,” Fujitsu’s PR director Masahiro Yamane reported inThe New York Times last week.

The Fujitsu iPad – a touchscreen mobile device used in point-of-sale –  was launched in 2002.

One of the many other ipads out there

iPad, iPad …everywhere

Another tech-brand, Magtek manufactures its own iPad – an encrypted encrypted credit-card swiper.

And  it doesn’t stop there…

… Seimens uses the name: ‘iPad’, in combination with its engines and motors.

A Canadian company called Coconut Grove Pads Inc. offers polyurethane bra inserts and shoulder pads registered as the iPad.

Coconut Grove’s president, Hylton Karon, described the products as:

“…You know, little quickies you ladies use to enhance.”

The company, which manufactures bras under the brand name The Natural, owns the iPad trademark in the United States.

With so many iPads being marketed on the web, even YouTube is enjoying an unexpected lift on its site.

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Back to serious business…

The New York Times reported that in July, Apple “used a proxy to apply for an international trademark for the iPad,” it has since submitted multiple requests for additional time to contest Fujitsu’s application.  Apple reportedly has until the end of February to decide whether it will formally contest Fujitsu’s right to the name “iPad.”

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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Another logo for London in the countdown to 2012

Under the leadership of Mayor Boris Johnson, the Greater London Authoirty has commissioned a design agency with links to the company which designed the notorious 2012 Olympic Games logo, to produce a unified brand identity for the capital’s key promotional bodies, including: VisitLondon and ThinkLondon.

With the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in mind, Mayor Johnson wants to establish a cohesive marketing theme across the various promotional organisations.

“We need to have a multitude of promotional banners that encapsulate the vivacity of this wonderful city… We need to tell international audiences what a great place London is to visit, study and work.” Said Mayor Johnson.

Dan Ritterbrand, director of marketing for the GLA, was looking forward to:

”A powerful brand identity that will be clearly understood, underpinning the story of London and the many messages we want to communicate to the world.”

Timing

Originally the new identity, which was reported to be costing Londoners £500,000, was planned in time for next month’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

However  Ian Stephens, Principal at Saffron which has been commissioned to produce the brand campaign, said that the launch will not come ‘much later’ than the GLA’s original deadline of next month.

Whilst many in the media will scoff at the project  fee, in terms of corporate branding, providing that the final execution is more than just a simple logo, in terms of marketing a major world capital, many in the branding industry argue that the reported budget is relatively modest.

(The BBC suggested that the London 2012 logo execution cost a purported £400,000).

Saffron will create the marque as well as promotional activities and events to take place in Trafalgar Square, at international trade fairs and at major sporting events.

Indirectly Saffron is no stranger to branding and London.

Saffron’s Chair is the internationally acclaimed Wally Olins who, in addition to working on branding London, has worked for a number of other cities and cities and countries including Mauritius, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Vietnam.

Olins previously co-founded Wolff Olins, the company that some time after his departure, devised the notorious 2012 Games logo.

Will the lessons from the past be learnt?

A sign of hope

Founded in 2001,Saffron has offices in London, Madrid, New York and Mumbai.

Its clients have included Nationwide, Grant Thornton, the government of Poland, Corus Steel and Coca-Cola.

From a brand Forensics perspective, let’s just hope that in terms of effect, the new brand will be as pervasive as saffron itself, whilst in terms of perception, pound for pound, the lessons from the Olympic 2012 logo won’t be as costly to ‘brand London’ as the spice is to the markets.

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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A new wave of technology

Following months of controlled leaks and miss-direction, the Apple brand finally launched – neither the iSlate, nor the iTablet but iPad  - and so opened a veritable flood of divided opinions from tweeters, facebookers, podcasters, bloggers and die-hard Apple fans.

(According to Nielsen, immediately following the launch Twitter published 10,000 tweets about the iPad every five minutes).

The iPad (not to be confused with the iPod) has been launched with the post downturn consumer in mind.

In an attempt to reach markets which to date other tablet brands failed to capture, the iPad (with a reported ten-hour battery life between charges) can be synchronised with iPhones.

It offers an all-in-one platform which, as widely predicted, combines old world technology of books and print with new world technology of touch sensitive multi-media.

iPad the 'big brother' of Ipod

Holding the internet in your hands

“What once occupied half your living room can now be dropped in a bag. It’s pulling together a variety of needs (in) a universal entertainment device,”

explained NPD analyst Ned May to the Reuters news agency.

