Our thinking is appearing in publications around the world

This article shows why Planning to Win is a market-driven approach that relies on senior business leaders to work together to identify what really matters to driving growth.

James Walker and Kevin O'Donnell share their takeaways from the recent Consumer Electronics Show Las Vegas.

It has become obvious that neither consumers nor businesses can evade the new digital world. As digitalization accelerates, its impact shows up not only through big players like Facebook, eBay, and Google, but also through digital media’s effect on the relationship between companies and customers.

On October 1, the digital doors of the health insurance exchanges open for business; and, the individual mandate will leave the entrance overflowing. No matter the depth of meticulous planning and preparation, nor the painstaking journey through security clearance, most health insurers are in a mad dash to the boarding gate.

A variety of factors – the rise of healthcare consumerism, healthcare reform and all its implications, and an increasingly informed public – are combining to force healthcare providers to take a hard look at something they once may have taken for granted: their “customers,” by which we mean their patients.

In this article Jeff Gourdji and Jeff Smith explain how to better connect business strategy and marketing execution.

Short CMO tenure has become a widely accepted fact of life. The arguments for this state are quite familiar: poor cultural fit, overly ambitious agenda, lack of productivity, change in business strategy, and no budget, to name just a few.

More often than not, there’s a more fundamental issue at play, and it’s one that is systemic across organizations. There’s a missing piece of what we call marketing middleware — the “Intel Inside” of marketing.

Corporate board members have a long list of responsibilities and concerns: succession planning, executive compensation, regulatory compliance and business growth strategies -- not to mention shareholder interests and value.

One topic that gets less attention is brand, often because many senior marketers have not mastered the art of turning marketing-speak into the financial language that resonates with directors. If brand value and the benefits of brand-building investments are not translated into the language of numbers, marketing will always be at a disadvantage in winning over the board.

Growing a business and brand is never easy – especially when consumers are fickle and the economy uncertain. But look on the bright side: while consumer and business spending are tenuous, major confidence indices are at a five-year high and still climbing. We’re at an economic inflection point that historically has created tension for marketers: Should they tightly manage spending, riding out weaker economic times, or invest more to help drive growth in new areas?

Consumer brands have invested billions to create experiences built upon distinctive combinations of products, services and people. Companies on the business-to-business (B2B) side, however, are typically less focused on creating customer experiences as a way to achieve competitive advantage. And that might seem to make sense. Yet a closer look shows that the attributes describing B2B winners – reliability, accuracy, quality, ease – are often the hallmarks of a great customer experience. 

Nestlé's Nespresso brand dominates the fiercely competitive Swiss market for coffee capsules. But Migros is successfully challenging its powerful competitor with its own brand, Delizio –thanks to a new brand identity and a strong positioning. Success spawns imitators, and Nespresso’s success quickly led to the appearance of numerous competitors: Today nearly a dozen players compete in the portioned coffee market – a market that has seen double-digit growth for the past several years.

Restrictions on how the tobacco industry can market their product is a reflection of how the Spanish government feels, which can be summarized as “You must not smoke in Spain.” In this regard, people's right to buy a legal product is being threatened, and even worse, a double standard is being used on the industry, especially considering that ultimately the government is the biggest beneficiary in the commercialization of these products. *Please note, this article is in Spanish.

In this opinion article published by the financial daily Cinco Días, Joseph Gelman argues that the concept of bank branches is still alive, despite claims to the contrary. Banks should therefore take advantage of this situation to transmit the essence of their brand to clients at all points of interaction, particularly in light of the current cash crisis. *Please note this article is in Spanish.

In this opinon piece, Joseph Gelman and Francisco Pinedo from Prophet's Madrid office, discuss the pitfalls of "green" branding in the car industry.

Spanish Cajas have a strong emotional connection with their regional roots, and hence, when considering M&A activities among these, it is critical to be very cautious and careful. However, these processes also generate the opportunity to provide the new company – the one combining 2 or more Cajas- with a powerful and differentiated brand identity; something that currently none of the Cajas have. *Please note this article is in Spanish.

Individual brands, or even whole categories, that were once important for a particular consumer segment, become irrelevant as society evolves and tastes change. Should you completely lose your current brand equity association so you can become relevant to new consumers?

Joseph Gelman discusses why some brands may not be relevant to consumers anymore and how this trend could be avoided. Through several examples of “old” brands, such as Telefónica, Ford, and Burger King, which managed to renew their image, Gelman studies different formula to make a brand become young again. *Please note, this article is in Spanish.

This issue of Marketing y Ventas features a 6-page interview with Joseph Gelman.  In it, he discusses the notion of the empowered CMO, emotional branding, and challenges facing Spanish brands. *Please note, this article is in Spanish.

The global financial services crisis raises issues for CMOs who now find themselves with new brands in their portfolios. Actions undertaken to protect brand equities of all the players — whether acquirers or acquired — must be carefully considered against a backdrop of customers, comparative health issues, and strategic compatibilities.

Joseph Gelman argues that the concept of bank branches is still alive, despite claims to the contrary. Banks should therefore take advantage of this situation to transmit the essence of their brand to clients at all points of interaction, particularly in light of the current cash crisis.