Refuting that the iPad is a netbook type device, Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs described the ‘big brother’ of iPod which has already been adopted by over 75 million people, as a “third category” device between smartphones and laptops.

Aggressively aimed at a price-sensitive market, in the US, prices for the 9.7 inch multi-touch, device will start from $499 for a 16 GB of storage model, leading to $699 for a 64GB WIFI version and $829 for a model which adds 3G.  (International prices will be confirmed by June 2010. The full range will be available globally in 90 days).

News of the pricing strategy sent shares in Apple rocketing as high as $210.58 (up 5.5 percent from their session low).

Meanwhile long-time brand adversary to Apple – Microsoft  reported a 60% jump in profit,  mostly due to the launch of its software branded Windows 7.

Microsoft’s net profit came in at $6.66bn (£4.13bn) for the three months to 31 December 2009, up from the $4.18bn it made in the same period a year earlier.

Up the Amazon without a paddle – just a finger’s touch.

As a contender to Amazon brand’s Kindle e-reader, as well as Barnes & Noble’s Nook reader and Sony’s family of e-readers, the iPad’s screen technology appears to have won admiration from just about every camp.

Adding iBooks to iTunes sends a direct challenge to the hitherto invincible Amazon.  (Rumours are already rife that Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos will respond with a suitably enhanced version of his Kindle reader, which, at entry level, currently retails from $259).

Turning a new leaf for publishers

The iPad platform offers the hard-pressed book-publishing sector a much welcomed additional channel to win back lapsed readers.

Thanks to enabling books to incorporate video, the iPad also helps reach new customers and enliven academic textbooks.

(Between its platforms – the App Store, iTunes and now iBookstore Apple is open to business to over 125 million credit card customers who have registered for instant ‘click’ buying).

Major brands which have signed up to the iBookstore platform include Pearson, Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, Macmillan and Hachette Book Group.

Equally traditional newspaper moguls such as the New York Times are rumoured to be anticipating charging advertisers premium advertising rates for advertisements placed on iPad versions of their publications.

(Both National Geographic and Time were showcased as demonstration sites at the iPad’s inauguration).

Slick outside – dramatic inside

In addition to accommodating modified software sub-brands such as stand-alone versions of Keynote and Pages (presentation and word processing packages) the iPad features Apples own 1GHz A4 chip.

By escaping complete dependency on third party traditional microchip makers such as Intel, the brand has tightened its grip on controlling every aspect of the Apple delivery experience; from silicon processors to shop front assistance.

To augment its content and support, Apple is inviting developers to create products such as games for the device. (Recently one Apple customer downloaded the three billionth ‘app’ from Apple’s App Store).

Frown – you’re not on camera

Disappointments for avid Apple brand fans include the iPad’s lack of a camera, rumoured lack of support for Flash,  as well non- announcement of 4G mobile phone support.

From a branding strategy perspective, excluding a camera and 4G was not a complete surprise.

The tactic offers the brand the opportunity to bring out new models around Christmas or 2011, which may include a camera as well as 4G.

It also allows Apple to give its other ‘IP’ brand – the iPhone- a Spring or Summer sales boost.

At that time Apple is expected to release a 4G iPhone, which is likely to incorporate a 5mp camera.

(Sources suggest that Vodafone in the UK is finalising processes to handle the increased bandwidth requirements in time for the launch).

Leading the children of Apple to the promised land

Parting of the waves

The launch of the iPad could not have come at a more apt time.  This week, around the world many religious communities will be reading a highly appropriate chapter from the Old Testament.

It tells the ongoing story of Moses leading his flock on a journey in which they eventually witness the giving of the ‘tablets’ which redefine the rules of humankind itself.

In the chapter (called in Hebrew “Beshalach”) Moses leads his people through the ‘reed’ sea, channelling divine powers to split the oceans in two.

And so whilst Apple has split opinions, it has also cleared a direct path  -perhaps not to receiving the expected Tablet, but iPad – which has the promise to launch thousands of apps and countless new ways to listen, read and experience the good book as well as accompanying mp3 track and iTunes movie.

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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Rumours are rife as to precisely when this year’s UK general election will be held.

Once announced, the political party brands will reveal the full splendour of their electoral marketing campaigns which, until now, are kept under wraps on Apple hard disks at various slick advertising agencies around town.

Many campaigns will doubtlessly feature pithy yet perceptive promises and slogans aimed to puncture the consciousness of the great British public.

Such tactics are increasingly important.  The Brits are traditionally either too apathetic to vote or too incensed to hold back from venting anger at every opportunity… at the pub… on TV chat-shows… on the bus…during radio phone-ins … and especially leaving curt comments on national blogging sites.

Whichever political brand eventually takes the vote, this year’s campaigning will, more than ever, be strongly influenced by sound bites aimed to create knee-jerk reactions – and every media-savvy MPs know it.

For example, despite a recent poll by of 2024 people by YouGov, published in Prospect magazine, which found that 39 per cent of respondents felt that Twitter was dumbing down the way we communicate, a reported 93 MPs from all political parties use the ‘blue-bird’ to turn long-winded manifestos into digestable 140 character tweets.

Augmenting the political line, TV debates will provide suitably friendly/concerned/amable faces to clarify party- HQ sanctioned tweets and blogs.

It will be the first time that the UK will follow America’s lead in holding such televised political branding beauty contests.

Whilst behind the scenes, various iPhone brandishing brand perception advisors will urge leadership contending clients to reassure voters that such debates concentrate exclusively on real issues rather than puff and image, almost certainly work will already be under way with various fitness trainers and nutritionists to slim back the odd extra inches off high profile waistlines.

Refreshing the brand perceptions politicians cannot reach

Trust my political brand – as sponsored by your favourite chocolate bar

Meanwhile over in America – the land that taught the advertising world how to sell political brands as pouring corn flakes – the Supreme Court has reportedly announced a major sea change in how political campaigns are financed. 

The floodgates have been opened for additional potential political advertising and marketing spending from corporations, unions and special interest groups.

Angered by the prospect, President Obama has said that he will try to get the Court to reconsider.

“With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics,” the President said.

“It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshall their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”

“I am instructing my administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision. The public interest requires nothing less.”

The court’s majority overturned two important aspects of politcial campaigning finance law: the ban on corporations using their own money to engage in political activity, and the blackout period which prevents certain groups from advertising spending within 60 days of an election.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said:

“When government seeks to use its full power, including the criminal law, to command where a person may get his or her information or what distrusted source he or she may not hear, it uses censorship to control thought.  This is unlawful. The First Amendment confirms the freedom to think for ourselves.”

The ruling was strongly influenced by a case brought by Citizens United, a conservative Republican group.

During the 2008 election the group produced a documentary on Hillary Clinton called, “Hillary: The Movie”.

To fund distribution, the group sought advertising sponsorship.

Citizens United argued that whilst corporate interests supported the film,  advertising didn’t violate campaign finance rules.

President of Common Cause, Bob Edgar said:

“This decision allows Wall Street to tap its vast corporate profits to drown out the voice of the public in our democracy.”

Echoing his concerns, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said:

“Today’s decision is the most radical and destructive campaign finance decision in Supreme Court history. The decision will unleash unprecedented amounts of corporate ‘influence-seeking’ money on our elections and create unprecedented opportunities for corporate ‘influence-buying’ corruption.”

The new Flake girl?

Over there – over here?

All this begs the – albeit slightly tongue in cheek – question:  If and when Kraft Foods finalise their deal for Cadbury, could in the far distant future,the UK  eventually look forward to the prospect of ladies like the Rt Hon Jacqui Smith becoming the new Flake girl?

We’ll just have to suck it and see.

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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The sweet taste of success

To all intents and purposes, unless there is a last minute change, it appears that global brand giant, Kraft Foods has succeeded in a £11.9bn bid to buy one the UK’s best loved brands, Cadbury.

Kraft increased its bid from an initial offer of 771p a share back in September 2009 to 840p plus a dividend (the equivalent of 8581/2 p, including the fee).

If and once the deal goes ahead, it will lead to the creation of the world’s biggest confectionary group with sales of nearly £37bn (About 15 per cent of the market).

Kraft said it would own 40 confectionary brands with sales in excess of $100m.

Strategically it makes sense for Kraft Foods to take a bite out of Cadbury.  For example, in one segment alone: gum in aquiring Cadbury gum  brands Dentyne, Trident and Stride, will be close on the heals of the competitive Mars brand. (Mars acquired Wrigley in 2008.)

However, from a regional branding perception stance, in the short term at least, such a deal could spell trouble ahead for the Bourneville brand.

Licking the cream

Board members at Cadbury are reportedly expected to enjoy huge payouts if the deal is sealed. (The UK Guardian newspaper suggests that the Chief Executive alone is in line for a £12m cash and share reward (The Daily Telegraph estimates £20m).

Various financial advisors expect to pocket hundreds of millions. PR companies, bankers, lawyers and accountants have already reportedly cost the brand £2m per day in fees during the battle for the iconic brand.

Bonanza payout headlines come on same day that Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, warned that UK families will see their standard of living fall over the next two years with salaries remaining frozen and inflation rises.

To make things worst, it is reported throughout the press that Kraft Foods has indicated that job losses were inevitable, especially at Cadbury’s West London office.

One paper reported cutbacks could affect 5,600 workers across the UK and Ireland.

From the nation which which brought you the man in red, a brand treat?

Grabbing our Curly Wurlies
The clash of profits versus doom, incensed the popular press such as The UK’s Daily Express to run front page headlines reading: SAVE OUR CHOCOLATE.

David Frost, director general of the British Chamber of Commerce asked:

“ Do we simply want to sell every UK brand to the highest bidder or do we see certain parts of it as being very fundamental to the future and for the future growth of the UK?”

The sentiment was echoed by Jennie Formby, Unite’s National Officer for Food and Drink:

“This is a very sad day for UK manufacturing. A successful iconic brand will be owned by a giant company with massive debt.”

Felicity Loudon, great-great granddaughter of the brand’s founder, John Cadbury described the takeover as a “horror story”.

Defending the bid, Irene Rosenfeld, Chief Executive of Kraft said:

“We have great respect for Cadbury’s brands, heritage and people. We believe they will thrive as part of Kraft Foods.”

Alluding towards, but not overtly pushing for national intervention for the brand, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:

“We are determined that the levels of investment that take place in Cadbury in the UK are maintained.”

Lord Mandelson said:

“ I want my Crème Egg to be produced in this country. It’s perfectly produced and perfectly tasty”.

(He added that state intervention would set a “dangerous precedent”).

It’s all about the taste
One of the greatest fears for the brand is that in potentially moving some of the production of its iconic confectionary delights to other countries offering competitive workforces, taste could be affected.

Clearly, chocolate depends on milk – which could arguably vary in taste -depending on local farm regimes.

In the UK, Chocolate must contain at least 20 per cent cocoa solids. In the US only 10 per cent is stipulated.

Kraft Foods will be wise to pay attention to messing with a food and drink brand’s core ingredients.

Coca-Cola learnt the hard way. It attempted to launch ‘New Coke’ featuring a different taste than the original recipe. That had to be relaunched with the original recipe as ‘Classic Coke’ and eventually back to where it started in the first place.

Getting the brand  name right
Recent British confectionary brands loosing their original trade names for more globally marketable ones include:

Opal Fruits – now Starburst, Marathon – now Snickers and Treets – now M&Ms.

In America, Cadbury’s biggest-spending national (US)  brands: Trident, Stride and Dentyne are handled by JWT, New York; and McCann Erickson, New York.

According to AdAge, Kraft worked extensively with JWT Chicago, until 2007, when it began draining the agency of big brands such as Kraft Singles, Oscar Mayer, Grey Poupon, Ritz and Triscuit.

The branding lesson

From a Brandforensics point of view, Kraft is certainly not naive. If their acquisition goes ahead, it will give them deeper reach and distribution into lucrative markets such as India and Latin America.

Kraft capitalise on population and economic growth

Irene Rosenfeld from Kraft Foods explained:

“We’ve expanded our footprint in developing markets to capitalise on both population and economic growth trends.  This further creates opportunities over the long term as consumers trade up to more of our products.”

As for taste changing, it is doubtful that Kraft Foods will meddle.

America and the UK has long enjoyed ‘ a special relationship’.  For this deal to work, it must be as culturally responsible as it is financially prudent.

In terms of brand reputation any merger or acquisition involving an iconic brand must take into account that no money can ever replace a brand’s illustrious relationship with loyal consumers.

Equally with the right investment in terms of finance and sensitivity, every brand can always be developed further to satisfy a global taste for excellence.

For now at least, in terms of where this particular brand story ends- there will be more than enough speculation for people to chew over in coming weeks and months.

Jonathan Gabay
www.brandforensics.co.uk

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New Conservative brand poster

The UK’s political party brands are warming up-  their ‘unofficial’ official marketing campaigns in the race to be the first to throw out the old furniture in Number 10 and order in the new from John Lewis. ( The John Lewis brand was recently accredited by Marks and Spencer as one of its competitive brands which best appealed to the middle classes – a vital segment for the Conservatives – Also refer to my radio interview on LBC –  http://tw0.us/60Y ).

In terms of high-awareness campaigning, so far the Conservatives are in the lead with a national poster campaign featuring an open-collared David Cameron with the headline:

“We can’t go on like this. I’ll cut the deficit, not the NHS”.

Cutting to the chase, the newspapers quickly suggested that Mr Cameron’s face had been retouched for the poster.  Responding to the allegation, Mr Cameron told the BBC:

“I certainly hope not….I did not produce the picture or the poster.”

However he then added that he was the copywriter on the poster (having written the headline).

All change on the election bus

The Conservative slogan for the 2010 campaign is “the year of change”.   This is a direct reflection of the campaign-winning ‘Time For Change’ slogan used by President Obama.

From a Brandforensics’ point perspective, whilst the slogan isn’t original, it offers a promise and more importantly all-important campaigning ‘hook’ on which to hang subsequent policy announcements.

For example:

A year of change for education…. health services… reform … and so on.

(It worked or Obama, so presumably Cameron hopes ‘yes it can’ work for him too).

Yes he can too?

One of my favourite political slogans was for President Coolidge, the world’s first media-savvy President (in office between 1923 -1929.)  His spin-doctor, the ‘father’ of all spin doctors – Edward Bernays devised it:

“Keep cool with Coolidge”.

Slogans which slip off the tongue but not from the memory

For his current political PR people’s reference and your edification, here are some of the best-known or most notorious international political slogans from the past.

If you have suggestion for a new one, please let me know and I’ll forward it to the current or future man in Downing Street’s SPINster.

Britain Deserves Better — 1997 British Labour Party slogan.  It corresponded with the pop song: Things can only get better, also used as the campaign anthem.

Better dead than Red — Anti-communist slogan.

Bread and roses — Immigrant rights slogan.

Capitalism is boring — Slogan used by the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination.

Catch up and overtake America! – Devised in 1957 by Nikita Khrushchev.

Come and take it — Slogan at the Battle of Gonzales.

Don’t Stop, Keep Going On! — The 2007 Turkish general electoral slogan of the Justice and Development Party.

Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer (“One people, one country, one leader”) — Nazi Germany.

England Will Fight to the Last American — Slogan of the America First Committee, against providing aid to Britain during WWII.

God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve — Anti-gay slogan used by Christians who opposed homosexuality on religious grounds.

Go For Growth — Australian Liberal 2007 campaign slogan.  It refered to the period of economic growth under John Howard’s leadership.

Hasta la victoria siempre (There’s always a victory to be achieved) —Che Guevara-associated Communist slogan.

Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many kids you kill today? — 1960s Anti-Vietnam War and anti-Lyndon B. Johnson slogan.

If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Labour. 1964 Conservative Party candidate Peter Griffiths’ election slogan

It’s Scotland’s oil — Used by the Scottish National Party (SNP) during the 1970s in making their economic case for Scottish independence

Labour isn’t Working — 1978 Conservative Party poster devised by Saatchi and Saatchi.   (I detail the story behind the poster in my book Soul Traders

The Lips That Touch Liquor Must Never Touch Mine — Slogan of the Anti-Saloon League of the US temperance movement

Make love not war — Against the Vietnam War.

Me ne frego! — Slogan used by the Benito Mussolini’s Blackshirts “I don’t give a damn”.

Never had it so good — 1957 campaign under Harold Macmillan’s leadership of the Tories.

Never been had so good — 1957 campaign slogan of the British Labour Party (in response to the Tory slogan).

New Labour, New Danger — 1977 slogan on Conservative Party campaign poster showing Tony Blair with glowing red eyes.

Power to the people —Slogan of Socialist or pro-democracy movements.

Remember the Alamo — Battle cry at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Stay the Course —  Popularised by the Bush administration as the strategy for the Iraq War.

The Buck Stops Here — First used by Harry S Truman in reference to government accountability.

Workers of the World, Unite! – Coined by Karl Marx.

Bozo and the Pineapple —Unflattering name given to Gerald Ford and Bob Dole.

Change we can Believe in — 2008 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Barack Obama.

Country First— 2008 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of John McCain.

Defeat the New Deal and Its Reckless Spending — 1936 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of  Alfred Landon

Don’t Swap Horses in Midstream — 1864 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Abraham Lincoln.

Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! — 1948 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Harry Truman.

Grant us Another Term — 1872  Ulysses S. Grant  presidential re-election campaign slogan.

Hoo but Hoover? — 1928 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Herbert Hoover.

I like Ike — 1952 U.S presidential campaign slogan of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

I propose (to the American people) a New Deal — 1932 slogan by democratic presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I still like Ike — 1956 U.S presidential campaign slogan of Dwight D. Eisenhower

It’s Time to Change America —1992 U.S. presidential campaign of Bill Clinton

It’s The Economy, Stupid – 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton.

Rum, Romanism and Rebellion — 1884 U.S. presidential election.

We are Turning the Corner — Republican 1932 campaign slogan.

Yes We Can — 2008 U.S. presidential campaign slogan.

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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Santander brand turns UK high street red

Spanish global banking brand, Santander, is set to start its final phase of a six year rebranding programme of some of the UK’s best known financial high street names. Branches in London and the South East will be the first to make the concluding brand name switch.

Currently more than 1,000 former branches of Bradford & Bingley banks and Abbey feature Santander’s logo.  278 branches of Alliance and Leicester are also to be renamed to Santander. This will conspicuously mark Santander as the fifth largest bank in the UK.

In 2004, Santander acquired Abbey and the Alliance and Leicester. In 2008 it acquired the savings arm of Bradford & Bingley. Now in addition to the branch signs, advertising and literature, the bank is hoping that a wider campaign highlighting value added services will more than compensate for what some consumers may feel is a growing lack of choice in high street banking brands.

Keith Moor, UK Brand and Communications Director for Santander said:

“Santander understands that our customers have a choice of who to bank with, so our business approach is simple, the more our customers do business with us, the more we will reward them in ways that they will genuinely value and see benefit”.

A through-the-line marketing featuring tv, posters and press advertising campaign features red bricks symbolizing the strength and steadiness of the bank.

The rebranding campaign also features Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.

Santander is also offering a fee-free Zero account for customers with a Santander mortgage and current account.  This features no charges for unauthorized overdrafts.

In Spain, UK customers can use Santander cash machines free, so avoiding the usual fees for withdrawing cash

With around 25 million customers (one million added during 2009 alone) Santander’s marketing strategy sets to challenge the brand dominance of the UK’s traditional ‘big four’ high street banking names: NatWest, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and RBS.

The shrinking UK market vs. the expanding global promise

In public relations terms, the global banking crisis shunned and reshaped many familiar UK financial institutions.  Lloyds swallowed HBOS.  The press ousted RBS as pariahs. In response the Royal Bank of Scotland Group is currently diverting consumer’s attention away from the RBS name, concentrating instead on advertising designed to show a soft, politically correct community approach to customers adopted by its NatWest brand.

Whilst Santander’s added value features attract many, those with a modest current account and no overdraft may find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between one high street bank and the next.

Familiar names hope to become one of the family

Hoping to build long-term customers as well as boost brand perceptions, other brand names including Virgin, The National Australian Bank and Tesco are reportedly seeking to either expand or establish their own financial presence on the High Street.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Richard Branson has approached U.S. private equity firm, Blackstone to find funding for a new bid for the Northern Rock.  (At the start of 2010, Branson’s Virgin Money bought a small provincial bank with the license needed to sell savings and home loan products in Britain).

By stepping in as a ‘people’s champion’, cleaning up back-room procedures and so ‘front of house’ awareness of banks, brands are investing in UK high street financial institutions or opening their own new outlets to profit from a ‘double-dip’ brand advantage.

In addition as being viewed as a ‘David’ in the battle against ‘Goliaths’, new brand contenders can gain from traditional long-term customer loyalty. (The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has estimated that only 6% of customers switch their banks in any one year).

Consumers remain loyal to their brands

Convincing complacent customers to actively switch financial brands has always been an uphill struggle. Yet the long-term rewards in succeeding are high. Once a market is captured, a bank can cross-sell a wide range of services including credit cards, savings, insurance … and so on.

With shrewd planning and decisive action for brands still with cash stacked under the bed, the banking crises offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to present a fresh approach to dispirited consumers, and in doing so, add a much needed rosy complexion to the brand’s own financial health.

Jonathan Gabay

www.brandforensics.co.uk

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